Buffering or Deteriorating: How Filial Piety Influences the Associations Between Elder Abuse, Social Well-being, and Depression among Chinese Older Adults

Abstract

Abstract Background Few empirical studies have examined how cultural values and social well-being affect depression amongst victims of elder abuse. This study thus incorporates the cultural context into a stress-and-coping model to explore how filial piety influences the dynamic associations between elder abuse, multi-dimensional social well-being, and depression among older adults in China.Methods The participants were 7,700 older adults (aged 60 years or older) enrolled in the 2018 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey, a national population-based study of older adults. Moderated mediation models were applied to test the mediating effects of multidimensional social well-being (social isolation, loneliness, social network, and social participation) and the moderating effect of filial piety. All mediation and moderated mediation effects were estimated using SPSS.26.Results Different dimensions of social well-being have a partial mediating effect on the association between elder abuse and depression. Traditional attitudes towards filial piety exacerbated the effects of elder abuse on depression by increasing social isolation and loneliness, but they also reversed some negative effects by improving the social network.Conclusions Certain sociodemographic factors are associated with greater risk of depression for victims of elder abuse. Our findings suggest that filial discrepancy and stigma from elder abuse might influence not only older adults’ feelings of loneliness and social isolation but also their social participation and social network; this will further deteriorate their depressive symptoms in late life. These results should be considered when developing culturally sensitive identification, prevention, and intervention services for older adults.