Between Family and Community
Intergenerational Interactions and Pathways to Active Ageing in Urban China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24230815 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jiayao Zhou (0009-0009-0296-742X, Xi'an Jiaotong‐Liverpool University Suzhou China), Geoffrey C Chen (0000-0002-0868-3745, Xi'an Jiaotong‐Liverpool University Suzhou China) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Publication date | 2026-10-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Population Space and Place (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1544-8444 • E-ISSN: 1544-8452 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/psp.70385 |
| OpenAlex | W7221764307 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 36 |
This article examines how intergenerational interactions intersect with community resources to shape pathways to active ageing among urban older adults in China. Drawing on intergenerational solidarity theory, it conceptualises family and community as an integrated configuration in which care responsibilities and moral expectations are redistributed rather than simply shifted. Based on 40 semi‐structured interviews conducted in a subdistrict of Health Commission of Changning District Shanghai (2024), the analysis compares three residential arrangements: three‐generation co‐residence, empty‐nest households with distant children, and proximate but non‐co‐resident families (“a bowl of soup's distance”). It identifies three pathways: facilitation, where stable family support enables community participation; substitution, where community services replace routine functional support under distance; and complementarity, where proximity and community embeddedness jointly sustain autonomy. Across pathways, active ageing emerges as a moralised achievement sustained through self‐discipline, selective disclosure, and restrained help‐seeking to avoid “burdening” adult children.
Active ageing · Adult children · Community participation · Family support · Help-seeking · intergenerational interaction · intergenerational solidarity · living arrangements · moral expectations · Self-control · Shanghai · urban elderly · Aging, Elder Care, and Social Issues · Aging, Health, and Disability · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving
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| Highly cited | No |
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