Strong intergenerational relationships and fostering children's filial beliefs help reduce mortality among older Chinese Americans. Greeting, listening, and seeking advice from parents improve the preservation of the role of family for older adults.
Filial piety - the traditional value of caring for one's elders - is foundational to the Chinese concept of family and greatly influences intergenerational relationships. When older Chinese adults' expectations of care exceed receipt, however, it can lead to increased mortality risks, according to a new Rutgers study.
Barriers to Healthy Aging Among Asian-Americans
Older Asian-American immigrants while adapting to western culture are healthier and happier being close to their families and communities by maintaining their cultural values, says researcher from Rutgers University.
Advertisement
‘Awareness about expectations versus receipt of respect must be fostered in children to reduce mortality among older Chinese Americans.’
Read More..
Tweet it Now
Read More..
The study, published in Aging and Mental Health, assessed the discrepancy between older Chinese Americans' expectations versus receipt of the six domains of filial piety - care, respect, greet, make happy, obey, and financial support.
"Strong intergenerational relationships play a protective role in the health and well-being of the aging population," said lead author Mengting Li, a researcher at Rutgers University's Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research. "Family solidarity is especially vital to the Chinese American immigrant population, who tend to rely more heavily on their families due to traditional filial piety values. Filial expectation and receipt are the belief and practice of filial piety, and discrepancies between the two have significant consequences to older Chinese adults' psychological well-being and mortality. More must be done to preserve filial piety and reduce discrepancy among the younger Chinese American generations."
![Health Disparities]( "Health Disparities")
Health disparity refers to differences in providing treatment or access to healthcare facilities based on a person's sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status leading to marked differences in health outcomes and death rates. Health disparities abound in minority groups of the United States.
For the study, researchers interviewed 3,021 older Chinese American immigrants whose mean age was 73 and who had at least one child. They compared the mortality risks among the six domains of filial piety across three groups - no filial discrepancy, filial expectation above receipt, and filial expectation below receipt. They found that higher expectations over receipt of respect - listening to and consulting with aging parents - and greet - expressing gratitude to aging parents - was associated with higher mortality risks. When receipt of care exceeded expectations, participants experienced a lower risk of mortality. The remaining domains - make happy, obey, and financial support - had no significant relationship with mortality risk.
"Although further qualitative study is necessary to understand the filial discrepancy experience comprehensively and to explore the mechanism through which filial discrepancy affects the mortality risk of older immigrants, the study has important practical implications for social and health care services and policies focused on older Chinese American adults," said Li.
The study recommends that social service organizations adopt a culturally relevant approach to providing services to older Chinese American immigrants. Action should be taken to reduce mortality risk by reducing filial discrepancies and improving awareness about expectations versus receipt in the areas of respect and greet. Program planners and service providers should take steps to create educational programs and services which focused on fostering children's filial beliefs and behavior in intergenerational interactions. Particular attention should be paid to greeting, listening, and seeking advice from parents to improve the protection role of family for older adults.
Source: Eurekalert
Health Disparities
Health disparity refers to differences in providing treatment or access to healthcare facilities based on a person's sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status leading to marked differences in health outcomes and death rates. Health disparities abound in minority groups of the United States.
Advertisement
For the study, researchers interviewed 3,021 older Chinese American immigrants whose mean age was 73 and who had at least one child. They compared the mortality risks among the six domains of filial piety across three groups - no filial discrepancy, filial expectation above receipt, and filial expectation below receipt. They found that higher expectations over receipt of respect - listening to and consulting with aging parents - and greet - expressing gratitude to aging parents - was associated with higher mortality risks. When receipt of care exceeded expectations, participants experienced a lower risk of mortality. The remaining domains - make happy, obey, and financial support - had no significant relationship with mortality risk.
"Although further qualitative study is necessary to understand the filial discrepancy experience comprehensively and to explore the mechanism through which filial discrepancy affects the mortality risk of older immigrants, the study has important practical implications for social and health care services and policies focused on older Chinese American adults," said Li.
The study recommends that social service organizations adopt a culturally relevant approach to providing services to older Chinese American immigrants. Action should be taken to reduce mortality risk by reducing filial discrepancies and improving awareness about expectations versus receipt in the areas of respect and greet. Program planners and service providers should take steps to create educational programs and services which focused on fostering children's filial beliefs and behavior in intergenerational interactions. Particular attention should be paid to greeting, listening, and seeking advice from parents to improve the protection role of family for older adults.
Source: Eurekalert
Culturally Tailored Intervention Increases HPV Vaccination of Asian-American Adolescents
Multilevel and technology-based intervention has great potential to increase HPV vaccination rates in diverse Asian American communities.
Advertisement
 Chinese Subject To Aches And Pains TooThe survey suggests that the incidence of certain rheumatic diseases in the Chinese population is now becoming more like that of Western countries. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Senior Health News
Digestive illnesses among older adults result in increased levels of loneliness and depression, which in turn have a detrimental effect on overall health.
Using eye-tracking technology in dementia care facilities improves online assessments, allowing older individuals to self-report on care and quality of life.
Older individual's ability to sleep well is strongly influenced by the ambient night-time temperature minimizing aging-related health risks.
In individuals aged over 60, lifestyle factors are highly correlated with the likelihood of prolonged nursing home admission, at least within Australia.
Phytosterol supplements can replenish lost cholesterol and help mitigate age-related hearing loss.
