Implications of Changes in Family Structure and Composition for the Psychological Well-Being of Filipino Women in Middle and Later Years

Abstract

The health implications of multigenerational coresidence for older adults is a well-researched topic in the aging literature. Much less is known of its impact for women in mid-life. We used data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Study (2002, 2005, 2007 and 2012), to study the influence of transitions in multigenerational household composition on depressive symptoms for women in mid-life transitioning into old age. Our initial analysis showed little effect when we use the conventional classification of nuclear vs. extended family and transition in and out of extended family. When we described shifts in the family environment by compositional changes, that is, change in the presence and absence of particular family members, we found significant association between depressive symptoms and two types of role transitions: the loss of a spouse in the household, and the entry and exit of grandchildren in the household.

Health Status and Health Facility Utilization of Community-Dwelling Elderly Living Alone in the Philippines: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

“…The Philippines has a strong egalitarian familial bond [7]. Most elder Filipinos are co-residing with their adult children and unceasingly exchange inter-generational support with one another and given respect, power, and influence towards key decisions in the households [8].…”

“…However, the rapidly growing aging population is also confounded by the changing family structure in the Philippines, which has an impact on the well-being of the elderly [9]. Nuclearization of families is happening as average household size continuously decreases [7]. These demographic, socio-economic, and cultural transformations affect the family and household characteristics, and have led to an increasing number of elderly living alone [10] [11].…”

“…Evidences on aging from the Philippines largely focused on the perceptions of older adults, quality of life and older adults in the workforce [3]. Moreover, most of the descriptive and epidemiologic studies centralized on health outcomes were regarding self-rated health, functional independence, psychological well-being, and health facility use particularly among older persons in general [7] [31] [32]. Thus, epidemiologic studies to understand the effects and existence of association between elderly living arrangements, particularly living alone, on reported illness and consequently health facility utilization are needed.…”

Who cares? Provision of Care and Assistance Among Older Persons in the Philippines

“…Earlier studies in the Philippines show that living in a multigenerational household redound to the benefit of the younger generations because the older persons not only provide material or financial support but are also involved in caring for their grandchildren (Hermalin, Carol, & Perez, 1998; Natividad, 2000; Natividad & Cruz, 1997). Meanwhile, another study also shows that grandchildren’s continued coresidence with their grandparents have a negative impact on the older adults’ mental health (Chen, Bao, Shattuck, Borja, & Gultiano, 2017). This present study provides evidence that the flow of support between grandparents and their grandchildren is not always unidirectional and that grandchildren’s presence in the household also has its positive impacts as they play an important role of providing caregiving assistance to the older person.…”

Positive Psychology Research in the Philippines: An Introduction

“…But a larger number involves studying social psychological correlates and predictors of various aspects of well-being (Bernardo, 2013;Chen, Bao, Shattuck, Borja, & Gultiano, 2017;Datu & Mateo, 2015;Edillo, Turiano, Reyes, & Villanueva, 2012;Uchida, Kitayama, Mesquita, Reyes, & Morling, 2008) or the how measures of well-being relate to other psychological outcomes like academic achievement King, 2015), job satisfaction of elderly workers (De Guzman, Largo, Mandap, & Munoz, 2014), work longevity of counselors (Datu & Mateo, 2017) or help-seeking in women who experience intimate partner violence (Bernardo & Estrellado, 2017a). Surprisingly, there are very few published studies that inquire into meanings associated with wellbeing of Filipinos (SyCip, Asis, & Luna, 2000) and of specific special populations of Filipinos (e.g., chronically ill and incarcerated elderly Filipinos) (De Guzman et al, 2012).…”