How Do Older Parents With One Child Live? The Well-Being of Chinese Elders Affected by the One-Child Policy

Bibliographic Data

ID3384002
AuthorsYi Xu (0000-0002-9555-6145, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, corresponding author), Tianfan Hu (Shanghai Jiao Tong University), Jiahe Wang (0000-0002-7224-9716, Shanghai Jiao Tong University)
Year2024
Volume14
Issue2
Publication date2024-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSAGE Open (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2158-2440 • E-ISSN: 2158-2440
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/21582440241253406
OpenAlexW4398239536
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited58

China's One-Child per couple policy (OCP) has created a generation of one-child families, and these parents are now getting old. How do they live? This study examined the well-being of this cohort with four indicators: subjective (life satisfaction), mental (depression), physical (health), and psychological well-being (positive psychological functioning). Data were collected from the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), and parents aged 60 and above were included. We examined the well-being of one-child older adults compared with those having multiple children across age groups and investigated the effects of children support and rural-urban difference. Compared with those with multiple children, one-child older adults were not at a disadvantage. They were significantly better in mental and physical well-being, with no difference in subjective or psychological well-being. One-child parents had a more stable pattern of subjective and mental well-being across age groups (60-64, 65-69, 70+). Among the three types of support, emotional support significantly predicted psychological well-being. Furthermore, urban older adults, of whom the majority were one-child parents, valued much more emotional support than their peers in rural areas. The findings suggest that the generation of Chinese older adults affected by the OCP live fairly well, and the parental status may shift older adults' focus on filial piety expectations

China · Developmental psychology · One-child policy · Political science · Sociology · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Family Support in Illness · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Medicine · Psychology · Gerontology

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