Determinants of the community living arrangements of older unmarried women

The Higher the Children's Achievements, the Better the Elderly Health? Evidence From China

Health, an important indicator for measuring the elderly's life and wellbeing, is an important part of positive and healthy aging. Children's achievements are closely linked to their parents' health. However, existing literature does not cover how children's achievements impact the health of their elderly parents. Data were derived from the 2014 Chinese Longitudinal Aging Social Survey; this study includes 6,793 elderly people ages 60 and older as samples. A multiple linear regression model was used to analyze the correlation between children's achievements and their elderly parents' health statuses in China. The results show that the higher the children's income and education, the better their health of their elderly parents. Living patterns, children' financial support to their parents, and social capital play a mediating role in the relationship between children and their elderly parents. These findings provide further insight into potential factors associated with the children's achievements and elderly health.

The Composition of Multigenerational Households that Include Elders

Using a new procedure to recode data from the 1980 U.S. census, the relationships within multigenerational households are examined from the perspective of the elder. Differences in the household composition of two-generation and three-or-more generation households by age are examined. Among older respondents, fewer elders lived with spouses, parents or parents-in-law, or siblings or siblings-in-law. In contrast, as age increased, a higher percentage of elders lived with children, grand children, or other kin. The pattern of coresidence with adult children varied by type of household. In two-generation households, more elders lived with sons than with daughters; in three-or-more generation households, a higher proportion of elders lived with daughters than with sons. Across relationships with the previous generation (parents), the collateral generation (siblings), and subsequent generations (children), more elders resided with blood relatives than with in-laws.

Minority Group Status, Health Transitions, and Community Living Arrangements among the Elderly

This study examines patterns of change in functional capacity among Black and non-Latino White older persons over a 4-year period using the 1988 Longitudinal Study of Aging. The results reveal that among all three groups, improvements in functional capacity often follow declines, but they also show that Blacks are more likely than non-Latino Whites to suffer protracted declines in functional capacity, ultimately resulting in more serious incapacity. The central objective of the article is the development of a conceptual model to identify those factors that account for racial and ethnic group differences in health and functional capacity as well as the documented greater propensity of Black and Latino elderly to rely on informal sources of support in the community rather than on formal long-term care.

The Perceptions of Elderly Parents about the Possibility of Discontinuing their Coresidence with Adult Children

In the United States, it is not uncommon for older adults (age 65 years or over) to live in the same households with adult children. Yet we know very little about the quality and dynamics of the interpersonal relationships within such households. In this investigation, older adults (N= 192) coresiding with adult children respond to a series of hypothetical questions about how their lives might change if they no longer lived with those children. Results indicate that the majority of parents anticipate no change in most aspects of their lives. Among those who anticipate a change, most indicate that their lives would be worse. Bivariate comparisons identify parent, child, and household characteristics that are associated with more negative expectations; however, in multivariate analyses, the marital status of the parents had the most significant and pervasive influence on the attitudes that were expressed, with unmarried elders more likely to anticipate a negative impact.

Perceived Support, Help Seeking, and Adaptation to Stress among Older Black and White Women Living Alone

This research tested two models of stress buffering to examine how older women living alone adapted to the stresses in their daily lives. No support was found for the suppressor model, but some support for the moderator model of stress buffering. Both perceived support and enacted support moderated the effect of stressors for psychological distress. Confidants were an important source of support for these older women. Both the perception that a friend was available with whom they could discuss their problems and the frequency of confiding moderated the negative impact of stress for psychological distress. Although confidants were a significant source of support for both Black and White women, support from relatives and friends moderated the effect of stressors only for Black women. Black women experienced greater economic hardship and more functional limitations than White women, but they draw on multiple sources of support to adapt to those stressors.

Relationship Between the Formation Conditions and Durations of One-Person Households in the Seoul Metropolitan Region

Rapid demographic changes have occurred in Korea, with the number of one-person households almost doubling between 2000 and 2010 in the Seoul metropolitan region. Developed countries experienced these changes previously through the so-called second demographic transition. The purpose of this article is to ascertain how both the socioeconomic attributes and the location characteristics of one-person households at the time of their formation affect the durations of these households under the rapidly changing Korean demography. The spatial distribution of the areal location quotient indexes for one-person households indicated that the concentration of these households is relatively higher in the inner cities of metropolitan areas and the outskirts of the Seoul metropolitan region. Meanwhile, the distribution patterns of the relative concentration levels for one-person households by age group exhibited obvious differences. In the survival analysis for the entire sample of this research, household attributes were the primary determinants. However, the results of the empirical analyses by age group indicated that location characteristics were significant as well, although the significance of the variables varied with the types of one-person households. The duration of households of one person under 40 years old was affected by their access to employment districts and the concentration level of one-person households in the area. In contrast, the duration of households of one person 65 years old and older was influenced by the distribution of affordable housing. The findings of this study provide a framework that is able to make sense of the changing characteristics of the one-person households of nations in transition from developing to developed countries.

Prospective study of living arrangement by the ability to receive informal care and survival among Japanese elderly

OBJECTIVES

In light of recent concerns regarding informal care, we examined the association between living arrangement and survival among elderly Japanese, with living arrangement measured in terms of the ability to receive informal care from the immediate family.

METHODS

A total of 3000 subjects aged 60 years or older were randomly recruited in Yukuhashi City, Japan, in 2002, of whom 2773 provided complete information for analysis. A trained local welfare commissioner visited the subjects annually from 2002 to 2007 and collected information concerning living arrangements, mobility status, medical status, and use of long-term care insurance service. During the 5 years of follow-up, 381 deaths were recorded.

RESULTS

Living arrangement was not associated with survival among elderly women. In contrast, compared with men living with others able to provide care throughout the day, mortality was higher for those living with others unable to provide sufficient care due to illness or infirmity; those living with others receiving long-term care insurance service; and those living alone without support from family or friends (multivariable hazard ratio=1.40, 95% Confidence Interval 0.94-2.09; hazard ratio=1.89, 95% Confidence Interval 1.07-3.34; and hazard ratio=5.76, 95% Confidence Interval 2.16-15.36; respectively).

CONCLUSION

We found that living arrangement as classified by the ability to receive informal care affects survival among elderly men.

Kinship and Social Support of the Elderly: The Case of the United States

This paper deals with two related issues: (1) the extent to which older persons who require some assistance in the tasks of or resources needed for daily living actually receive such assistance from informal networks; and (2) the consequences of the receipt of this assistance for the older person.

Revisiting the generation gap: exploring the relationships of parent/adult-child dyads

There is some evidence that older parents and their adult children may evaluate their relationships with each other in different ways. To date, we know little about what may account for these discrepancies. This investigation compares the perceptions of intergenerational solidarity among 2,590 adult-child/older-parent dyads from the National Survey of Families and Households. Further, this study examines a social structural model to test the relative contribution of individuals' sociodemographic and social structural positions to the correspondence between generational perceptions of solidarity. The findings indicate that there is a high degree of disagreement between how adult children and their parents view their relationship. Parents are more likely to report greater relationship quality, while children report greater contact and exchanges of assistance. While a number of variables influence the correspondence between generations, the strongest and most consistent predictors are sex, age, child's marital status, and residential proximity.

Social support exchange among elderly Chinese people and their family members in Hong Kong: a longitudinal study

This study examines the pattern of social support exchange between the elderly and their family members, focusing on financial aid and household care (both instrumental and emotional). The second objective of this study is to identify resource capacity factors (including education, physical health, and size of social network) that generate differences in the exchange of financial aid and household care between elderly people and their family members. The respondents were 213 people who had family members living in Hong Kong aged 70-years-old or older from a longitudinal study of a representative community sample of the elderly population in Hong Kong. Using multiple regression models, we found that the elderly subjects who received more household care from their family members were likely to provide more household care to their family members three years later, even after controlling for the impact of resource capacities; and the elderly subjects who provided more household care to their family members were more likely to receive more household care from their family members three years later. In assessing the impact of the resource variables on support exchange, functional disability and the number of close relatives were significantly associated with the amount of household care the old people provided, whereas the number of close family members were significantly associated with the amount of household care the old people received. Policy implications of the findings in this study were discussed.

Living arrangements among older immigrants in the United States

This analysis uses data from the 1990 5% Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) to identify the individual-level characteristics that influence residential dependence among immigrants age 60 and older in the United States. Particular attention is given to differences among 11 immigrant groups. Separate models are shown by gender and marital status. The results indicate that Hispanic and most Asian immigrants, particularly those from Mexico, Central or South America, India, and the Pacific Islands, are at a greater risk of living with family than non-Hispanic White immigrants. Although resource, need, and demographic characteristics influence the risk of living with Family, these individual-level characteristics do not explain the observed differences across the immigrant groups. These findings suggest that preferences that are shaped by the immigrant's experience as well as cultural background are an important determinant of immigrant living arrangements in later life.

Changes in living arrangements of functionally dependent older adults and their adult children

This study investigated health and sociodemographic variables associated with co-residency patterns among older patients and their adult children following discharge from an acute care hospital. Data for the analysis were obtained from 172 adult children caring for functionally impaired parents. Logistic regression was employed to determine the probability that an older parent establishes co-residency with the adult child following hospitalization instead of remaining in a separate household. Results indicate that the overall level of caregiver involvement in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) were strong predictors of parent and adult children forming a joint household. Increased household income of caregivers was inversely related to co-residency. Decisions about co-residency following hospitalization appear to hinge both on parental need and the resources of the adult child, suggesting that the decision to move together is largely one of need and not preference.

Disability and living arrangements among elderly American men

The living arrangements of disabled elderly people are an important policy-related issue. This investigation focused on testing four models which posit alternative ways in which disability might affect coresidence with adult relatives. The models were tested for a pooled sample of elderly men drawn from the 1976 and 1981 rounds of the National Longitudinal Survey of Mature Men. The methodological strategies for model assessment included descriptive and logistic regression techniques. Men with multiple disabling conditions, but not a single disability, were more likely to be coresiding with adult relatives than were nondisabled men, independent of a set of selected background characteristics. These results provided general support for a model focused on assistance norms. There was some suggestion that the absence of a spouse reinforces this pattern.

Never-married elderly. A reassessment with implications for long-term care policy

Researchers are beginning to look more closely at the lives of never-married elderly. As yet, there is no clear consensus regarding the lives and social support networks of the never-married elderly. In particular, are never-married elderly at greater risk for institutionalization than other marital groups? Findings from past research are mixed. Part of the difficulty lies in grouping never-married elderly with other unmarried elderly, or focusing on the presence or absence of a spouse. This article reexamines the life situation of never-married elderly in terms of health, social interaction, and household and family structure. The never married are compared with married, widowed, and divorced/separated elderly persons on these three dimensions. The findings suggest that never-married elderly are socially active, are not socially isolated, and may not be at high risk for institutionalization compared to other marital groups.

Household composition choices of older unmarried women

This article extends previous research on the household composition of older unmarried women, using a statistical model that treats each of a woman’s surviving children as a distinct potential provider of a shared household. Additional possibilities— living alone, living with other nuclear-family relatives, and living with others— are also recognized, providing a varied range of household-structure opportunities for older women. The approach allows us to identify individual child attributes associated with the propensity to coreside with the older unmarried mother. The results confirm earlier findings regarding the importance of income, age, and disability status as determinants of the household composition of older women. We find, however, that unmarried children, especially sons, are more likely to share a household with an elderly mother than are married children. Working reduces the likelihood that a married daughter will live with her older mother. Overall, the findings suggest that the attributes, more so than the sheer numbers, of living children influence the household structure of their mothers.