Dose–response relationship between intergenerational contact frequency and depressive symptoms amongst elderly Chinese parents: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Given the high prevalence of depressive symptoms amongst the elderly Chinese population and the significance of intergenerational contact in this demographic group, the purpose of this study was to examine the association and dose–response relationship between the frequency of intergenerational contact and depressive symptoms. Methods Data were obtained from the third wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. A total of 5791 participants at age 60 or older were included in this study. Depressive symptoms were defined by the 10-item version of the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Intergenerational contact included in-person meeting and remote connecting, and they were analysed separately. Intergenerational contact frequency was classified into ten categories and then treated as a continuous variable for analysis. We performed univariate and multivariate logistic regressions to identify risk covariables. Restrictive cubic spline analysis was used to examine the dose–response relationship between intergenerational contact frequency and the outcome of depressive symptoms. Results Both the frequency of meeting and the frequency of connecting with children were independently associated with depressive symptoms in the elderly, and the odds ratios for depressive symptoms increased with decreasing frequencies (P < 0.01). There was a negative dose–response relationship between intergenerational contact frequency and depressive symptoms. The odds of depressive symptoms steadily decreased with increasing frequency of meeting with their children. Following an initial increase, the odds rapidly decreased as the frequency of connecting with children increased with an inflection point at once a monthly. Both associations were nonlinear (P < 0.001). Conclusions Our findings revealed a negative dose–response relationship between intergenerational contact frequency and depressive symptoms in the elderly Chinese population. Thus, future health interventions should consider cultural norms in shaping the mental well-being of Chinese elderly persons.

A longitudinal study monitoring the quality of life in a national cohort of older adults in Chile before and during the COVID-19 outbreak

“…Nevertheless, there was no association between connectedness changes and changes in depressive symptoms. At the cross-sectional level, these variables were correlated (Table S1), as has been shown in other studies [44][45][46][47]. This could be because the present research did not distinguish between in-person meetings and remote connectedness as the study by Xie et al [47].…”

“…At the cross-sectional level, these variables were correlated (Table S1), as has been shown in other studies [44][45][46][47]. This could be because the present research did not distinguish between in-person meetings and remote connectedness as the study by Xie et al [47]. In Chile, as in other Latin American countries, in-person relationships are meaningful, and older people are not used to digital mediated relationships.…”

Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Tiny Positive Events in the Daily Life of Elderly People Living Alone

“…This is because children who take the initiative to ful l their nancial obligations for the elderly while doing their own lial duty and caring will better compensate for the lack of security of the elderly [30], resulting in positive emotional experiences for the elderly. Frequent visits from children are an important factor in the well-being of older people [31], and this was con rmed in this study. In this study, those whose children visited them 2-3 times/month had signi cantly higher positive event scores than those who visited them 1 time/month or less, suggesting that appropriate visits from children can provide psychological support at a time when they are most eager for emotional comfort, which is conducive to increasing positive emotions and improving the mental health of older people.…”

A New Perspective of Urban–Rural Differences: The Impact of Social Support on the Mental Health of the Older Adults: A Case from Shaanxi Province, China

“…Therefore, when examining the impact of formal social support on the mental health of older adults, the satisfaction of health insurance and pension insurance should be included in the model. Third, among informal social support, more scholars have considered the influence of intergenerational support, or child support on the mental health of older adults [ 19 ], although a small number of scholars have begun to focus on the influence of social relationships such as marital relationships (husband–wife relationships) [ 20 ], community relationships, and friendships on the mental health of older adults [ 21 ]. However, considering the range of activities and social characteristics of our older adults as well as the spatial distance of their daily life and travel, the above-mentioned social support is still missing.…”