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Elderly and Old Age Support in Rural China
This volume first examines projected demographic changes that will affect the economic well-being of Chinas rural elderly over the next twenty years, taking into account both Chinas sharp demographic transition and the continued migration of young adults into cities. The projected old age dependency ratio of 34 percent in Chinas rural areas by 2030 suggests that support of the elderly is likely to be an increasing burden on Chinas families over the next twenty years. The book next documents the sources of financial support, poverty incidence and vulnerability of the rural elderly since the early 1990s. Chinas rural elderly have been consistently poorer and more vulnerable to poverty than both working age households and the urban elderly. In contrast to the urban elderly who frequently have pension support, the rural elderly typically rely either on their own labor income or financial support from adult children. A substantial share of Chinas rural elderly continue to work well beyond the age 70, but labor as a primary source of support falls sharply during their 60s. Additional evidence suggests that the rural elderly work well beyond 60 out of necessity and only stop working when physically incapacitated. While average transfers from adult children to elderly parents are sufficient to keep them out of poverty, adult migrant children with uncertain income create the risk that transfers will not be sufficient to keep some rural elderly out of poverty. The final sections of the book review experiences with rural pensions during the 1990s and 2000s and draws out the lessons which have informed the design of a new national rural pension scheme. Among the many issues discussed, the report highlights the importance of providing incentives for participation in the pension scheme and important issues related to the portability of pensions for a
mobile population.
eBook
The elderly and old age support in rural China : challenges and prospects
Although average incomes in China have risen dramatically since the 1980s, concerns are increasing that the rural elderly have not benefited from growth to the same extent as younger people and the urban elderly. Concerns about welfare of the rural elderly combine spatial and demographic issues. Large gaps exist between conditions in coastal and interior regions and between conditions in urban and rural areas of the country. In addition to differences in income by geography, considerable differences exist across demographic groups in the level of coverage by safety nets, in the benefits received through the social welfare system, and in the risks of falling into poverty. This book aims to do two things: first, it provides detailed empirical analysis of the welfare and living conditions of the rural elderly since the early 1990s in the context of large-scale rural-to-urban migration, and second, it explores the evolution of the rural pension system in China over the past two decades and raises a number of issues on its current implementation and future directions. Although the two sections of the book are distinct in analytical terms, they are closely linked in policy terms: the first section demonstrates in several ways a rationale for greater public intervention in the welfare of the rural elderly, and the second documents the response of policy to date and options to consider for deepening the coverage and effects of the rural pension system over the longer term. Tables, Figures, Appendixes, References.
eBook
Intergenerational Support and Life Satisfaction of Older Parents in China
In the past few decades, Chinese families have experienced unprecedented economic growth. In addition to growth, public policies have changed and developed, internal migration has rapidly increased, and social conditions have generally evolved. Living arrangements in particular have transformed, which likely affects the expectations and preferences of older parents to rely on their children. We use the first two waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a nationally representative sample of older adults in China, to examine the relationship between intergenerational support and life satisfaction in both rural and urban China. In rural villages, we find that living with grand-children is associated with a higher level of life satisfaction; this is true even in households without parents (i.e., skip-generation households). Higher life satisfaction is also attributable to receiving instrumental support (i.e., help with self-care and household tasks) from children and exchanging financial and emotional support with them. In urban neighborhoods, in contrast, living in a skip-generation household is associated with a lower level of life satisfaction, and only one type of functional support from children is beneficial for older parents’life satisfaction—instrumental support. Our findings indicate that there is a rural–urban divide in the relationships between life satisfaction and intergenerational support in contemporary China and suggest that development has weakened historical relationships in both rural and urban areas.
Journal Article
Prevalence of elder abuse and victim-related risk factors during the COVID-19 pandemic in China
Background
With the accelerated aging of the Chinese population, elder abuse has become a serious social problem. As COVID-19 has had a very large impact on economic development and lifestyle in China, it has also affected elder abuse. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of elder abuse in China during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify changes in risk factors for elder abuse in the context of COVID-19.
Methods
We designed a cross-sectional study. In Hunan Province, a face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted among elderly people over 65 years of age. To ensure the consistency of the measurement standards, we used the elder abuse questionnaire from the “Third Survey on Chinese Women’s Social Status.” According to related research, we selected 10 victim-related risk factors as independent variables. A logistic regression model was established to analyze the relationship between the independent variables and the four kinds of abuse.
Results
We collected 10,362 samples from Hunan Province. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of financial abuse and neglect was significantly higher than that in 2010. Income had a significant impact on the four types of abuse. The lower the income was, the greater the risk of abuse. Moreover, factors such as an older age, being a woman, a lower cognitive ability, and not having a cohabiting spouse increased the possibility of abuse. The greater the number of children was, the greater the risks of physical abuse, financial abuse, and elder neglect. Seniors with higher education levels, those who frequently participated in social activities, and those with religious beliefs were less likely to suffer abuse.
Conclusions
During the COVID-19 epidemic, the prevalence of elder abuse in China has increased, which may be related to economic instability and social distancing measures. Increasing the income of the elderly and giving them more social support are important measures to reduce the prevalence of elder abuse.
Journal Article
A study of the impact of social network types on the health of older adults—Mediated by psychological resilience
To explore the different types of social network types and their impact on the health of the elderly, as well as the influencing mechanisms to promote their health.
k-means clustering, regression analysis, mediating effect method.
For Chinese elderly people, social network types have a significant impact on the self-rated health, but not on the chronic conditions. The benefits of diverse social network types are significant and positively influence their health by enhancing psychological resilience. There is heterogeneity among different characteristic groups.
This not only suggests that elderly individuals should consciously engage with different types of people in their daily lives, but also emphasizes the need for the government to further establish and improve platforms that promote a diverse social network for the elderly, and provide personalized services and guidance for different groups.
Journal Article
Social support mediates the relationship between depression and subjective well-being in elderly patients with chronic diseases: Evidence from a survey in Rural Western China
The aging population has led to a marked increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases among the elderly, significantly impacting their physical and mental health, as well as their overall quality of life. In rural regions of Western China, these challenges are exacerbated by limited access to medical insurance, low living standards, and inadequate mental health services. Consequently, the physical and mental well-being of elderly individuals with chronic conditions in these areas warrants focused attention. This study aims to investigate the interrelationships between depression, social support, and subjective well-being, with particular emphasis on the mediating role of social support.
This cross-sectional study involved a survey of 2,156 elderly individuals aged 60 and above, all living with chronic diseases in the rural areas of Qiannan, Guizhou, China. Pearson correlation and hierarchical linear regression analyses were employed to explore the relationships between the variables. A structural equation model was then constructed using Amos 23.0, based on the identified correlations between depression, social support, and subjective well-being. The bootstrap estimation method was applied to assess the mediating effect of social support in the depression-subjective well-being relationship.
The analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between depression and subjective well-being, while social support showed a strong positive association with subjective well-being. Mediation analysis confirmed that social support significantly mediates the relationship between depression and subjective well-being, accounting for 10.23% of the total effect. Notably, the influence of subjective support on depression and subjective well-being was found to be more pronounced than that of objective support or social support utilization.
The findings highlight the necessity of strengthening the social support system for elderly individuals with chronic diseases in rural Western China, particularly by enhancing psychological and emotional support. This approach is crucial for mitigating depressive symptoms and improving subjective well-being in this population.
Journal Article
Prevalence of multimorbidity and its relationship with socioeconomic status among Chinese older adults over time
Previous studies linking socioeconomic status (SES) to chronic diseases tended to focus on a single disease. As people age, they are more likely to suffer from multiple coexisting chronic conditions, known as multimorbidity. The study of multimorbidity is one of the key links to understanding the impact of population ageing from a comprehensive perspective. This study used four waves of cross-sectional data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2018 to explore the prevalence of multimorbidity and its relationship with socioeconomic status among older adults in China over time. Participants aged 60 and older were selected for analysis. Both the Logistic Regression Model and the Negative Binomial Regression Model were adopted to examine the relationship between socioeconomic status and multimorbidity. The results showed that the prevalence of multimorbidity among older adults in China demonstrated an increasing trend over the years, from 46.16% in 2011 to 57.50% in 2018. A significant association was detected between socioeconomic status and multimorbidity among older adults, which was manifested as the higher the socioeconomic status, the greater the likelihood of being multimorbid. However, the relationship between the two has been changing over time, with the influence of SES on multimorbidity gradually disappearing and then reappearing in the opposite direction. Multimorbidity has become a critical health issue that should not be ignored for older adults in China, and the relationship between socioeconomic status and multimorbidity may be changing over time, which needs to be further explored with data over a longer period of time.
Journal Article
Social capital, health status, and sociodemographic factors associated with subjective well-being among older adults: a comparative study of community dwellings and nursing homes
Background
This study aimed to examine the differences in relationships among social capital components, health status, sociodemographic characteristics, and subjective well-being (SWB) among older adults in institutionalized versus non-institutionalized care environments.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 1,037 older adults aged 65–95 years from nine communities and nine nursing homes across three regions of Zhejiang Province, China. Social capital and SWB were assessed using the Social Capital Scale and the Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness (MUNSH), respectively. Propensity score matching (PSM, 1:1, caliper width 0.02) was applied to balance key sociodemographic characteristics and health status between community-dwelling and nursing home residents. Multivariable linear regression was utilized to analyze the relationships among social capital components, health status, sociodemographic factors, and SWB in both groups.
Results
PSM identified 290 older adults in community dwellings and a comparable group (
n
= 290) in nursing homes. Comparative analysis showed that nursing home residents demonstrated lower SWB. Multivariable linear regression revealed that social connection, trust, and cohesion were positively associated with SWB in both groups. However, social participation was only significantly linked with community dwellings residents. Both groups showed a positive relationship between SWB and self-rated health, but the number of chronic conditions did not show a significant link with SWB. Additionally, higher income (≥ 3000 RMB) and a middle school education linked to higher SWB among community-dwelling older adults, whereas family structure, specifically being not in union and having three or more children, was associated with lower SWB in the nursing home group.
Conclusion
Social capital and health status showed a strong and consistent association with SWB in both groups. Strengthening social connections, trust, and cohesion, along with maintaining positive health perceptions, is expected to enhance the well-being of older adults, particularly for those in institutional settings. Notably, differences in how sociodemographic factors influence SWB across settings. These findings indicate the necessity for tailored interventions that address the unique needs of each care environment to promote healthier aging experiences.
Journal Article