Intergenerational Care Research Articles

Intergenerational Care and Subjective Well-being: A Study of the Particularities of Ageing Amongst the Indigenous Peoples of Chile

Abstract This empirical study explores intergenerational caregiving and subjective well-being amongst older adults in Indigenous communities in rural Chile. Facing substantial social and economic challenges, these communities depend heavily on cultural traditions and family support systems. Data were collected from 1,348 older adults, aged sixty and above, using surveys to assess caregiving practices, intergenerational support and subjective well-being, measured by the Personal Wellbeing Index and the Perceived Social Support Questionnaire. Findings reveal that caregiving is deeply rooted in cultural and historical contexts, with positive aspects such as increased satisfaction and social connectedness, and negative aspects including stress and social isolation. Women predominantly assume caregiving roles, maintaining cultural traditions and supporting family well-being. Notable differences in intergenerational support and subjective well-being were observed based on ethnic group and gender. The implications for social work practice are insightful. The study highlights the need for culturally sensitive social work policies and inclusive strategies that address the well-being of older adults in these communities. Social workers and policymakers must consider cultural nuances and the unique needs of Indigenous populations, taking into account cultural identity, economic conditions and acculturation to develop effective support programmes.

New rural pension scheme, intergenerational exchange, and intergenerational economic support of the rural elderlies: a study from the perspectives of classical altruism theory and exchange motivation theory

As the severity of rural old-age care in China becomes increasingly evident, the manner in which rural elderly individuals obtain economic support has emerged as a significant societal concern. Central to this paper is the question of whether the new rural pension scheme, as the first government-provided institutional pension, influences the longstanding intergenerational economic support within families. Drawing upon classic altruism theory and exchange motivation theory, this study analyzes the complex rural social reality in China. Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) for the years 2013 and 2015, we employ a two-part model to examine the policy effects of new rural pension scheme, as well as the 2014 pension insurance reform and pension increase. Our findings reveal that (1) altruism and exchange motivation coexist in the rural Chinese social reality and jointly influence the behaviors of rural families. (2) Intergenerational economic support for the elderly in rural Chinese families primarily depends on the exchange motivation aspect of intergenerational care. Thus, it is vital to strengthen the intergenerational support of the family in addressing the pensions of the elderly in rural China.

Relationship between Grandparental Care and Subjective Well-being of the Elderly: Testing the Effect of Inter-generational Care in China

Objectives: This study explores the association between the four types of grandparenting and the mental health of grandparents in China. Methods: This study analyses the data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) with the application of the General Linear Model. It compares the situation of subjective well-being among the four groups of the Maternal Grandmother (MGMs), the Maternal Grandfathers (MGFs), the paternal grandmothers (PGMs) and the Paternal Grandfathers (PGFs). Results: MGMs’ and the PGMs’ grandparenting behaviour is significantly associated with depression. Nevertheless, this significant feature mainly appears in the families with two parental generations and more than three parental generations but not in the families with only one parental generation. Conclusion: Although grandmothers are more likely to report depression than grandfathers in the cases of grandchild care, grandparenting type is not significantly associated with the feeling of happiness, thus not support the kinship-selection hypothesis.

Entrusting Children to Grandmothers: Exploring Care Dynamics through Multiple Roles of Women in Eastern Indonesia

This paper investigates the practice of entrusting children to relatives in Alor Tengah Utara, Alor Regency. It highlights the socio-economic factors compelling parents to work away from home. Often, this leads to parents leaving their children in the care of their grandparents. Despite the stagnant economic growth in Alor regency, many young individuals migrate in search of better opportunities, creating a dynamic where women, particularly grandmothers, become “double mothers” by caring for both their own and entrusted children. Conducted from June 2021 to July 2022, this ethnographic study reveals the challenges and economic vulnerabilities these households face, exacerbated by the inadequate intergenerational care provided by ageing grandmothers or inexperienced young female relatives. The findings highlight the need for more equitable caregiving arrangements and support for these families, shedding light on a practice deeply rooted in being a cultural responsibility yet fraught with economic and emotional complexities.

An ambition at a crossroads: Transiting out of the game in amateur and semi-professional football in Nigeria

Thousands of youths play in amateur and semi-professional clubs in Nigeria with the hope of achieving a professional contract or transnational migration through football. For the majority, however, the social and spatial mobility that is hoped for is never realised. This means that they would have to terminate their pursuit and transition into alternative adulthood pathways. Through semi-structured interviews with former players, this study explored how athletes in amateur and semi-professional football in Nigeria experience and navigate the termination process and transition out of the game. The findings revealed that career termination may develop in a non-linear trajectory as athletes consider their chances of a professional career, age and the obligations of adulthood and intergenerational care. Generally, the athletes navigated the process without significant support from their clubs or other institutions. However, they made use of the social capital and relationships built from their involvement in football (e.g. going into coaching) or leveraged familial ties to secure alternative livelihood opportunities. While participants in this study showed a proactive quest narrative to rebuild their lives away from football, some reported experiences of a chaos narrative among former colleagues, especially manifesting in alcoholism. The findings of this study underscored the need for frameworks for dual career planning for athletes alongside their athletic education and making provisions for psychosocial support for players transitioning out of the game.

Intergenerational care and rural childhood obesity in the digital era: Based on screen exposure perspective

BackgroundRural Chinese children are experiencing increasing obesity rates, yet studies often neglect the impact of IT and screen media growth on obesity risks in the context of intergenerational care, leading to incomplete strategies for the digital era. MethodsBy comprehensively utilizing the data on rural children aged 6–17 from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) and the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), this study aims to test the logical chain and specific mechanisms regarding “intergenerational care - screen exposure - rural childhood obesity”. We employ the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) and Generalized Propensity Score Matching (GPSM) methods to respectively address the self-selection biases associated with inter-generational care and children's screen exposure behaviors. Results1) Intergenerational care significantly increases screen exposure among rural children. 2) Gender bias increases the risk of screen exposure for rural boys under intergenerational care. 3) Children with higher screen exposure levels are more affected by intergenerational care, which further undermines parental supervision. 4) Children's screen exposure leads to increased sedentary time and higher probability of purchasing unhealthy foods, thereby exacerbating obesity. This process is facilitated by enhancing preferences for snacks, fast food, and beverages, and weakening preferences for physical activity. 5) GPSM analysis indicates that children's screen exposure has an inverted “U"-shaped impact on unhealthy dietary preferences and a “U"-shaped impact on activity preferences. It results in a nonlinear positive impact of screen exposure on obesity. This study reveals a positive association between screen exposure and obesity, offering new insights into how intergenerational care in the digital era may elevate obesity prevalence through excessive screen time for rural children.

Perspectives on vulnerability from the narratives of older migrants.

Older migrants are considered avulnerable population group in many ways. Marginalization and social exclusion lead to unequal opportunities for social participation. In order to break down barriers for older migrants, the perspectives of people with migration biographies should be given greater consideration. To this end, the results of an explorative intersectional ethical analysis of care narratives of older migrants are discussed in the light of aging studies research. The focus is on the ethical analysis of five guided interviews with older migrants between 65 and 80years old, who have migrated from different countries in southeastern Europe. In contrast to the prevalent expert perspective, the narratives of the older migrants interviewed revealed not only resistance to vulnerabilization but also multiple negotiations of autonomy and dependency. By making ambivalent narrative and action strategies visible and linking them to narratives of intergenerational care relationships, the significance of care-ethical interpretations of vulnerability and characterization of vulnerability as "auniversal, inevitable, and anthropological feature of humanity resulting from the embodied, finite, and socially contingent structure of human existence" [4] can be demonstrated.

Intergenerational care and labor supply for children ——Panel analysis based on follow-up survey data

At present, the aging situation of the population in China is more serious. Older parents helping young parents care for their children helps increase the employment rate of young parents. In this paper, using panel regression using data from CFPS2010, CFPS2012 and CFPS2014, the results found that the promotion effect of intergenerational care was higher in women than men, and on urban users than that in rural areas. In this paper, the problem of endogeneity is solved according to the measure of whether the parents are alive, and the robustness is tested by annual robust regression and linear probability model. Finally, according to the conclusion of the study, the policy suggestions of the elderly are put forward: identify with the value of the elderly, encourage family harmony, and improve the supply structure through policies to encourage intergenerational care.

An Analysis of Reemployment Pathways for China's Young Elderly

With the increasing scale of population aging, China may face the situation of labor shortage. Exploiting the social potential of the elderly group, stimulating the social vitality of the elderly group, and letting younger elderly join the reemployment team play an important role in effectively making up for the lack of labor force and coping with the aging population. By exploring the feasibility of reemployment of the young elderly in China, it is found that the reemployment of the young elderly in China is facing a double dilemma at the personal and social levels. The growth of age, the decline of physical function, and other related factors make the young elderly unable to adapt to digitalization, few employment channels, and the impact of the traditional concept of intergenerational care on the reemployment of the young elderly, while the vulnerability of the elderly group itself brings challenges to their social participation. To effectively solve these dilemmas, this paper puts forward the optimization scheme from the three dimensions of the state, society, and the elderly themselves.

Social Support Postpartum: Bengali Women from India on Their Coping Experiences following Childbirth.

Undertaken in Kolkata, India, our study aimed to explore the experiences of Bengali middle-class women on perceived stressful events, social support, and coping experiences following childbirth. Becoming a mother following childbirth is a shared phenomenon irrespective of culture, social strata, or country, while stress during the postpartum period or depression is not. Discrete medical intervention does not sufficiently address the complexities of postpartum experiences since influencing factors also include economic, political, cultural, and social backgrounds. Adopting a feminist and phenomenological approach, individual in-person interviews were conducted with twenty women recruited via snowball sampling. Our findings revealed that events experienced as stressful may lead to poor postpartum well-being. Underpinned by gendered discourse and biases, stressful events included familial imperatives for a male child, poor social and emotional support from the family, mostly partners and fathers, and systemic workplace barriers. The women in our study commonly resided with their mothers postpartum. They expressed feeling sheltered from these experiences, cared for, and supported. We discuss the women's experiences from a feminist pragmatic worldview, which advocates for a flexible feminism recognizant of the unique and nurturing relationship experiences between Bengali middle-class women and their mothers. In conclusion, we advocate for culturally sensitive, women-centered postpartum care practices that may entail the inclusion of intergenerational care during this critical phase of maternal well-being. These insights underscore the necessity of tailoring postpartum support systems to align with the cultural and familial contexts of the individuals they serve.

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

BackgroundThe increasing geriatric population and variation in the disease spectrum among older adults in China contribute to a growing demand for more aged adult care in Chinese society. Relevant studies have shown that living arrangements with various family members have variable impacts on the older adult's health. This study employs the Frailty Index as a unified measurement standard to assess the overall health levels, integrating the specific “in-law relationships” into the research on living arrangements and the health of older adults. MethodsThis study used data from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey 2016–2018. OLS and Quantile Regression were used to investigate the in-law relationship on older adult health and whether this impact is homogeneous across older individuals with varying infirmity levels. The study used a lag model and propensity score matching to compensate for potential endogeneity concerns. ResultsThe study found that residing with a daughter-in-law (20.22%) had a significant positive correlation with the frailty index (β=0.0088, P＜0.001), indicating that the relationship between parents-in-law and daughters-in-law can influence the health of the older adult. This impact is nonlinear and non-homogeneous for older adult people with various levels of frailty, exhibiting an approximately decreasing and then increasing U-shaped distribution, which denotes that older adult people with different health conditions have distinct demands for intergenerational care. In addition, this impact varies among older adult groups of disparate genders, urban and rural areas, and age groups. ConclusionThis study investigates the impact of “in-law relationships” within living arrangements on the health of older adults. It shows that co-residing with a daughter-in-law has adverse effects on the health of older adults. Therefore, the study suggests that when the health and economic conditions of the elderly permit, a “live-near-but-not-with” living arrangement with their children can be considered.

The mediating role of children’s intergenerational support in association between grandparenting and cognitive function among middle-aged and older Chinese: findings from the CHARLS cohort study

ObjectivesWith the world’s population increasing in age, there has been a significant rise in the prevalence of cognitive impairment and dementia among individuals. This study aims to investigate the association between grandparenting and cognitive function among middle-aged and older Chinese using data from 2011 to 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Additionally, the study seeks to explore the potential mediating effect of intergenerational support from children on this relationship, using data from the CHARLS 2011 database.Methods5254 participants were recruited at the baseline survey in CHARLS 2011. Subsequently, a follow-up survey was conducted over 8 years, from CHARLS 2011 to 2018, with 1472 individuals completing the follow-up survey. The CHARLS included surveys on grandparenting and cognitive assessments. Grandparenting was categorized as yes and no. The assessment of cognitive function involved the evaluation of episodic memory and mental intactness. The present study used cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses to examine the relationship between grandparenting and cognitive function. The bootstrap method assessed the mediating effect of children’s intergenerational support.ResultsThe results of both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies indicated a positive association between grandparenting and cognitive function in middle-aged and older Chinese (B = 0.138, p < 0.05; B = 0.218, p < 0.05). Children’s emotional and economic support played intermediary roles between grandparenting and cognitive function.ConclusionThe results emphasized the significance of policymakers considering the consequences of intergenerational care and family support when formulating and executing social service policies targeted at the middle-aged and older population in China.

Innovative social approaches to supporting wellbeing in care homes

Samina Hashimi, explores two approaches to increasing social interactions and tackling loneliness among care home residents: intergenerational care and animal-assisted therapy.

Impact of Family Care on the Risk of Death Among the Elderly in China: A Longitudinal Study based on CLHLS Data (2002-2014)

Objectives: The quality of life of the elderly is important focus of the Chinese government. It is reiterated to to improve the quality of life of the elderly, in order to delay death and provide a healthy aging. Methods: The study retrieved the data from CLHLS (Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey) during 2002—2014 and employed the the Cox Proportional Hazard Models used to study the relationship between different types of family care and the risk of death among the elderly. Results: The study found that elderly people with family care including spousal, sibling and intergenerational care, had a lower risk of death than those without family care, and there was no gender difference or age difference. However, compared with intergenerational care, the spousal and children care had a lower risk of death among the elderly. It was also discovered that family care acted as a kind of social support for those elderly who had have poor daily activities; for whom family support acted as a buffer. Conclusion: Therefore, for the health of the elderly and to build a healthy China, the study recommends to pay more attention to the family care, call for the return of family, and propagate filial piety culture.

Older People Reimagining and Envisioning Preventive Care Through Land Acquisition: Evidence From Rwanda

This article presents findings about older people reimagining and envisioning preventive care through land acquisition in the Karongi district, Rwanda. My primary objective was to understand how land acquisition constitutes a means for older people’s preventive care arrangement. Ethnographic data were collected from 15 older people’s households. Empirical findings indicate that land scarcity makes it a coveted resource that attracts care around older people possessing it. Those unable to use their land rent it out to someone else who accepts to use the land and share the harvest equally with the owners. Furthermore, caring relationships between the landowner and the land user go beyond sharing the harvest to provide other forms of caring practices, such as assistance to access health care, firewood, and water provision, as well as helping older people sell their harvest. Renting out the land displays the image of an older person actively engaged with the community and who attracts caring practices using the land. Besides, land acquisition is the basis for intergenerational care negotiation, as expectations to inherit the land encourage children to care for their older parents. Thus, this article shows preventive care that is happening outside the realm of the Western biomedical model, but rather within an imagined model of owning an asset that benefits older people, their kin, and the community.

Barriers and Facilitators of Self-Management for Older Adults Living With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Qualitative Study in China.

The purpose of the study was to explore the barriers to and facilitators of self-management among older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study followed a qualitative descriptive methodology. Older adults with T2DM living in Jinan, Shandong Province, China were recruited using purposive sampling. Information saturation was used to gauge the sample size. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 23 participants. The data analysis was guided using a thematic approach. Themes were inducted from the interview data undergirded by the cumulative complexity model. The key findings of this study are presented in terms of 2 themes: facilitators of T2DM self-management and barriers to T2DM self-management. Each theme has subthemes, including that having family members with diabetes, having family members who are health care professionals, and visual cues were factors for good self-management practices by older adults with T2DM. Conversely, poor health status (ie, multimorbidity and lower-limb dysfunction and pain) and intergenerational care responsibilities were identified as barriers to effective self-management. Moreover, the use of media resources, especially traditional media, was found to both assist and hinder participants in their self-management practices. The findings from this study can inform new research to build on existing self-management promotion programs and restructure existing services to improve the self-management of older adults with T2DM. With the increase in the number and types of media outlets, our finding implies that researchers or clinical practitioners may develop strategies to leverage media resources to enhance the self-management of diabetes among older adults with T2DM.

The Impact of Intergenerational Care on the Physical and Mental Health of the Grandparents

The Impact of Intergenerational Care on the Physical and Mental Health of the Grandparents

Is intergenerational care associated with depression in older adults?

It has become an alarming issue that older adults in China are facing mental health issues, causing severe depression. In this context, intergenerational care, in which grandparents care for young children instead of the young parents, is gaining importance. This study aims to explore the correlation between intergenerational care and depression among older adults, seeking alternative approaches to enhancing their quality of life. This study concludes that intergenerational care is an effective strategy for promoting active aging. This study used multiple linear regression, propensity score matching, and additional analysis of heterogeneity, mediation, and moderation effects, with data from the 2018 CHARLS survey. The results indicated a negative correlation between intergenerational care and depression among older adults. The correlation was stronger for females and younger older adults people. Additionally, social activities served as a mediator between intergenerational care and depression among older adults, and health satisfaction positively moderated this relationship. This study posits that intergenerational care serves as an effective approach for promoting active aging. It emphasizes the necessity for supportive government policies and community-family collaborations to encourage intergenerational care and its beneficial impact on mental health among older adults.

Gender Differences in Social Embeddedness Determinants of Loneliness Among Moroccan and Turkish Older Migrants.

Moroccan and Turkish migrants residing in Northwestern Europe have high loneliness levels. This study examines gender differences in loneliness within this migrant population. The migrants have gender-segregated social roles at home and in public, which might lead to gender differences in what aspects of social relationships can explain variation in loneliness. Respondents are from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam with 446 first-generation Moroccan and Turkish migrants in the Netherlands, aged between 55 and 66 years. We use interaction effects to test for gender differences in determinants of loneliness. Men and women have a similar, moderate level of loneliness. Having a spouse and receiving care from children are more strongly related with lower loneliness levels in men than in women. Coethnic ties play an equally important role for men and women. In men, frequent mosque attendance is related with greater loneliness, but not in women. Family ties are more protective against loneliness for older men than for older women, possibly indicating that migrant women's expectations regarding family go above and beyond having a spouse, receiving intergenerational care, or having frequent contact with children. In addition, migrant older men's higher expectations regarding a public social life could make their social life in the Netherlands less fulfilling, resulting in greater loneliness.

Intimate networks of care: Perceptions of intergenerational family care and experiences of ageing among Chinese midlife and older lesbians and gay men.

This article examines how lesbians and gay men imagine and build their 'intimate networks of care' and negotiate moral expectations towards intergenerational family care as they age. To date, little is known about the strength and complexities of different intimate ties or the role of intergenerational dynamics in shaping ageing sexual minority people's care needs and choices. Based on narrative interviews with ageing Chinese lesbians and gay men, the findings reveal their experiences of constantly juggling their ties with families of origin, moral values around intergenerational care and the urge to receive support from and offer support to chosen networks of people. Participants exercised agency in expanding their networks of care by building friendship and (online and offline) community networks for mutual care and support in later life. Nevertheless, as evidenced by the centrality of ageing with(out) children, and the moral obligation of caring for parents in participants' narratives, participants experienced tensions between enacting what was considered morally right/wrong and developing networks of care that were perceived as emotionally intimate. Linking relational sociology with the sociology of morality, we discuss the conceptual utility of 'intimate networks of care' for sociological theorising of the linkages between sexuality, care and relational lives.