Family Networks, Social Networks, and Life Satisfaction of Older Adults in China

Abstract

Older adults’ family networks and social networks are important factors that influence life satisfaction, but their transmission mechanisms have not been adequately discussed. The objective of this study was to examine the mechanisms through which family networks and social networks influence the life satisfaction of older adults. We empirically examined the effects and mechanisms of older adults’ family networks and social networks on their life satisfaction using the 2018 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey with a sample size of 11,418 older adults aged 60 years and older. In the research sample, 6.47% of older adults were subjected to at least one form of mistreatment. The research results indicate that family networks (β = 0.0060, p < 0.05) and social networks (β = 0.0122, p < 0.01) have a significant positive effect on older adults’ life satisfaction. The mechanism-of-action test found that family networks and social networks enhance older adults’ life satisfaction, mainly by reducing the level of physical mistreatment they experience, but these networks cannot improve the life satisfaction of the elderly by reducing their emotional mistreatment. Further research found that community-provided medical escorts, home chores, and meal delivery services can all alleviate the decline in life satisfaction among older adults due to emotional mistreatment. This study deepens our understanding of how older adults’ family and social networks affect their life satisfaction as we examine the mediating role of the physical and emotional mistreatment of older adults and discuss the effects of potential policy interventions.