Depressive symptoms among older empty nesters in China: the moderating effects of social contact and contact with one’s children

Mingming Xu; Wei Yang

doi:10.1080/13607863.2021.2019190

Depressive symptoms among older empty nesters in China: the moderating effects of social contact and contact with one’s children

Mingming Xu, Wei Yang^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objectives: Mental health for older people has become a major social concern. Literature has shown that older people, especially when they become empty nesters—when a parent lives alone or lives with his/her spouse after the youngest child leaves home—may start to develop various mental health problems due to reduced contacts with their children. Using fixed-effects, multivariate regression with a difference-in-differences approach and propensity score matching, this paper examines the relationship between being an empty nester and mental health among older people in China, and the moderating effects of social contact and contact with one’s children in terms of mental health. Our data come from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study of 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2018. Results: We found that, in the short term, the mental health of older people may not be affected after they became empty nesters. But in the longer term, if they did not have regular contact with their children, their mental health would deteriorate with time. Social contact, especially cognitive activities, was beneficial to the mental health of the older empty nesters. We also found that for older empty nesters with disabilities, frequent social contact and contact with their children were more important. Conclusion: We urge the government to promote community-based social activities for older people, especially for those with functional limitations.

Original language	English
Journal	Aging and Mental Health
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2021.2019190
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 2022

Keywords

children contact
China
depressive symptoms
Empty nest
social contact

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1080/13607863.2021.2019190

Cite this

@article{fcb3e045ce3443cfa9d3729f7ad98b52,

title = "Depressive symptoms among older empty nesters in China: the moderating effects of social contact and contact with one{\textquoteright}s children",

abstract = "Objectives: Mental health for older people has become a major social concern. Literature has shown that older people, especially when they become empty nesters—when a parent lives alone or lives with his/her spouse after the youngest child leaves home—may start to develop various mental health problems due to reduced contacts with their children. Using fixed-effects, multivariate regression with a difference-in-differences approach and propensity score matching, this paper examines the relationship between being an empty nester and mental health among older people in China, and the moderating effects of social contact and contact with one{\textquoteright}s children in terms of mental health. Our data come from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study of 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2018. Results: We found that, in the short term, the mental health of older people may not be affected after they became empty nesters. But in the longer term, if they did not have regular contact with their children, their mental health would deteriorate with time. Social contact, especially cognitive activities, was beneficial to the mental health of the older empty nesters. We also found that for older empty nesters with disabilities, frequent social contact and contact with their children were more important. Conclusion: We urge the government to promote community-based social activities for older people, especially for those with functional limitations.",

keywords = "children contact, China, depressive symptoms, Empty nest, social contact",

author = "Mingming Xu and Wei Yang",

note = "Funding Information: Acknowledgements: This paper uses data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The National School of Development of Peking University is gratefully acknowledged for providing the data (see http://charls.pku.edu.cn/en/ ). We thank for the support from KHYS and CSC. We also acknowledge general supports from Prof. Dr. Berthold U. Wigger and Prof. Mauricio Avendano Pabon. Funding Information: Funding details: This work is funded by the Research Travel Grant provided by Karlsruhe House of Young Scientists (KHYS) and financially supported by China Scholarship Council (CSC). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.",

year = "2022",

doi = "10.1080/13607863.2021.2019190",

language = "English",

journal = "Aging and Mental Health",

issn = "1360-7863",

publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",

}

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T1 - Depressive symptoms among older empty nesters in China

T2 - the moderating effects of social contact and contact with one’s children

AU - Xu, Mingming

AU - Yang, Wei

N1 - Funding Information: Acknowledgements: This paper uses data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The National School of Development of Peking University is gratefully acknowledged for providing the data (see http://charls.pku.edu.cn/en/ ). We thank for the support from KHYS and CSC. We also acknowledge general supports from Prof. Dr. Berthold U. Wigger and Prof. Mauricio Avendano Pabon. Funding Information: Funding details: This work is funded by the Research Travel Grant provided by Karlsruhe House of Young Scientists (KHYS) and financially supported by China Scholarship Council (CSC). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Objectives: Mental health for older people has become a major social concern. Literature has shown that older people, especially when they become empty nesters—when a parent lives alone or lives with his/her spouse after the youngest child leaves home—may start to develop various mental health problems due to reduced contacts with their children. Using fixed-effects, multivariate regression with a difference-in-differences approach and propensity score matching, this paper examines the relationship between being an empty nester and mental health among older people in China, and the moderating effects of social contact and contact with one’s children in terms of mental health. Our data come from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study of 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2018. Results: We found that, in the short term, the mental health of older people may not be affected after they became empty nesters. But in the longer term, if they did not have regular contact with their children, their mental health would deteriorate with time. Social contact, especially cognitive activities, was beneficial to the mental health of the older empty nesters. We also found that for older empty nesters with disabilities, frequent social contact and contact with their children were more important. Conclusion: We urge the government to promote community-based social activities for older people, especially for those with functional limitations.

AB - Objectives: Mental health for older people has become a major social concern. Literature has shown that older people, especially when they become empty nesters—when a parent lives alone or lives with his/her spouse after the youngest child leaves home—may start to develop various mental health problems due to reduced contacts with their children. Using fixed-effects, multivariate regression with a difference-in-differences approach and propensity score matching, this paper examines the relationship between being an empty nester and mental health among older people in China, and the moderating effects of social contact and contact with one’s children in terms of mental health. Our data come from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study of 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2018. Results: We found that, in the short term, the mental health of older people may not be affected after they became empty nesters. But in the longer term, if they did not have regular contact with their children, their mental health would deteriorate with time. Social contact, especially cognitive activities, was beneficial to the mental health of the older empty nesters. We also found that for older empty nesters with disabilities, frequent social contact and contact with their children were more important. Conclusion: We urge the government to promote community-based social activities for older people, especially for those with functional limitations.

KW - children contact

KW - China

KW - depressive symptoms

KW - Empty nest

KW - social contact

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DO - 10.1080/13607863.2021.2019190

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85124357813

SN - 1360-7863

JO - Aging and Mental Health

JF - Aging and Mental Health

ER -

Depressive symptoms among older empty nesters in China: the moderating effects of social contact and contact with one’s children

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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