Intergenerational support between grandparents and grandchildren in rural China and its effect on the psychological well-being of older adults

Social support is especially important for people in late life due to physical and life-course changes. The majority of older adults in China receive social support primarily from their adult children. However, for many rural residents, supporting older adults has not been easy due to lower standards of living and migration to urban cities. On the other hand, due to increased longevity, a large proportion of older adults have adult grandchildren who may also serve as an important source of support. However, little attention has been paid to the dynamics of grandchild support among older adults in rural China, despite demographic shifts that indicate grandparents and grandchildren are left behind and live with each other in rural China. This dissertation examined how adult grandchildren provide family support to older grandparents and how this support affects the psychological well-being of older adults in rural China.;This dissertation consists of three independent studies. Its main purpose was to add to the existing knowledge regarding intergenerational support by investigating the dynamics of support provided to older adults by their grandchildren in rural China. Using a longitudinal dataset from a group of older adults in a rural region of the Anhui province in mainland China, this dissertation had the following specific aims: (1) to investigate support exchange between grandparents and grandchildren and associated factors; (2) to explore the underlying change patterns of instrumental support that older participants received from adult children and grandchildren during the past nine years; and (3) to examine how support from grandchildren affected levels of depression among older adults.;The results of this dissertation identified both similar and different patterns of intergenerational support between grandparents and grandchildren in rural China compared with those in Western societies. The first study revealed that generally more grandparents received support from their grandchildren than those who provided support to their grandchildren, including instrumental, financial, and emotional support. A higher percentage of older adults exchanged support with the grandchildren of their eldest child if that child was male rather than female. This study also found that older adults who had strong emotional bonds with the middle generation, especially with sons, and past grandchild caregiving experience were much more likely to receive and provide support to their grandchildren. The second study revealed three underlying change patterns of instrumental support from adult children and grandchildren: a decrease in support, an increase in support, and minor levels of support. The third study indicated that an increase in support from grandchildren was negatively associated with an increase in depression. However, depression levels among older participants played a leading role in predicting support from grandchildren, rather than vice versa, thus indicating the significant influence of mental health conditions in later life.;Altogether, the findings of this dissertation revealed that grandchildren are important sources of support or social capital for older adults in rural China and such support has beneficial effects on the psychological well-being of older adults. However, support provided by grandchildren to older adults was facilitated or hindered by the middle parent generation. Comparing research findings from Western societies, results of this dissertation can inform the development of comparative theoretical models of intergenerational support across cultures. These research findings also have policy and practice implications for intergenerational family caregivers of older rural Chinese adults. It is clear there is a need for more research on intergenerational support exchange between grandparents and grandchildren in various cultural contexts.