TY - JOUR
T1 - Intergenerational Emotional Cohesion and Psychological Well-Being of Older Adults in Rural China
T2 - A Moderated Mediation Model of Loneliness and Friendship Ties
AU - Zhang, Xiaoyan
AU - Silverstein, Merril
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: [email protected].
PY - 2022/3/1
Y1 - 2022/3/1
N2 - Objectives: Although researchers have linked intergenerational emotional cohesion (IEC) to psychological well-being (PWB) among older adults, the mechanisms and conditions under which IEC is related to PWB - particularly in rural areas - are less well understood. This study analyzed data from rural China to examine whether loneliness mediated the relationship between IEC and PWB, and whether friendship ties moderated the strength of the direct and indirect relationships between IEC and PWB. Methods: Mediation and moderated mediation models were tested using a sample of rural adults aged 60 and older (N = 958) from the Longitudinal Study of Older Adults in Anhui Province, China. Measures included IEC, friendship ties, loneliness, and 2 PWB indicators - depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Results: The results revealed that IEC was negatively related to loneliness, which in turn was associated with depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Furthermore, this indirect pathway linking IEC and depressive symptoms (but not life satisfaction) was positively conditioned on the size of friendship ties. Discussion: This study advances our understanding of the mechanism through which IEC influences PWB in older adults. Alleviating loneliness could help boost PWB. Other implications for practice and future research are discussed.
AB - Objectives: Although researchers have linked intergenerational emotional cohesion (IEC) to psychological well-being (PWB) among older adults, the mechanisms and conditions under which IEC is related to PWB - particularly in rural areas - are less well understood. This study analyzed data from rural China to examine whether loneliness mediated the relationship between IEC and PWB, and whether friendship ties moderated the strength of the direct and indirect relationships between IEC and PWB. Methods: Mediation and moderated mediation models were tested using a sample of rural adults aged 60 and older (N = 958) from the Longitudinal Study of Older Adults in Anhui Province, China. Measures included IEC, friendship ties, loneliness, and 2 PWB indicators - depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Results: The results revealed that IEC was negatively related to loneliness, which in turn was associated with depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Furthermore, this indirect pathway linking IEC and depressive symptoms (but not life satisfaction) was positively conditioned on the size of friendship ties. Discussion: This study advances our understanding of the mechanism through which IEC influences PWB in older adults. Alleviating loneliness could help boost PWB. Other implications for practice and future research are discussed.
KW - Aging parents
KW - Depression
KW - Friendship ties
KW - Intergenerational relations
KW - Loneliness
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U2 - 10.1093/geronb/gbab122
DO - 10.1093/geronb/gbab122
M3 - Article
C2 - 34214164
AN - SCOPUS:85125682980
SN - 1079-5014
VL - 77
SP - 525
EP - 535
JO - Journals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
JF - Journals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
IS - 3
ER -