Jung-Hwa Ha Seoul National University. Presentation at NYU Aging Incubator November 8, 2018

Transcription

1 Jung-Hwa Ha Seoul National University Presentation at NYU Aging Incubator November 8, 2018

2 Collaborators Dr. Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan, Singapore Management University Dr. John Knodel, University of Michigan

3 Study background and objectives Conceptual framework Data and measures Results Overview Implications and Conclusion

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6 Does childlessness affect older adults social and psychological well-being in East and Southeast Asia?

7 Dramatic decline in fertility across E and SE Asia Total fertility rates in East and SE Asia, and Japan South Korea East Asia China Singapore Thailand Brunei Viet Nam Malaysia Myanmar Southeast Asia Indonesia Cambodia Lao PDR Philippines 7

8 Source: UNESCAP (2018) 8

9 Number and Percent of Migrants in China, (Lu & Xia, 2016) 9

10 Smaller family size and increased migration resulted in changing living arrangements of older persons Sources: Surveys of Older Persons in Thailand 10

11 Percent of older adults 65+ residing with their adult children (Yasuda, Iwai, Yi, & Xie, 2011, p.704) 11

12 Research Questions What are the prevalence and dimensions of childlessness in S. Korea, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar? Actual childlessness (elderly without children) De-facto childlessness (elderly whose all children migrated elsewhere) Does childlessness contribute to the wellbeing of older persons in East and Southeast Asia? Specifically, we examine the extent to which actual and defacto childlessness are associated with (a) social isolation and (b) loneliness Are these effects moderated by gender and wealth? 12

13 Conceptual framework Childlessness as a source vulnerability Children often provide emotional, instrumental, and financial support to older parents Alternative sources of support are often not present or underdeveloped in study countries Lack of children may be linked to limited access to other social resources or fewer social networks Geographic distance to children may limit the extent to which children can provide emotional and instrumental support Negative effects of both actual and de-facto childlessness on older adults psychological and social well-being 13

14 Conceptual framework Alternative hypotheses Childless older adults may have accumulated more financial resources and social networks outside their immediate family no effect of actual childlessness on social isolation Improved technology may help older adults maintain contact with their children (intimacy at distance), and it may have minimal effects on older adults loneliness. Older adults may also have more time to interact with others. no effect of de-facto childlessness on social isolation or loneliness

15 Moderating effects of gender and Wealth Gender Given greater stigma of childlessness (especially infertility) and fewer opportunity to engage in labor force, women may be more negatively affected by childlessness Alternatively, older women s stronger informal social networks may mitigate the negative effect of childlessness Wealth Those who have greater financial resources may be less negatively influenced by childlessness. 15

16 Why these five countries? Similarities Filial piety emphasized as cultural and social norm High rates of migration especially in Southeast Asian countries and China Differences Age structure and fertility rate Stage of economic development Availability of social security and other policy measures for older adults 16

17 Country settings % 60+, 2015 % 60+, 2050 TFR, GDP per capita, S. Korea China Thailand Vietnam Myanmar $27,539 $8,123 $5,908 $2,186 $1,275 17

18 Data sources Samples of persons aged 60 and over 2012 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2011 Survey of Older Persons in Thailand (SOPT) 2011 Vietnam Aging Survey (VNAS) 2012 Myanmar Aging Survey (MAS) 18

19 Measures - Dependent variables Social isolation index Assessed with social participation/activity data Sum of [whether or not participated (1/0) in each activity x frequency of participation (4 = did not participate, 0 = almost everyday)] was used. Activities differed across countries so we converted the scores into percentiles. (higher score = higher social isolation) Loneliness Assessed with question asking the extent to which older persons felt lonely during the past month prior to the survey. Responses were dichotomized (1= always ~ some of the time, 0 = never)

20 Childlessness Measures - Independent variables Reference category: older adults living with or close to (same village, city, ward, or county) their children De-facto childlessness (older adults whose all children migrated elsewhere) Actual childlessness (older adults without children) Moderating variables: gender (1= female) and wealth (higher=greater wealth) Control variables: age, marital status, education, pension and work status, place of residence (urban/rural), self-rated health, living arrangement

21 Prevalence of childlessness 21

22 Prevalence of childlessness 22

23 Multivariate analyses DV: social isolation (Main effects) *** p<0.001, ** p<0.01, * p<0.05 Notes: OLS regression models are used. Standardized coefficients are presented. The analyses control for socio-demographic characteristics. 23

24 DV: social isolation (interaction effects) *** p<0.001, ** p<0.01, * p<0.05 Notes: OLS regression models are used. Standardized coefficients are presented. The analyses control for socio-demographic characteristics. 24

25 DV: loneliness (main effects) *** p<0.001, ** p<0.01, * p<0.05 Notes: Binomial logistic models are used. Odds ratios are presented. The analyses control for sociodemographic characteristics. 25

26 DV: loneliness (interaction effects) *** p<0.001, ** p<0.01, * p<0.05 Notes: Binomial logistic models are used. Odds ratios are presented. The analyses control for sociodemographic characteristics. 26

27 Summary of findings: Social isolation Actual childlessness increases social isolation in Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar but not in S. Korea and China In all study countries, levels of social isolation among the defacto childless is comparable to those with children living nearby Children s migration does not have negative influence on older persons social wellbeing Economic support from migrant children may enable older adults to remain socially active Increased availability and affordability of technology (e.g., mobile phones, internet, improved roads) likely allow the de-facto childless to be engaged in community activities. 27

28 Summary of findings: Loneliness Actual and de-facto childlessness are related to increased odds of loneliness in all study countries except China Both types of childlessness may have detrimental consequences for older adults psychological wellbeing even though they may not have a significant effect on social wellbeing Adult children and friends of older adults play different roles Social connectedness may be fulfilled by friends but children may have a unique role which cannot be substituted with other resources. Asia: Filial piety is considered as both cultural value and social status. 28

29 Discussion Childless older persons in China are quite resilient. They do not differ from those with children nearby with regards to loneliness and social isolation Accustomed to living without children and established ways to maintain social connection beyond parent-child network? Although the current generation of older adults may not have been directly affected by the one-child policy, dramatic economic growth and subsequent migration of young adults to urban areas may have normalized childlessness Long history of working together as commune members may buffer the effect of childlessness Alternatively, it may be due to differences in social participation measures 29

30 Gender and wealth matter Discussion Being female mitigates the effects of childlessness on social isolation and loneliness Effects of wealth differ across outcomes and across countries Greater wealth helps defacto childless elderly Thais to be socially engaged but they feel lonelier than those who are de-facto childless and have less wealth Wealth does not always lead to greater social embeddedness More research is necessary to understand the mechanisms through which wealth creates divergent experiences of childless older persons in different settings. 30

31 Limitations Lack of data on reasons for actual childlessness Did not account for whether or not childlessness is voluntary Childlessness may have different meanings for married vs. never-married older adults Challenges in harmonization of key variables De-facto childlessness measure doesn t account for: Frequency of contact Amount of emotional, instrumental, and financial support exchanged

32 Cause of childlessness (Case of China) lives nearby Intimacy at distance Defacto childless Actual childless Total Married 5, ,489 Partnered Separated Divorced Widowed 1, ,506 Never married Total 6, ,446 Due to infertility or loss of children Never had children Specific information on the cause of childlessness is not ascertained in most population-based surveys.

33 Improved children availability typology Reference group: Elderly coresiding with children or having children nearby Intimacy at distance: Elderly whose all children migrated elsewhere but remain in frequent (weekly) contact with children De-facto childlessness: Elderly whose all children migrated elsewhere and have little or no contact with children Actual childlessness: Elderly without children 33

34 Availability of children % distribution China Korea Thailand Vietnam Myanmar Children nearby Intimacy at distance Defacto childless Actual childless

35 Conclusions Childlessness is associated with greater loneliness in most countries, yet it does not always have a detrimental effect on later-life social well-being. Childlessness generally take a toll on older persons lives through feelings of loneliness Greater social isolation among childless elders in SE Asia, although similar effects were not found in E Asia Findings point to the importance of distinguishing between actual and de facto childlessness 35

36 Conclusions Our contribution: First study to compare the prevalence an implications of actual and de-facto childlessness across E and SE Asia. Implications of childlessness will become even more salient in the future, as mid-aged adults with fewer or no children enter old age.

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