Association of Received Intergenerational Support with Subjective Well-Being among Elderly: The Mediating Role of Optimism and Sex Differences

Abstract

Even though an extensive body of previous research has examined the association between received intergenerational support and the well-being outcomes of older adults in a wide variety of contexts, few studies have been conducted to explore the impacts of intergenerational support on elders’ subjective well-being, especially the intermediary mechanisms in this process. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap by exploring the mediating role of optimism in the association between received intergenerational support and subjective well-being among the elderly in China, as well as the sex differences that exist between males and females. The findings show that the intergenerational support received from adult children is positively related to subjective well-being and that this relationship is partly mediated by optimism. Meanwhile, no significant sex difference was found in the interrelations between intergenerational support, optimism, and subjective well-being.

The Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Adults Aged 35–60 Years: The Mediating Role of Subjective Well-Being and Life Satisfaction

“…It has been found that the method of directly collecting the data about the respondents' subjective well-being is the most reliable, effective, and comparable [64,65]. Therefore, consistent with previous studies [66,67], subjective well-being was measured by a 5-point Likert-type scale question: "What is your happiness level?" answered ranging from "1 (very unhappy)", "2 (unhappy)", "3 (general)", "4 (happy)", "5 (very happy)".…”

A study on the impact of the number of family generations on intergenerational support for centenarians: a study in a Chinese ‘longevity city’

“…We collected details such as gender, date of birth, marital status, education level, place of residence, health status, number of generations in the family, and the number of sons and daughters. The structured questionnaire on intergenerational support was revised based on the actual situation and has been validated several times in relevant studies involving Chinese populations 7,24–26 …”

“…The structured questionnaire on intergenerational support was revised based on the actual situation and has been validated several times in relevant studies involving Chinese populations. 7,[24][25][26] Intergenerational support Intergenerational support is mainly manifested in three aspects: financial support, instrumental support, and emotional support. We used a simple question to evaluate economic support, as to whether their adult children 'Give you money or buy clothes, send food, etc.'…”

“…Intergenerational family support is based on traditional filial piety, and is an important guarantee for maintaining the quality of life of the elderly. Intergenerational family support refers to the financial, instrumental, and emotional support between generations, 6 and is affected by demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, health status, living arrangements, and the number of children 7–9 …”

“…Intergenerational family support refers to the financial, instrumental, and emotional support between generations, 6 and is affected by demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, health status, living arrangements, and the number of children. [7][8][9] It has been found in an increasing number of studies that intergenerational support was positively associated with physical health, mental health, cognitive function, social relationships, and quality of life among the elderly. 6,[10][11][12][13] Worldwide, intergenerational support of offspring has been found to play a pivotal role in supporting the lifelong mental health and wellbeing of elderly parents.…”