Effect of Receiving Financial Support from Adult Children on Depression among Older Persons and the Mediating Role of Social Participation

Abstract

Older persons are vulnerable to depression SFduring the ageing process. Financial resources and social participation are expected to have an impact on depressive symptoms. This study investigated the relationship between financial support from children and depression among Chinese older persons, as well as the mediating effect of social participation in this relationship. Data from 7163 participants aged 60 and above were extracted from wave 2015 and 2018 of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS). A multivariate regression analysis was performed on both cross-sectional data and two-wave longitudinal data to test our hypotheses. The results revealed that financial support from children was negatively associated with depressive symptoms in both the short-term and the long-term. In addition, this relationship was partially mediated by social participation in the short-term association and fully mediated by social participation in the long-term, where financial support was positively related to social participation, and social participation was negatively associated with depressive symptoms. This study offers an in-depth insight into the relationship between financial support from children and depression among Chinese older persons. Policies and initiatives to stimulate social participation should be promoted to improve older persons’ mental health.

‘Treasure hunt’: Using loose parts media to develop social financial education model for early children

“…So that someone with sound financial knowledge can make wise financial decisions. This aligns with the opinion [ 13 ] that financial literacy is a person's ability to obtain, understand, and evaluate relevant information for decision-making by understanding the financial consequences it causes. Therefore, financial literacy education must be taught to someone as early and as well as possible.…”

“…They can be creative in disassembling teaching materials according to their imagination. Children will learn to appreciate the materials or objects around them, such as nature [ 13 , 20 , 21 ]. The research results show that, in the school and community environment, it is straightforward to find used goods that can be used as learning media for early childhood [ [22] , [23] , [24] ].…”

Experiences of poverty amongst low‐income older adults living in a high‐income country: A qualitative study

“…However, it is important to highlight that some of the older adults living in poverty have to ask for financial help from their families. In this regard, although evidence suggests that receiving help from their children could lessen depressive symptoms amongst older adults (Xia et al, 2022), the participants in our study perceived themselves as a burden for their families and they felt guilty for having to ask for financial support. In addition, many older adults feel that they are of little use in society (Kwan & Tam, 2022).…”

Does intergenerational support affect older people’s social participation? An empirical study of an older Chinese population

“…Regarding the mediating effects, financial support significantly improved older people’s self-rated health and further improved their social participation, which supports previous studies that showed financial support was likely to decrease older people’s negative mental status ( Guo et al, 2017 ; Xu, 2017 ) and contribute to their wellbeing ( Jia & He, 2021 ; Li, 2020 ; Liu, 2014 ; Yu, 2017 ). In the Chinese context, poverty is still prevalent among older adults, especially those receiving a pension can often only meet their basic needs ( Xia, van Wijngaarden, Huijsman, & Buljac-Samardžić, 2022 ). In some rural areas, many older adults have to continue to work to make a living ( Gruijters, 2017 ).…”