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The pattern of social support seeking and its socio-demographic variations among older adults in China

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  • Jin You

    (Wuhan University)

  • Helene Fung

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Peter Vitaliano

    (University of Washington)

Abstract

The current study used a nationally representative sample to investigate how older adults in China with different socio-demographic characteristics proactively sought support when social support of different sources and types was available; and whether the pattern of social support seeking varied with age, gender and regions. We found that older adults in China tended to seek social support from family members rather than from non-family members. Moreover, we observed a hierarchically ordered pattern of social support seeking within the family such that older adults preferred to first seek social support from a spouse and then turn to sons only when their spouse was unavailable or incapable of providing social support. We also observed a strong trend for son preferences in social support seeking, which was even more salient among old-old adults and older adults from rural China. The findings have implications for elder care and intergenerational support exchanges in Chinese societies.

Suggested Citation

  • Jin You & Helene Fung & Peter Vitaliano, 2020. "The pattern of social support seeking and its socio-demographic variations among older adults in China," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 341-348, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:17:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s10433-019-00550-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s10433-019-00550-w
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. White, A.M. & Philogene, G.S. & Fine, L. & Sinha, S., 2009. "Social support and self-reported health status of older adults in the United States," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(10), pages 1872-1878.
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    4. Xinxin Chen & John Giles & Yafeng Wang & Yaohui Zhao, 2018. "Gender Patterns of Eldercare in China," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(2), pages 54-76, April.
    5. Helene H. Fung & Franziska S. Stoeber & Dannii Yuen-lan Yeung & Frieder R. Lang, 2008. "Cultural Specificity of Socioemotional Selectivity: Age Differences in Social Network Composition Among Germans and Hong Kong Chinese," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 63(3), pages 156-164.
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    Cited by:

    1. Xianglian Yu & Xiangtian Kong & Ziyu Cao & Zhijuan Chen & Lin Zhang & Binbin Yu, 2022. "Social Support and Family Functioning during Adolescence: A Two-Wave Cross-Lagged Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-10, May.
    2. Robert Gajda & Marzena Jeżewska-Zychowicz, 2021. "The importance of social financial support in reducing food insecurity among elderly people," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(3), pages 717-727, June.

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