The mixed blessing of living together or close by: Parent–child relationship quality and life satisfaction of older adults in China

Abstract

BACKGROUND Geographic proximity between parents and children is increasingly recognized as an alternative measure to coresidence as a gauge for intergenerational support in China. The quality of intergenerational relationships is another important dimension of intergenerational ties that is often underexplored. OBJECTIVE We examine the association between parent-child proximity and life satisfaction of older adults and how it interacts with the quality of intergenerational relationships, particularly for vulnerable subpopulations. METHODS We use data from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS 2014). We use ordered logit models to predict life satisfaction scores (ranged 1 to 4). RESULTS Our analyses show that parent-child relationship quality is strongly associated with life satisfaction, regardless of living proximity, in our full sample analysis. For those who have a lower-quality relationship with their children, coresidence or close-distance living does not enhance life satisfaction and they indeed have lower life satisfaction than those parents who have all children living farther away but maintain a high-quality relationship with them. At the same time, for those who have a high-quality relationship with their children, we find that close proximity provides added benefits for the subpopulations who

Reconfiguring Social Disconnectedness and Its Link to Psychological Well-Being among Older Adults in Rural China

“…Indeed, older Chinese increasingly choose to live close to their adult children rather than living together (Lei et al, 2015). Moreover, strong social networks and high-quality intergenerational relationships can protect those living alone (Chen et al, 2021; Tang et al, 2020). Nonetheless, two or more forms of social disconnectedness elevate depressive symptoms and decrease life satisfaction.…”

“…The link between living alone and health, however, is inconclusive. Some earlier literature reported that living alone was adversely associated with subjective well-being (Chen & Short, 2008), while recent research suggested that those living alone may have high levels of life satisfaction if they enjoy high-quality intergenerational relationships (Chen et al, 2021; Djundeva et al, 2019).…”

Introduction to the special collection on family changes and inequality in East Asia

“…China's intensifying market economy has invoked the traditional gender division of labor under which marriage and motherhood penalties to women's job careers are more evident than in earlier periods of marketization (He and Wu 2021). Although parents living away from their adult children in contemporary China does not necessarily lead to them having lower life satisfaction, it can be particularly harmful for older parents who are more disadvantaged (Chen, Shen, and Ruan 2021).…”

“…The following eight articles of this special collection, titled Family Changes and Inequality in East Asia, share a key interest: how growing economic inequality and labor market uncertainty and stubborn gender-inegalitarian norms and environments have shaped families in East Asia. Collectively, these eight articles address how families in East Asia have evolved against a backdrop of changing economic contexts and persistent gender inequality, among other key forces affecting family life, across a variety of familyrelated outcomes: from singlehood, marriage intentions, and dating (Brinton, Mun, and Hertog 2021;Raymo, Uchikoshi, and Yoda 2021;Yu and Hara 2020), through fertility (Lim 2021), the time use of adolescents and parents with young children (Hertog and Zhou 2021;Park 2021), and women's careers (He and Wu 2021), to intergenerational coresidence and the life satisfaction of older parents (Chen, Shen, and Ruan 2021). Our collection moves beyond focusing on a single event such as marriage or fertility in a short time window to cover different stages of the life course, from singlehood to older parents' living arrangements.…”

Influence of perceived importance of the internet on life satisfaction and health of the older people: An analysis based on intermediary and moderating effects

“…Some scholars have also pointed out that the intergenerational interaction between parents and children has a positive correlation with their satisfaction with the parentchild relationship, and this will positively affect their satisfaction with family life (18). The dialogue and communication between parents and children, and humanitarian care among families can not only promote the establishment of a harmonious parentchild relationship for the older people, but also help them to have a healthy physical and mental state and reduce the risk of depression (19) and chronic diseases (20). At the same time, mutual health care among family members also helps to promote the physical activity of the older people and makes them more willing to go out to participate in healthy activities in the process of communication with family members, so as to maintain a healthy physical condition (21) and reduce the risk of chronic diseases (22).…”