Child-Parent Relation and Older Adults' Health: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between China and the United States

This peer-reviewed study compares how relationships between adult children and older parents affect the health of seniors in China and the United States. The research found that Chinese and American older adults have different levels of contact and living arrangements with their adult children, reflecting cultural differences between independence-focused and interdependence-focused societies. In China, closer relationships with children were linked to better mental health and thinking ability, but living with children was associated with worse overall health. In the United States, child-parent relationships had little connection to older adults' health outcomes.

Key points

• Older Americans had less co-residence, less weekly contact, and fewer financial transfers with adult children compared to Chinese older adults
• Closer child-parent relationships predicted fewer depressive symptoms and better cognition among Chinese older adults
• Co-residence with adult children was associated with poorer health outcomes among Chinese older parents
• Most child-parent relationship variables were not significant predictors of health for older Americans
• The study recommends a cultural perspective when understanding how family relations affect older adults' health

Limitations

This study focuses on older adults aged 65 and above, not on children's well-being, and therefore does not examine interventions or outcomes directly relevant to child development, protection, or participation. The research is limited to comparing two countries and cannot be generalised to other cultural contexts.