Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T05:17:50.408Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Parent–child relationships among older Chinese immigrants: the influence of co-residence, frequent contact, intergenerational support and sense of children's deference

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2015

MAN GUO ,
LING XU ,
JINYU LIU ,
WEIYU MAO  and
IRIS CHI
MAN GUO*
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA.
LING XU
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, USA.
JINYU LIU
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
WEIYU MAO
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
IRIS CHI
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
*
Address for correspondence: Man Guo, School of Social Work, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52245, USA E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Immigration disrupts the bonding process in families. Maintaining close relationships with adult children can be an important protective factor for older immigrants' health and wellbeing. Quantitative research explaining such close relationships is rare. This study examined factors associated with close parent–child relationships in a purposive sample of 236 older Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles who provided information regarding 365 children. Two-level regression models were estimated to investigate factors contributing to cohesive parent–child relationships among these older adults. The findings showed that co-residence, a characteristic that distinguishes immigrant families from most non-immigrant families, was associated with lower parent–child relationship quality. Frequent contact was associated with closer relationships. While receiving instrumental and monetary support from children was associated with favourable ratings of relationships with children, providing such support to children was not related to parents' assessment of relationship quality. Parental perceptions of children being respectful was also associated with better relationship quality ratings. Overall, the findings demonstrate how family-related changes in the immigration context shape parent–child relationships in later life. Implications for future research and practice are provided.

Keywords

older immigrantsquality of parent–child relationshipsco-residencefrequency of contactintergenerational supportfilial pietycultural normsChinese
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 36 , Issue 7 , August 2016 , pp. 1459 - 1482
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Administration on Aging 2012. A Profile of Older Americans: 2012. Available online at http://www.aoa.gov/Aging_Statistics/Profile/2012/docs/2012profile.pdf [Accessed 15 October 2014].Google Scholar
Ajrouch, K. J. 2005. Arab-American immigrant elders’ views about social support. Ageing & Society, 25, 5, 655–73.Google Scholar
Albright, J. J. and Marinova, D. M. 2010. Estimating Multilevel Models Using SPSS, Stata, SAS, and R. Available online at http://www.indiana.edu/~statmath/stat/all/hlm/hlm.pdf [Accessed 15 October 2014].Google Scholar
Aquilino, W. S. 1999. Two views of one relationship: comparing parents’ and young adult children's reports of the quality of intergenerational relations. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 4, 858–70.Google Scholar
Beyene, Y., Becker, G. and Mayen, N. 2002. Percetion [sic] of aging and sense of well-being among Latino elderly. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology, 17, 2, 155–72.Google Scholar
Burholt, V. and Dobbs, C. 2010. Caregiving and carereceiving relationships of older South Asians: functional exchange and emotional closeness. GeroPsych: The Journal of Gerontopsychology and Geriatric Psychiatry, 23, 4, 215–25.Google Scholar
Burholt, V. and Wenger, G. C. 1998. Differences over time in older people's relationships with children and siblings. Ageing & Society, 18, 5, 537–62.Google Scholar
Chen, F. and Liu, G. 2012. The health implications of grandparents caring for grandchildren in China. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 67B, 1, 99–112.Google Scholar
Cheng, S.-T. 2009. Generativity in later life: perceived respect from younger generations as a determinant of goal disengagement and psychological well-being. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 64B, 1, 45–54.Google Scholar
Chiu, S. and Yu, S. 2001. An excess of culture: the myth of shared care in the Chinese community in Britain. Ageing & Society, 21, 6, 681–99.Google Scholar
Choi, N. G. 2000. Diversity within diversity: research and social work practice issues with Asian American elders. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 3, 3/4, 301–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Choudhry, U. K. 2001. Uprooting and resettlement experiences of South Asian immigrant women. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 23, 4, 376–93.Google Scholar
Chun, J. and Lee, J. 2006. Intergenerational solidarity in Korean immigrant families. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 4, 2, 6–21.Google Scholar
Diwan, S., Lee, S. E. and Sen, S. 2011. Expectations of filial obligation and their impact on preferences for future living arrangements of middle-aged and older Asian Indian immigrants. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology, 26, 1, 55–69.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dong, X., Chang, E.-S., Wong, E. and Simon, M. 2012. A qualitative study of filial piety among community dwelling, Chinese, older adults: changing meaning and impact on health and well-being. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 10, 2, 131–46.Google Scholar
Dong, X., Chang, E.-S., Wong, E., Wong, B., Skarupski, K. A. and Simon, M. A. 2010. Assessing the health needs of Chinese older adults: findings from a community-based participatory research study in Chicago's Chinatown. Journal of Aging Research, 2010, 124246.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dong, X., Zhang, M. and Simon, M. A. 2014. The expectation and perceived receipt of filial piety among Chinese older adults in the greater Chicago area. Journal of Aging and Health, 26, 7, 1225–47.Google Scholar
Giarrusso, R., Feng, D. and Bengston, V. L. 2004. The intergenerational-stake phenomenon over 20 years. Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 24, 1, 55–76.Google Scholar
Glick, J. E. 2010. Connecting complex processes: a decade of research on immigrant families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 3, 498–515.Google Scholar
Guo, M., Chi, I. and Silverstein, M. 2009. Intergenerational support of Chinese rural elders with migrant children: do sons’ or daughters’ migrations make a difference? Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 52, 5, 534–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guo, M., Chi, I. and Silverstein, M. 2013. Sources of older parents’ ambivalent feelings toward their adult children: the case of rural China. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 68B, 3, 420–30.Google Scholar
Gurak, D. T. and Kritz, M. M. 2010. Elderly Asian and Hispanic foreign- and native-born living arrangements: accounting for differences. Research on Aging, 32, 5, 567–94.Google Scholar
Hsueh, K.-H., Hu, J. and Clarke-Ekong, S. 2008. Acculturation in filial practices among U.S. Chinese caregivers. Qualitative Health Research, 18, 6, 775–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ingersoll-Dayton, B., Neal, M. B. and Hammer, L. B. 2001. Aging parents helping adult children: the experience of the sandwiched generation. Family Relations, 50, 3, 262–71.Google Scholar
Ip, D., Lui, C. W. and Chui, W. H. 2007. Veiled entrapment: a study of social isolation of older Chinese migrants in Brisbane, Queensland. Ageing & Society, 27, 5, 719–38.Google Scholar
Johnson, M. 2008. Our guest editors talk about immigration in an aging society. Generations, 32, 4, 4–5.Google Scholar
Katz, R. and Lowenstein, A. 1999. Adjustment of older Soviet immigrant parents and their adult children residing in shared households: an intergenerational comparison. Family Relations, 48, 1, 43–50.Google Scholar
Kauh, T.-O. 1997. Intergenerational relations: older Korean-Americans’ experiences. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology, 12, 3, 245–71.Google Scholar
Kritz, M. M., Gurak, D. T. and Chen, L. 2000. Elderly immigrants: their composition and living arrangements. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 27, 1, 85–114.Google Scholar
Kulis, S. S. 1992. Social class and the locus of reciprocity in relationships with adult children. Journal of Family Issues, 13, 4, 482–504.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lai, D. W. 2005. Cultural factors and preferred living arrangement of aging Chinese Canadians. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, 19, 2, 71–86.Google Scholar
Lan, P.-C. 2002. Subcontracting filial piety elder care in ethnic Chinese immigrant families in California. Journal of Family Issues, 23, 7, 812–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leach, M. A. 2008. America's older immigrants: a profile. Generations, 32, 4, 34–9.Google Scholar
Li, W. W., Hodgetts, D., Ho, E. and Stolte, O. 2010. From early Confucian texts to aged care in China and abroad today: the evolution of filial piety and its implications. Journal of US–China Public Administration, 7, 7, 48–59.Google Scholar
Lin, X., Bryant, C., Boldero, J. and Dow, B. 2014. Older Chinese immigrants’ relationships with their children: a literature review from a solidarity–conflict perspective. Gerontologist. Published online: February 17, 2014, doi:10.1093/geront/gnu004.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lowenstein, A. and Katz, R. 2005. Living arrangements, family solidarity and life satisfaction of two generations of immigrants in Israel. Ageing & Society, 25, 5, 749–67.Google Scholar
Lye, D. 1996. Adult child–parent relationships. Annual Review of Sociology, 22, 79–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackinnon, M. E., Gien, L. and Durst, D. 1996. Chinese elders speak out implications for caregivers. Clinical Nursing Research, 5, 3, 326–42.Google Scholar
Mangen, D., Bengtson, V. L. and Landry, P. H. Jr (eds) 1988. The Measurement of Intergenerational Relations. Sage, Beverly Hills, California.Google Scholar
McCabe, K. 2012. Chinese Immigrants in the United States. Migration Policy Institute, Washington DC.Google Scholar
McDonald, L. 2011. Theorising about ageing, family and immigration. Ageing & Society, 31, 7, 1180–201.Google Scholar
Mercier, J. M., Shelley, M. C. and Wall, B. 1997. Quality of adult child–aging parent relationships: a structural equations approach using merged cross-generational data. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 26, 2, 160–92.Google Scholar
Miranda, A. O., Bilot, J. M., Peluso, P. R., Berman, K. and Van Meek, L. G. 2006. Latino families: the relevance of the connection among acculturation, family dynamics, and health for family counseling research and practice. Family Journal, 14, 3, 268–73.Google Scholar
Moon, A. and Cho, I. 2012. Psychology of Asian American older adults: status, challenges, and strengths. In Chang, E. C. and Downey, C. A. (eds), Handbook of Race and Development in Mental Health. Springer, New York, 189–206.Google Scholar
Mui, A. and Shibusawa, T. 2008. Asian American Elders in the Twenty-first Century. Columbia University Press, New York.Google Scholar
Phinney, J. S., Horenczyk, G., Liebkind, K. and Vedder, P. 2001. Ethnic identity, immigration, and well-being: an interactional perspective. Journal of Social Issues, 57, 3, 493–510.Google Scholar
Rook, K. S. and Ituarte, P. H. G. 1999. Social control, social support, and companionship in older adults’ family relationships and friendships. Personal Relationships, 6, 2, 199–211.Google Scholar
Schwarz, B., Trommsdorff, G., Albert, I. and Mayer, B. 2005. Adult parent–child relationships: relationship quality, support, and reciprocity. Applied Psychology, 54, 3, 396–417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Selvarajah, C. 2004. Expatriation experiences of Chinese immigrants in New Zealand: factors contributing to adjustment of older immigrants. Management Research News, 27, 8/9, 26–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shapiro, A. 2004. Revisiting the generation gap: exploring the relationships of parent/adult-child dyads. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 58, 2, 127–46.Google Scholar
Silverstein, M., Chen, X. and Heller, K. 1996. Too much of a good thing? Intergenerational social support and the psychological well-being of older parents. Journal of Marriage and Family, 58, 4, 970–82.Google Scholar
Silverstein, M., Cong, Z. and Li, S. 2006. Intergenerational transfer and living arrangements of older people in rural China: consequences for psychological well-being. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 61B, 5, 5256–66.Google Scholar
Silverstein, M., Cong, Z. and Li, S. 2007. Grandparents who care for their grandchildren in rural China: benefactors and beneficiaries. In Powell, J. L. and Cook, I. G. (eds), New Perspectives on China and Aging. Nova, New York, 49–72.Google Scholar
StataCorp 2005. Stata Statistical Software: Release 9. StataCorp, College Station, Texas.Google Scholar
Sung, K.-T. 1995. Measures and dimensions of filial piety in Korea. Gerontologist, 35, 2, 240–7.Google Scholar
Terrazas, A. 2009. Older Immigrants in the United States. Migration Policy Institute, Washington DC.Google Scholar
Treas, J. 2008 a. Four myths about older adults in America's immigrant families. Generations, 32, 4, 40–5.Google Scholar
Treas, J. 2008 b. Transnational older adults and their families. Family Relations, 57, 4, 468–78.Google Scholar
Treas, J. and Mazumdar, S. 2002. Older people in America's immigrant families: dilemmas of dependence, integration, and isolation. Journal of Aging Studies, 16, 3, 243–58.Google Scholar
Treas, J. and Torres-Gil, F. 2008. Immigration and aging: the nexus of complexity and promise. Generations, 32, 4, 6–10.Google Scholar
Wilmoth, J. M. and Chen, P.-C. 2003. Immigrant status, living arrangements, and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58B, 5, S305–13.Google Scholar
Wong, S. T., Yoo, G. J. and Stewart, A. L. 2005. Examining the types of social support and the actual sources of support in older Chinese and Korean immigrants. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 61, 2, 105–21.Google Scholar
Wong, S. T., Yoo, G. J. and Stewart, A. L. 2006. The changing meaning of family support among older Chinese and Korean immigrants. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 61B, 1, S4–9.Google Scholar
Xu, L., Wu, B., Chi, I. and Hsiao, H.-Y. 2012. Intensity of grandparent caregiving and life satisfaction among rural Chinese older adults: a longitudinal study using latent difference score analysis. Family & Community Health, 35, 4, 287–99.Google Scholar
Yoo, G. J. and Kim, B. W. 2010. Remembering sacrifices: attitude and beliefs among second-generation Korean Americans regarding family support. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology, 25, 2, 165–81.Google Scholar
Yue, X. and Ng, S. H. 1999. Filial obligations and expectations in China: current views from young and old people in Beijing. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 2, 2, 215–26.Google Scholar
Zhan, H. J. 2004. Willingness and expectations: intergenerational differences in attitudes toward filial responsibility in China. Marriage and Family Review, 36, 1/2, 175–200.Google Scholar