Intergenerational Ambivalence Research Articles

Frictions between familism and neoliberalism: exploring the intergenerational ambivalence narratives of migrant older parents in China

ABSTRACT This article explores the narratives of Chinese migrant older parents and addresses how the interplay between familism and neoliberalism, as structural forces behind older parents migrating to reside with their adult children, influences their perceptions of intergenerational relationships in the context of internal migration in China. Adopting the intergenerational ambivalence perspective, this study thus analyzes the connections between participants’ lived experiences and the structural forces and processes. The empirical data are drawn from 16 semi-structured interviews with 10 migrant older parents in Shenzhen. Through narrative and thematic analyzes, three main areas of intergenerational ambivalence are identified, which were expressed through how they talk about: (1) their adult children; (2) the childcare work they provided; (3) their expectation about filial care. These narratives highlight a strong focus on the younger generation’s socioeconomic success, with older parents inscribing themselves the role of supporting them to achieve this goal. This entails a change in the norms that regulate intergenerational relationships in contrast to the traditional direction of obligation around filial piety. Furthermore, the analysis demonstrates that the intergenerational ambivalences experienced by migrant older parents are created by their unfavourable positions across two incompatible systems: the neoliberal state-capitalist economy and unchanged family-based welfare/care regime.

Intergenerational Ambivalence, Self-differentiation and Ethnic Identity: A Mixed-methods Study on Family Ethnic Socialization

Ethnic identity, profoundly influenced by familial factors, embodies multifaceted layers; yet, the intricate process of family ethnic socialization warrants deeper exploration. This study focuses on exploring the complexities of ethnic identity formation, specifically within the context of Yi adolescents. Employing a mixed-methods approach, it delves into family ethnic socialization dynamics among Yi adolescents. The research engaged 606 surveyed participants and conducted interviews with 188 individuals in focused group settings in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. Quantitative analysis revealed correlations between caregiver-adolescent relationships (CAR) and ethnic identity. Adolescents experiencing ambivalent, positive, or neutral CAR exhibited higher ethnic identity levels than those with negative CAR. Qualitative analysis highlighted two key themes. Firstly, families tended to acculturate love through traditional cultural expectations and socialization, demonstrated through unconscious integration of Yi culture and a focus on individual modernity within family values. Secondly, ethnic identity attainment was observed through self-differentiation, including reflexive awareness of Yi ethnicity, enrichment of Yi identity through peer interactions, and the connection of self-actualization with Yi prosperity. The findings emphasize the need for culturally sensitive support, particularly for social workers, to facilitate reflexive self-differentiation among ethnic minority adolescents during family ethnic socialization.

Internet Use, Intergenerational Ambivalence, and Subjective Well‐Being among Chinese Urban Aging Adults: Do Living Arrangements Matter?

Rapid advancements in Internet technology have significantly narrowed the digital divide between generations, transforming the ways in which aging adults establish social networks. Concurrently, rural‐to‐urban migrations have led to a decrease in the coresidence of aging adults in China. Aging adults living with and without children may differ in their level of reliance on Internet communication, potentially influenced by the geographic distance between generations. This study examined the mediating effects of intergenerational ambivalence on the association between Internet use and subjective well‐being among Chinese urban aging adults, particularly considering their living arrangements. Representative survey data were collected from 1,339 participants aged ≥50 years (512 participants lived with their children, and 827 did not) in urban China. Internet use was positively associated with subjective well‐being, both directly and indirectly, through intergenerational ambivalence among the entire sample and those not living with their children. Policy interventions should be developed to reduce the digital divide, address intergenerational ambivalence by fostering intergenerational solidarity and affectual closeness as well as mitigating intergenerational conflicts, and improve access to the Internet, particularly for those not living with their children.

Intergenerational ambivalence among families with a migrant background caring for older relatives

IntroductionEurope's population is aging and becoming more ethnically diverse due to migration. The growing number of aging migrants has raised concerns about their future eldercare arrangements and their implications for both families and formal care services. Many older non-European migrants prefer family care over formal, long-term care facilities. ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to explore the family caregiving arrangements for older Pakistani migrants from the Ahmadiyya community in Norway. MethodsThis exploratory qualitative study recruited 19 women between 25 and 62 years of age who were family caregivers for older adults. Semi-structured individual (18) and group interviews (2) were conducted in Urdu and English. FindingsOur analysis reveals four main themes: the need to share caring responsibilities with family, balancing personal relations in managing care, lack of privacy while caregiving, and feelings of inadequacy. ConclusionWhile rotational care for older family members offers benefits such as the sharing of responsibilities and more privacy, reliance solely on family care arrangements led to greater ambivalence among family caregivers and provoked doubts about the ability to continue caring for older relatives in the future. Our findings highlight the urgent need to establish modes of collaboration with formal care systems to ensure the support and well-being of both older adults and their family caregivers.

Intergenerational Ambivalence and Negotiations: Malaysian Chinese Family Dynamics in the Film The Journey

The millennium is witnessing the emergence of several key feature films produced by Malaysian producers-directors of Chinese ethnicity. Such Malaysian Chinese films comprise a majority of ethnic Chinese as lead actors, who converse predominantly in the Chinese language and consist of narratives that focus on the experiences of the Chinese community in Malaysia. This article seeks to analyse one such film, “The Journey”, directed by Chiu Keng Guan in 2014. In particular, through the film’s narrative, it aims to explore the extent to which this film visualises the possibilities of intergenerational negotiation and engagement as well as the implied issues of intergenerational and cultural differences. Using a conceptual framework that incorporates selected Confucian virtues, namely filial piety, benevolence and propriety, the discussion highlights the significant moments of intergenerational dialogue and engagements within the domestic context of a family. It concludes that the film provides a significant space to reflect on Malaysian Chinese intergenerational reciprocity through the negotiation of cultural differences between older and younger family members in the form of meaningful dialogue and engagement that lead to the realisation of Confucian ideals of intergenerational harmony intertwined with conjugality.

Prevalence and predictors in self-neglect: A cross-sectional study of domestic migrant older adults in China.

Insufficient information is available on the prevalence and predictors of self-neglect among Chinese domestic migrant older adults resulting from rapid aging and mass population migration. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 597 older adults in four districts of Wenzhou from May to November 2020. A self-neglect scale was used to assess the prevalence of self-neglect among such adults. Sixteen potential predictors were considered in the domains of sociodemographic, health condition, socioeconomic, social isolation, intergenerational relationship, and filial piety. The prevalence of self-neglect within this population was 72.7%. Social isolation (OR=0.823; 95%CI 0.684-0.990), physical health (OR=0.966; 95%CI 0.941-0.992), intergenerational ambivalence (OR=1.240; 95%CI 1.013-1.519), and affective-cognitive solidarity (OR=0.796; 95%CI 0.719-0.880) were found to be independent predictors of self-neglect in this population. We suggest that community health service organizations should prioritize migrant older adults with a poor health status and those with intergenerational ambivalence to reduce self-neglect in migrant older adults. Such older adults should also be encouraged to participate in community activities for more social integration.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OLDER PARENTS’ INFORMATION SHARING AND THEIR INTERGENERATIONAL AMBIVALENCE

Abstract The current study examined (1) the relation between older parents’ information sharing of their life issues with their children as the primary helpers (helper children) and parents’ intergenerational ambivalence and (2) the effect of parents’ reasons for not sharing the information with the helper children on parents’ intergenerational ambivalence. Older parents (N=268, Mage =76, SD=5.41, range 65-94, female=59%) participated in an online survey and responded to how much they openly shared information on 10 issues of their lives developed based on a focus group study (Toyokawa et al., 2021). A series of one-way ANOVAs, followed by Bonferroni posthoc analysis, revealed that compared to parents who openly shared information on life issues and did not perceive the issues were not applicable for their lives, parents who did not openly share information reported significantly lower levels of intergenerational ambivalence on the issues of pain management, F(2, 265)=7.51, p=.0007, social partners, F(2,265)=9.50. p=.0001,what they do with other children, F(2,256)=7.49, p=.0007, financial management, F(2,265)=3.80, p=.0234, and their plan for the end-of-life, F(2,256), p=.004. A series of t-tests showed that parents who did not share the information with the helper children because of avoiding unwanted interventions reported significantly higher scores of intergenerational ambivalence than parents who did not share the information to prevent the helper children from being worried about them in eight issues. The findings suggest parents maintain their autonomy by limiting the helper children’s monitoring ability. Possible reasons for older parents’ managing issue-specific information sharing will be discussed.

CHANGE IN PARENTAL DISABILITY AND INTERGENERATIONAL AMBIVALENCE: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF APPRAISAL

Abstract Adult children often report intergenerational ambivalence (i.e., positive and negative sentiments toward their parents) that may be exacerbated when parents need increasing support. Evaluations or appraisal of providing support may mediate the links between stress and outcomes. Using structural equation modeling, we assessed the relationship between change in parental disability and intergenerational ambivalence through adults’ perceptions of the stress and reward of providing help to parents. Participants included 369 adults (32% Black, 68% White) who provided information on 478 parents from Waves I and II of the Family Exchanges Study. The association between change in parental disability and intergenerational ambivalence was explained through stress appraisal; greater parental disability led to higher stress appraisal which led, in turn, to greater intergenerational ambivalence. The model did not significantly differ by race. Results show that stress, rather than reward, appraisal is an essential factor in determining relationship quality as parental care needs emerge.

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME: CHANGE AND CONTINUITY IN ENDURING SOCIAL TIES

Abstract Enduring social ties with family and friends hold important implications for health and well-being across adulthood. Social relationships are simultaneously sources of support and strain, and both positive and negative aspects of relationships change daily and over time. This symposium explores continuity and change in relationship strains (i.e., conflicts, support needs) experienced in the context of enduring social relationships, particularly in response to anticipated and emerging needs for support in later life. First, Meinertz, Gilligan, and Suitor use qualitative data from spousal dyads to compare mothers’ and fathers’ explanations of which adult child they prefer as their future caregiver. Next, using longitudinal data across two waves, Bui, Kim, and Fingerman investigate how different types of past support exchanges between parents and adult children are associated with older parents’ care receipt and expectations. Third, Koumoutzis, Cichy, and Kinney explore the association between change in parental disability and adult children’s intergenerational ambivalence (i.e., both positive and negative sentiments), including the extent to which adult children’s stress and reward appraisals mediate the link between parental disability and ambivalence. Kyungmin and colleagues explore how older adults (age 62-76) felt burden in their relationship with their very old parents (age 81-101) and what factors are associated with feelings of burden across two cultural contexts, the U.S. and Korea. Lastly, using ecological momentary assessment, Birditt and colleagues examine longitudinal trajectories of negative ties (i.e., irritating, demanding) and the links between daily positive and negative social interactions and emotional well-being.

Ambivalence experienced by infertile couples undergoing IVF: a qualitative study

The emotional consequences of infertility are well documented. However, relatively few studies have emphasized the dyadic emotional interaction within couples, despite infertility being a shared life event. This study adopted a dyadic (between two people) approach to explore the emotional complexity that infertile couples face. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted with 24 participants, including eight infertile couples and eight wives undergoing infertility treatments. Conjoint and individual interviews were conducted through purposive sampling in a large fertility centre in Tianjin, China, between June and August 2015. Thematic analysis identified two main themes: (i) ‘decisional ambivalence’, with subthemes of ‘ambivalent attitudes towards treatment’, ‘uncertainty about treatment outcomes’, and ‘treatment-related lifestyle changes’; and (ii) ‘relational ambivalence’ which included subthemes of ‘intergenerational ambivalence’ and ‘partner ambivalence’. Complex emotions of ambivalence among infertile couples were common as infertility clearly shattered their assumptive world on family formation. With complex entanglement of mixed emotions, ambivalence was intimately associated with cultural norms, social expectations, and active or over engagement of family members in Chinese societies. Since ambivalence could threaten mental and physical health during pregnancy, healthcare professionals should be prepared to assist infertile couples with identifying, articulating, and normalizing decisional and relational ambivalence during the treatment process.

Prevalence and predictive factors of elder mistreatment in Chinese migrant families†

Abstract Objectives To examine the prevalence of and identify the predictive factors for elder mistreatment (EM) in Chinese migrant families. Methods This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 489 rural migrant elderly were recruited using multistage sampling technique from communities in Wenzhou city between June 2020 and October 2020. All participants completed the Mini-Cog, and then data were collected in a survey using the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey Questionnaire, Abuser's Dependency Scale, the Friendship Scale (FS), Intergenerational Ambivalence Scale, Filial Piety Index, the Assessment Tool of Domestic Elder Abuse, and a demographic questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression were carried out to analyze the data. Results The prevalences of physical mistreatment, psychological mistreatment, neglect, economic mistreatment, and social mistreatment among the migrant elderly were 1.23%, 20.65%, 22.50%, 0.61%, and 9.41%, respectively. Significant predictive factors were migrant elderlies’ mental health status (β = −0.118, P < 0.01), adult children's filial piety (FP) (β = −0.245, P < 0.001), and intergene rational ambivalence (β = 0.365, P < 0.001). Conclusions EM was common among the migrant elderly. Predictive factors for EM in Chinese migrant families were identified. The findings could be useful in developing nursing interventions to promote migrant elderlies’ mental health, uphold their children's FP, and harmonize intergenerational relationship to avoid EM.

Perceptions and desires of Chinese senior outbound tourists receiving travel support from adult children: a qualitative study

PurposeThis qualitative study explores how Chinese senior outbound tourists perceive support from their adult children and what kinds of support they desire.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 26 participants. Transcribed interviews were analysed via thematic analysis.FindingsThis study captured the contradictory feelings of different types of Chinese senior outbound tourists (i.e. independent, neutral, and dependent) according to the degree of desire for support from their adult children. The results further identified the real desires among Chinese senior outbound tourists for children's attitudinal support, caring support, appropriate financial support, companionship, and timing support.Research limitations/implicationsSince this qualitative research is based on small samples with typical social and cultural characteristics, our research results only describe an existence. Our findings provide insight into the existence of the phenomenon, rather than allowing the results to be generalized to the wider population (Gram et al., 2019).Practical implicationsThe tourism industry could develop products to alleviate such feelings. Integrating the concept of filial piety into adult children's support for their parents' overseas travel can not only meet parents' expectations but also relieve parents' ambivalence. Destination operators and travel agencies could thus design mixed products targeting Chinese elderly parents and their adult children by providing activities for both generations. Purchasing behaviour represents a type of emotional and instrumental support for the elderly. Destination operators and travel agencies can also launch products suitable for in-depth outbound travel that cater to adult children's leisure travel while meeting the elderly's travel needs.Originality/valueThis study also extends both intergenerational support theory and intergenerational ambivalence theory regarding Chinese senior outbound tourists.

“My children,” “my grandchildren”: Navigating intergenerational ambivalence in grandparent childcare arrangements in Hong Kong

AbstractObjectiveThis study contributes in‐depth knowledge about informal childcare and family processes in East Asian families in Hong Kong in a time of rapid economic and social development. We explore how families negotiate grandparent childcare and how parents and grandparents manage intergenerational tensions and conflict.BackgroundThe common way of understanding intergenerational relationships in childcare is to focus on the positive experience of taking care of grandchildren, but there is limited discussion on the tension and conflicts that also occur between the generations.MethodThis qualitative study is based on in‐depth interviews with 14 parents and 12 grandparents about childcare arrangements for 53 children within East Asian families in Hong Kong.ResultsTensions are found among the parents and grandparents in childcare provision, and considerable negotiation and ongoing emotional management of relationships is required.ConclusionGrandparent childcare is an important resource for many families, but it might not suit all. The issues of autonomy, seniority, power, respect, and different expectations of care are embedded in established family dynamics. Some intergenerational problems are unable to be settled by the family members.ImplicationsGrandparent childcare should be a care option provided for families with young children. However, it should not be a substitute for childcare services and supports outside the home. Professional family services also should be sensitive to intergenerational family dynamics.

Two Mothers, One Grandmother: Intergenerational Ambivalence in Heterosexual Mother-LBQ Daughter Relationships

Two Mothers, One Grandmother: Intergenerational Ambivalence in Heterosexual Mother-LBQ Daughter Relationships

Intergenerational Ambivalence, Loneliness, and Well-Being Among Older Adults in the United States

Intergenerational relationships are important sources of informal social support for older people to maintain their emotional well-being. Previous research has extensively investigated the relationship between intergenerational support and older adult’s psychological well-being. However, the existing research has not adequately examined intergenerational ambivalence – mixed or contradictory feelings toward a family member in another generation or explored the mechanism that links intergenerational ambivalence and psychological well-being. Further, most studies are cross-sectional, which prevents us from establishing causality. This study utilized data from 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 waves of Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a national representative sample of U.S. adults aged 50 and more (N= 8,017). Structural equation models were used to examine the longitudinal relationship between intergenerational ambivalence, loneliness, depression, and life satisfaction. The final model indicated very good fit (χ2 = 113.31, p < .0001, CFI = 0.97, RMSEA = .05). The results revealed that ambivalence in older parent-adult child relationships predicted higher subsequent loneliness (β = 0.21, p < .0001), which in turn predicted depressive symptoms (β = 0.25, p <.0001) and life satisfaction (β = -0.30, p < .0001). The results demonstrated that loneliness mediated the relationship between intergenerational ambivalence and depression, and life satisfaction. Multiple group analysis was performed to test whether the study relationships varied by gender. Gender differences were found. Findings have implications for prevention and intervention initiatives targeting improving relationships between parents and children, thereby protecting against mental problems.

Adult Children’s Monitoring, Knowledge, and Intergenerational Ambivalence

Monitoring aging parents' daily life is an essential task for adult children to ensure their parents’ health and safety. The current study examined domains of parents' lives that adult children monitored as caregivers. Based on social domain theory (Smetana, 1999), we hypothesized that adult children would monitor parents’ health and safety issues as respecting parents’ autonomy in other issues. The study also examined how adult children’s belief in need for monitoring and their perception of having actual knowledge of their parents’ behaviors and thoughts would relate to the intensity of their intergenerational ambivalence. Adults who had at least one living parent (N=398, Mage=60, SD=7.7, range 45-77) participated in online surveys. Issues of parents' lives that adult children monitored were categorized into four domains by factor analysis: parents' financial safety, health and physical safety, substance use, and plans with other adult children. A series of regression analyses revealed that adult children's sense of need to know about parents' financial safety was associated with lower ambivalence, B=-.60, SE=.18, β=-.23, p=.001, whereas parents’ physical safety was associated with greater ambivalence, B=.42, SE=.19, β =.17, p=.03. Adult children's perception of their knowledge about parents' financial safety was positively associated with their ambivalence, B=.58, SE=.20, β=.22, p=.004, whereas adult children's perception of parents' physical safety was negatively associated with their ambivalence, B=-.42, SE=.21, β=-.14, p=.05. Different meanings of different types of parents' safety issues for adult children as their caregivers and suggestions for future research will be discussed.

Self-Perceptions of Aging Among Dementia Caregivers: Evidence from the UK Protect Study

Contact with older adults impact the perceptions people have towards their own aging self (Jarrott & Savla, 2015) and how they prepare for their own age-related change (Kornadt et al., 2015). Caregivers have close, intimate contact with older adults, yet no research explores how that contact may impact caregivers’ perceptions of their own aging. In this exploratory study, we compare perceptions of one’s own aging between current and previous formal caregivers, non-formal caregivers, and never-caregivers. We utilized data from 1978 informal caregivers, 247 formal caregivers, and 5586 never-caregivers of the 2019 wave of the UK Protect Study. We conducted ANCOVA tests to compare global levels of Awareness of Age-Related Change (AARC) gains and losses, AARC gains and losses specific to cognition, attitudes towards one’s own aging, and felt age across the three subgroups of participants with different caregiving roles. Omnibus results suggested that there were significant group differences (p<.05) in global levels of AARC gains and losses, AARC gains specific to cognition, and attitudes towards one’s own aging (p<.05) for female, but not male, caregivers. However, effect sizes were either small or negligible. Therefore, despite frequent contact with older adults, dementia caregivers may not have better or worse self-perceptions of aging than non-caregivers. Such findings may be reflective of intergenerational ambivalence, and future work should consider how the nature of the caregiving situation (i.e. relationship quality, intensity of the care, caregiver burden) shapes caregivers’ perceptions of their own aging, especially over time as caregivers navigate their own aging processes.

Mothering in later life: Older mothers and their challenging adult children

AbstractThis study uses constructivist grounded theory to explore older women's responses to the unexpected need to provide financial, emotional and residential support to their adult children who were experiencing problems with mental illness, substance abuse and/or absence of employment. Twenty-nine American women (&gt;60) were interviewed:55 per cent were poor and half were women of colour. Using the theoretical model of intergenerational ambivalence, three types of structural ambivalence are discovered: mothers’ reactions to their adult children's behaviour that violate expectations for reciprocity; women's dismayed reactions to their adult children's aggressive behaviours towards themselves as their mothers; and the women's struggle regarding balancing their role as a mother to protect their adult children alongside their wish and identified needs for self-care. All of the conflicts were expressed within the frame of their role of mother. The internalised mandate to be ‘a good mother’ resulted in many experiencing shame, self-blame and guilt, and this self-blame was an obstacle to reaching out for help. This study adds to the growing body of feminist gerontological research and examines the ideological and structural variables that influence the predominance of female unpaid family care-givers in later life. The dilemma for older women with troubled adult children is both personal and political.

Men’s Healing Work: Reconciling Intergenerational Ambivalence Through Fatherhood, Letter Writing, and Community

Due to globalization, new ideals of fatherhood are challenging traditional paternal roles in South Korea. Contemporary fathers striving to emulate more engaged parenting sometimes wrestle with painful recollections of their own fathers’ stern, distant, and patriarchal approach. How do men reconcile their aspirations for their own development as parents when conflicted relationships with their fathers? Motivated by the concept of intergenerational ambivalence, this study analyzes letters South Korean men write to their fathers as assigned homework for Father School, an international men’s movement that aims to make men more nurturing. Under Father School direction, men adopt a life course frame that allows them to reconcile their mixed feelings toward their aging fathers. Analysis points to three life course discursive strategies that permit men to balance negative judgments with positive ones: 1) sharing with their parent the life stage as worker and father; 2) appreciating historically-situated differences between twentieth and twenty-first century lives and parenting imperatives; and, 3) drawing on deeply rooted filial norms to take responsibility for their own role in intergenerational conflicts. In addressing how these men manage intergenerational ambivalence, the article moves beyond prior research to extend the concept to father-son dyads, the Asian context, and the neglected meso-level where organizations may actively structure reconciliation.

Solidariedade intergeracional e cuidados informais: as percepções dos nativos digitais. Estudo de caso do concelho de Setúbal (Portugal)

Com recurso ao Modelo Conceptual do Estudo Social dos Processos de Envelhecimento, a pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar as perceções dos nativos digitais da solidariedade e ambivalência intergeracional sobre as atividades da vida diária (AVD), demonstrando-se a influência da coesão intergerações nos cuidados informais. A metodologia desenvolve uma abordagem mista, quantitativa (N = 993) e qualitativa, Focus Group (N = 24), aplicada entre 2017 e 2018 aos alunos do 12º ano de escolaridade das escolas secundárias do concelho de Setúbal, Portugal. Os resultados apresentam maior perceção no sexo feminino (50,7%) e nos jovens com 16 anos de idade (58,5%). A perceção mais elevada é registada no grau de autonomia dos avós (49,4%) sendo a mais baixa na disponibilidade para cuidar das pessoas idosas (53,1%). A solidariedadeestrutural é a dimensão que apresenta valores de perceção mais elevados na análise de conteúdo das narrativas. O estudo permite concluir que a solidariedade e ambivalência intergeracional influenciam a perceção dos jovens sobre os Cuidados Informais.