Reciprocity in relationships between Chinese elderly and their adult children

The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which reciprocity is manifested in the relationships between Chinese elderly and their adult children. Data were drawn from the archives of the Family and Aging Project, conducted at Harvard University from 1978-1983. The original study consisted of interviews with elderly members (and their families) of several minority groups in the Boston area. For the present study, interviews conducted with 10 Cantonese-speaking families were used. At least one parent in each family was interviewed concerning interactions between elderly parents and their adult children, both in their own families and in their culture. This study focused on reciprocity as a multidimensional concept, and used qualitative methodologies and quantitative analysis to address three areas of concern: (1) to determine if different types of reciprocity were manifested in parent-child relationships; (2) to determine if expectations about parent-child relationships were congruent with parent-child interactions; and (3) to determine if the various dimensions of reciprocity were related to family roles as defined by gender and birth order. Findings indicated that several dimensions of reciprocity were present in interactions between the elderly parents and their adult children. Family roles showed a trend toward being related to reciprocity. The implications of viewing reciprocity as a multidimensional concept are discussed in terms of future research and clinical practice.