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The Role of Contact Care by Adult Children in Relieving Depression in Older Adult Individuals

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Listed:
  • Seo-Youn Hong

    (Department of Sport, Leisure, & Recreation, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Korea)

  • Jae-Hyun Kim

    (Pi-Touch Institute, Seoul 04511, Korea)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate how contact care by adult children influences the effect of caring for grandchildren on depression in older adult individuals. Studies have shown that caring for grandchildren either increases or decreases the symptoms of depression in older adult individuals, while other studies have shown no effect. The reason for these inconsistent results is that the key control variable, contact care by adult children, has been omitted from these previous studies. An analysis of panel data consisting of observations from 162 older adult respondents in the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging over the 2008–2016 period confirms that the positive effect of caring for grandchildren on depression in older adults increased as the number of adult children who visited their older adult parents after entrusting their children to them increased. As more of their adult children visited the older adult individuals, the latter were more likely to feel that caring for their grandchildren was healing rather than stressful.

Suggested Citation

  • Seo-Youn Hong & Jae-Hyun Kim, 2022. "The Role of Contact Care by Adult Children in Relieving Depression in Older Adult Individuals," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-10, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:13:p:7981-:d:851584
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Li-Jung Ku & Sally Stearns & Courtney Houtven & George Holmes, 2012. "The health effects of caregiving by grandparents in Taiwan: an instrumental variable estimation," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 10(4), pages 521-540, December.
    2. Mary Elizabeth Hughes & Linda J. Waite & Tracey A. LaPierre & Ye Luo, 2007. "All in the Family: The Impact of Caring for Grandchildren on Grandparents' Health," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 62(2), pages 108-119.
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