Multidimensional Intergenerational Relationship and Social Participation among Late-Life Migrants in China: The Role of Depressive Symptom

Abstract

Chinese adults will migrate to reunite with their children in later life, with social participation being an essential element of their successful adaptation. As children are older adults’ primary source of support, this study aimed to investigate both the direct and indirect effects of multiple dimensions of intergenerational relationship quality on social participation through the incidence of depressive symptom. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Shenzhen, China, with late-life migrants aged 50 years and above. Totally, 397 participants were included in this analysis. The intergenerational relationship was measured using the Intergenerational Relationship Quality Scale for Aging Chinese Parents, which covers four dimensions: structural-associational solidarity, affectual closeness, consensual-normative solidarity, and intergenerational conflicts. However, as the structural-associational solidarity and affectual closeness dimensions did not have acceptable reliability, the four-dimension model was instead validated by using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The same four-factor model was confirmed, with the noted exception that item 10 (helping with housework) was deleted on the basis that it presented weak factor loading. Bootstrapping was used to examine the direct and indirect effects of the four dimensions on social participation through depressive symptom. The results showed that only affective closeness and intergenerational conflict were associated with social participation. Depressive symptom was a partial mediator of the correlation between affective closeness and social participation, whereas depressive symptom did not have any mediating effect on the other dimensions of intergenerational relationship quality and social participation. These findings highlight the importance of affectual closeness and intergenerational conflict in the social participation of late-life migrants in China.