Older People’s Long-Term Care Preferences in China: The Impact of Living with Grandchildren on Older People’s Willingness and Family Decisions

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to better understand the long-term care preferences of older people based on intergenerational demonstration effects and social exchange theory, derived from the literature on intergenerational family relationships. The authors relied on the 2014 China Longitudinal Ageing Social Survey database to test the study hypotheses. The results indicated that living with grandchildren was negatively related to the institutional care preferences of older people. Family members’ attitudes and older people’s life satisfaction significantly mediated the relationship between living with grandchildren and their institutional care preferences. Gender and marital status had potentially diverse effects on institutional care preferences. Therefore, in the context of China’s culture of filial piety, social exchange, and intergenerational demonstration, motivation may help foster intergenerational exchange and reciprocity in eldercare arrangements.

Forecasting Informal Care Needs of the Urban-Rural Older Adults in China Based on Multi-state Markov Model

“…Older men are more dependent on care provided by their spouses, and older women are more dependent on care provided by their adult children, which is consistent with previous studies [29]. In uenced by Confucian lial piety culture, women usually play the role of main family caregivers, who undertake more housework and care tasks and are more likely to provide informal care [30][31][32]. It is worth noting that in 2040, the number of urban and rural elderly people receiving the fourth source of informal care (other relatives and community day care centers) was 4.44 million and 5.95 million, respectively, an increase of 39% and 143% compared with 2020, indicating that more and more elderly people are seeking care sources outside the family.…”

Factors influencing senior care and living preferences among older adults in Jiangsu, China: a cross-sectional survey study

“…First, we defined three categories of living arrangements for older adults’ senior care preferences by asking participants where they preferred to live as they continued to age. Expanding the understanding of older adults’ senior care preferences and attitudes is critical for forecasting and responding to demands for senior care [ 73 ]. Second, we comprehensively integrated, expanded, and analyzed factors affecting the senior care preferences of older adults based on the Andersen Behavioral Model, including psychosocial factors, individual resources, intergenerational relationships, family and social support, and knowing about and impressions of senior care institutions.…”

Examining the impact of Co-residence with a daughter-in-law on older adult health in China: Evidence from a frailty index-based study

“…Additionally, most existing empirical studies focus on spouses and (grand)children while neglecting the impact of non-blood relatives such as sons-in-law and daughters-in-law on older adult health. Therefore, this study incorporates the increasingly focused in-law relationship into research on elderly living arrangements ( Deng et al, 2022 ; Lee et al, 2020 ; Peng et al, 2021 ). We introduce the frailty index, a comprehensive measure of older adult health status, thus providing a more holistic assessment of physical and mental health and offering a solid basis for factor analysis.…”