Intergenerational social support and the psychological well-being of olderparents in China

This study explores the relationship between intergenerational social suppo rt and the psychological well-being of older Chinese parents. Effects of st ructural, functional, emotional, and appraisal social support on older Chin ese parents' well-being were tested by analyzing data collected from a rand om sample of 3,039 persons aged 55 and over who participated in the 1992 ba seline survey of the Beijing Multidimensional Longitudinal Study on Aging ( BMLSOA). Multiple regression is used to determine whether intergenerational exchanges of social support influence older parents' morale. Findings reve al that providing instrumental support to children and satisfaction with ch ildren directly improve parents' well-being. The benefits of receiving supp ort from children are fully mediated by parents' satisfaction with their ch ildren. The positive effects of providing functional support are magnified among parents who adhere to more traditional norms regarding family support . The results suggest that the psychological benefits of intergenerational support exchanges should not be ignored when developing elder care policy i n China.