The Perception of Social Support Among U.S. Chinese Older Adults

Chen, Ruijia; Simon, Melissa A.; Chang, E‐Shien; Zhen, YingLiu; Dong, XinQi

doi:10.1177/0898264314529332

Cited by 43 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Also, the older men exhibited lower levels of emotional closeness with existing confidants when compared with the women. In general, women are more likely to participate in social activities and community engagement, and, therefore, they have more heterogeneous sources and contacts of network members outside their home [16] . However, this previous work did not specifically include older age groups when gender differences regarding mortality occurred, resulting in more women in widowhood and single households.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In reality, older adults of Chinese descent -one of the fastest-growing segments of the geriatric population -are faced with disproportionate health burdens, ranging from physical to psychological distress [15] . Although recent studies have begun to examine the dynamic nature of the social relationships of older Chinese immigrants [16] , the social networks of this minority group remain underexplored.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Social Networks among the Older Chinese Population in the USA: Findings from the PINE Study

Dong

Chang

2017

Gerontology

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Background: Social network research has become central to studies of health and aging. Its results may yield public health insights that are actionable and improve the quality of life of older adults. However, little is known about the social networks of older immigrant adults, whose social relationships often develop in the context of migration, compounded by cultural and linguistic barriers. Objectives: This report aims to describe the structure, composition, and emotional components of social networks in the Chinese aging population of the USA, and to explore ways in which their social networks may be critical to their health decision-making. Methods: Our data come from the PINE study, a population-based epidemiological study of community-dwelling older Chinese American adults, aged 60 years and above, in the greater Chicago area. We conducted individual interviews in participants' homes from 2011 until 2013. Based on sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, this study computed descriptive statistics and trend tests for the social network measures adapted from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project study. Results: The findings show that older Chinese adults have a relatively small social network in comparison with their counterparts from other ethnic and racial backgrounds. Only 29.6% of the participants could name 5 close network members, and 2.2% could name 0 members. Their network composition was more heavily kin oriented (95.0%). Relationships with network members differed according to the older adults' sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Subgroup variations included the likelihood of discussing health-related issues with network members. Conclusion: This study highlights the dynamic nature of social networks in later-life Chinese immigrants. For healthcare practitioners, developing cost-effective strategies that can mobilize social network support remains a critical undertaking in health intervention. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the causal impact of social networks on various domains of health.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Social Networks among the Older Chinese Population in the USA: Findings from the PINE Study

Dong

Chang

2017

Gerontology

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“…Self-reported satisfaction towards social support is a strong predictor of loneliness, [16] and existing literature further reveals that Chinese older immigrants rely on adult children as the most important source of social support. [17,18] Therefore, it is imperative to consider filial piety as an important cultural factor in the investigation of loneliness. A few studies have begun to explore the associations between socio-demographic factors and loneliness, such as marital status, gender, age, education, income, living arrangement.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[35,36] Considering filial piety is often exemplified through behaviors of reciprocity, the psychological effects of receiving filial piety from children can be intensified by immigrating to the U.S., with higher perceived stress in coping with daily life, and lower self-mastery levels to confront with linguistic and cultural barriers. [37,38] While evidence suggested that U.S. Chinese older adults primarily rely on adult children for social support, [18] family-focused social networks are most beneficial to the well-being of older adults. [39,40] Our finding is supported by a study indicating that decreased affection to and from children is associated with higher risk of loneliness among older adults.…”

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The association between filial piety and loneliness among Chinese older adults in the greater Chicago area

Dong

Zhang

Chang

2015

JER

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Background: Loneliness is an important health indicator for psychological well-being. This study aims to examine the association between filial piety and loneliness among Chinese older adults in the U.S. Methods: Data were drawn from the PINE study, a population-based study of 3,159 Chinese older adults aged 60 and above in the greater Chicago area. Severity of loneliness was the dependent variable. Independent variables were the expectation and perceived receipt of filial piety, examined in six domains. Negative Binomial Regression analyses were conducted. Results: Lower levels of perceived filial piety receipt were associated with greater severity of loneliness (Ratio of Expected Severity: 0.92, 0.91-0.94) after adjusting for socio-demographics and medical co-morbidities. Expectation of filial piety was not associated with severity of loneliness. Conclusion: Our findings indicate higher perceived receipt of filial piety may protect older adults from loneliness. Our study suggests that cultural sensitivity need to be considered in the detection and intervention of loneliness.

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“…The second section delves into the PINE study findings on the psychological and social wellbeing of U.S. Chinese older adults, an area which has only received limited attention in population-based aging research (Dong, Chang, Wong, & Simon, 2012a, 2012b. Collectively, these findings showed that contrary to the model minority image, U.S. Chinese older adults were disproportionally affected by psychological and social distress (Chen, Simon, Chang, Zhan, & Dong, 2014;Dong, Chen, Fulmer, & Simon, 2014;Dong, Chen, Wong, & Simon, 2014;Dong, Zhang, Zhang, & Simon, 2014). These results call for further longitudinal studies to examine these older adults' changes in health and well-being of over time to better predict risk and protective factors associated with health disparities among Chinese older adults.…”

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The Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago

Dong

2014

J Aging Health

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The Perception of Social Support Among U.S. Chinese Older Adults

Abstract: Chinese older adults perceive a high level of both positive and negative spouse and family support simultaneously. Further longitudinal studies should be conducted to better understand the factors and outcomes associated with perceived positive and negative social support.

Cited by 43 publications

References 47 publications

Social Networks among the Older Chinese Population in the USA: Findings from the PINE Study

Social Networks among the Older Chinese Population in the USA: Findings from the PINE Study

The association between filial piety and loneliness among Chinese older adults in the greater Chicago area

The Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago

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