Factors Associated with the Psychological Health of Caregiving Older Parents and Support from Their Grown Children: Results from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

Abstract

In China, older parents have become an important source of childcare for their grown children since 2010. However, caring for grandchildren may affect older parents’ psychological health (PH) in both positive and negative ways. Using the method of stepwise decreasing logistic regression, this study aimed to assess the factors associated with PH and support from grown children among caregiving older parents (400 respondents) based on the public panel data of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The findings showed that being male (X1, OR = 1.661 (95% CI 1.066–2.590)), being literate (X4, OR = 2.129 (95% CI 1.369–3.309)), and expecting long-term care in the future from their grown children (X6, OR = 2.695 (95% CI 1.736–4.185)) were significant factors associated with PH. Therefore, in such an aging society, we should not regard older parents as a “burden”; we should recognize and appreciate their contribution to caregiving. As family and children, it is important to give older parents the necessary economic and emotional support to maintain their psychological health in the meantime.

Effect of Children’s Support on Depression among Older Adults Living Alone or with a Spouse: A Comparative Analysis between Urban and Rural Areas of China

“…However, in the measurement of emotional support, scholars use different indicators and processing methods in their research. Some studies measured emotional support by the frequency of contact between older adults and their children, such as face-to-face meetings, telephone calls, text messages, emails, and social media [34][35][36][37][38]. Others use emotional cohesion to determine whether the emotional relationship between children and older parents is strong [33].…”

“…We use two indicators to represent the frequency of contact, in line with the procedures carried out in various other studies [34][35][36][37][38]. All respondents are asked to answer two questions.…”

How Does the Care of the Disabled Elderly Affect the Caregiver’s Subjective Well-being?evidence From China Time Use Survey

“…In developing countries, the proportion of elderly people who choose to live at home is always higher [6][7][8] . Therefore, once the elderly have physical problems and need to be taken care, family members will assume the main tasks of support and care 9,10 . However, since the implementation of the family planning policy, China has broken the traditional "multiple children and large population" family structure [11][12][13] and gradually formed "421" family structure, which means that each individual may have to take care of four elderly people at the same time, and the physical and mental pressures are very heavy 14 .…”

Factors Associated with Healthy Ageing, Healthy Status and Community Nursing Needs among the Rural Elderly in an Empty Nest Family: Results from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

“…In addition, loneliness is a problem for empty nesters in rural areas and distance hinders contact and care between adult children and their parents [32]. The common practice of the rural elderly helping to take care of their grandchildren, although it may help ease the degree of loneliness felt by the elderly in the short term, also increases the pressure on the elderly that poses a risk to their long-term health [33][34][35][36].…”