Does Coresidence Improve an Elderly Parent’s Health?

Abstract

It is generally believed that intergenerational coresidence by elderly parents and adult children provides old-age security for parents. Though such coresidence is still the most common living arrangement in many countries, empirical evidence of its benefits to parental health is scarce. Using Indonesian data and a program evaluation technique that accounts for non-random selection and heterogeneous treatment effect, we find robust evidence of a negative coresidence effect. We also find heterogeneity in the coresidence effect. Socially active elderly parents are less likely to be in coresidence, and when they do live with a child, they experience a better coresidence effect. Keywords:Intergenerational coresidence, informal care, elderly health, treatment effect, factor structure model JEL codes: I12, J1, C31Funding: This research is supported by the Australian Research Council Discovery Project Grant DP110100773. 3 IntroductionIt is widely assumed that living with adult children improves the health outcomes of elderly parents through the provision of valuable family support. Arguably, coresidence is the most comprehensive form of informal care, offering immediate instrumental, emotional, and financial assistance. For generations, intergenerational coresidence has been relied upon to protect the welfare of elderly parents, particularly in developing and middle-income countries where public support systems for the elderly are underdeveloped.Despite the prevalence of informal care by adult children and its indisputable role in today's aging societies (e.g., OECD, 2005), solid empirical evidence of the presumed beneficial role of coresidence with a child is scarce. On the contrary, nationally representative data sets from numerous countries (e.g., the US, Japan, China, and Indonesia) and many recent studies both show worse health outcomes for parents in intergenerational coresidence than for parents living independently.Researchers have discussed various pathways through which intergenerational coresidence may affect parental health negatively. Elderly parents may transfer their resources to adult children (Cameron and Cobb-Clark, 2001;Schroder-Butterfill, 2003;Johar and Maruyama, 2011). Excessive reliance and caregiving burden on children may reduce elderly parents' incentive to invest in their health to extend their life (Maruyama, 2012). Economic development and population aging may have reduced the supply of family support by adult children relative to its demand, which leads to tension and conflict between generations and weakens the bargaining position of elderly parents (Asis et al., 1995;Hermalin, 2000;Giles et al., 2003;Lachs and Pillemer, 2004;Zhang, 2004;Chan, 2005;Newberry, 2010;Teo, 2010 There are three classes of confounding factors that prevent us from applying a simple regression framework: (1) reverse causality, (2) non-random selection, and (3) heterogeneity in the treatment effect. Reverse causality concerns the possibility that coresidence occurs in response to the deterioration of parent...

Reciprocity in the Formation of Intergenerational Coresidence

“…Children's support for elderly parents can take forms other than coresidence, such as distant informal care and financial assistance for formal care. Additionally, recent studies have questioned the effectiveness of intergenerational coresidence in promoting elderly parents' longevity (Johar and Maruyama 2013;Maruyama 2012).…”

“…For example, a cross-sectional association between coresidence and parental ill health may be explained by the effect of coresidence on health. Several studies reported that living arrangements influenced the health of the elderly, suggesting that a reverse causal effect may exist (e.g., Johar and Maruyama 2013;Maruyama 2012;Michael et al 2001;Sarwari et al 1998). Second, transition analysis provides a clearer framework to study the consequences of the heightened needs of elderly parents.…”

Authoritative Parents and Dominant Children as the Center of Communication for Sustainable Healthy Aging

“…The co-residence condition with the elderly was divided decided based on previous reports related to a significant impact on parental health [ 24 , 32 ]. For our study, in order to get firsthand living arrangement condition of the intergenerational co-residencies, we conducted a preliminary survey using a snowball sample technique for Indonesian adults, between 12 November and 10 December 2019.…”

“…It is still considered shameful for a family to admit their parents to a residential aged care facility ( Panti Sosial Tresna Werdha —Ind) [ 21 ]. As a consequence, co-residing with at least one child is preferable as old age security for parents [ 24 ] in developing countries [ 25 ], even though it does not always correlate positively with the parental health or expectation and is less likely to be preferred by socially active elderly parents [ 24 ] until they can no longer be so [ 26 ]. Older people are willing to be active as before as long as they have the capability.…”

Crowded Nests: Parent–Adult Child Coresidence Transitions and Parental Mental Health Following the Great Recession

“…A number of previous studies have explored relationships between coresidence with adult children and parental well-being. Some suggest that living with adult children has primarily negative effects on parents’ mental health (Johar and Maruyama 2014; Pudrovska 2009; Tosi and Grundy 2018). Explanations for this pattern include that coresidential adult children can drain parents’ financial assets (Maroto 2017), reduce the quality of marital relationships (Davis, Kim, and Fingerman 2016), create parent–child conflicts (Ward and Spitze 2007), and be disappointing or stigmatizing (Newman 2012; Sassler et al 2008).…”