Does Providing Tangible Support to Children Enhance Life Satisfaction of Older Chinese Women? The Role of Perceived Filial Piety of Children

Abstract

Using data from a national representative survey (N = 9,423), this study examined (1) whether providing tangible support to children enhances the life satisfaction of older Chinese women, and (2) whether mothers' perceptions of children's filial piety affect such relationships. The results of multinomial logistic regressions show that older women who cared for grandchildren were more likely to report higher life satisfaction but those who provided monetary support were less likely to do so. In addition, the relationships between providing support and life satisfaction were conditioned on mothers' perceptions of children's filial piety. A positive regard on the younger generation was associated with enhanced life satisfaction among mothers who provided tangible support. The findings of this study point to the importance of perceived filial piety for the well-being of older Chinese women.

Filial piety of children as perceived by aging parents in China

“…Implications for interventions targeting older adults and their families in the Chinese context are based on the need to incorporate perceived filial piety as a significant indicator of well‐being among older adults, as indicated by previous literature. Identifying and including probable correlates with perceived filial piety as protective or risk factors of well‐being would help improve well‐being among older adults in the Chinese context, in the following aspects: equipping practitioners in the social welfare domain with the necessary knowledge about how aging parents perceive their children's filial piety and its importance on well‐being among older adults as suggested by Guo and Chi (2010); and developing education programs to enhance communication between adult children and their aging parents, informing adult children about the needs of their parents, thus enabling adult children to practice filial piety more effectively so as to optimize the well‐being of older adults in the Chinese context (Cheng & Chan, 2006; Guo & Chi, 2010).…”

“…Perceived filial piety refers to the subjective appraisal of the match between parents' expectations of filial piety and the actual practice of filial piety by the adult children (Cheng & Chan, 2006; Phillips et al., 2008). Prior studies of the relationship between perceived filial piety – that is, aging parents' perceptions of their children's acts of filial piety – and well‐being of aging parents in the Chinese context consistently show significant, positive direct or indirect effects of perceived filial piety on the subjective well‐being of older adults (e.g., Cheng, 2009; Cheng & Chan, 2006; Guo & Chi, 2010).…”

“…Cheng (2009) indicated that the effect of actions to benefit the next generation on the well‐being of older adults was fully mediated by perceived respect from the younger generation. Guo and Chi (2010) found that perceptions of children's pious behaviors among aging mothers in China played a moderating role in the relationship between providing tangible support to their children and life satisfaction. In other words, the negative association between providing monetary support to children and life satisfaction of aging mothers disappeared after including the interaction between perceived filial piety of children and support provision.…”

“…On the basis of the aforementioned studies, perceived filial piety of the adult children, in terms of such dimensions as respect, attention, and support, was assessed and shown to have a significant impact on well‐being among older adults in the Chinese context. Interventions to improve perceived filial piety, such as education programs, have been suggested in order to optimize the well‐being of aging parents (e.g., Cheng & Chan, 2006; Guo & Chi, 2010). In order to develop intervention strategies to improve perceived filial piety, it is of great importance to understand its correlates and deploy potential predictors as either protective factors or risk factors for well‐being among aging parents.…”

Filial Piety and Care for Elders: A Contested Confucian Virtue Reexamined

“…On the level of family dynamics, filial piety motivates many adult children to provide direct and indirect personal care and material supports to their elder parents; it also can enhance the overall sense of family cohesion, harmony, and intergenerational mutual support (G. Chan et al, 2012;Guo & Chi, 2010;Sung, 1998). Adult children who comply with expectations for parental care may receive parental appreciation, wider social approval, and even formal awards.…”