Perceived Family and Friend Support and the Psychological Well-Being of American and Chinese Elderly Persons

Abstract

This study examines two sources of informal support-perceived family and friend support-and the psychological well-being-self-esteem, depression and loneliness-of 150 Chinese and 145 American elders. There were no significant differences between the elderly American and Chinese persons' mean scores on family and friend support. The multiple linear regression analyses with interaction terms (country x family support and country x friend support), however, indicated that the relationship between family support and depression and family support and loneliness was stronger for the Chinese elderly than the US elderly. Conversely, the relationship between friend support and depression and friend support and loneliness is stronger for US elderly than Chinese elderly. The implications of these findings for social work practice in both countries is discussed.

Culture and Psychiatric Evaluation: Operationalizing Cultural Formulation forDSM-5

“…The goal is a description of the context in which the illness emerged and the current situation through the perspectives of the patient and others close to him or her. The subjective aspect (“lived experience”) of the patient's and social network's response is important because interpretation is strongly influenced by culture and shapes the perceived centrality, magnitude, and tractability of the problem (Bäärnhielm & Scarpinati Rosso, 2009; Lazarus, 1999) as well as potential supports (Poulin et al, 2012; Snowden, 2007). During assessment, the person's subjective experience is interpreted through the clinician's analysis of the social and cultural context.…”

Social Support from Family and Friends and Subjective Well-Being of Older African Americans

“…Social support from friends is associated with elevated levels of self-esteem (Poulin et al 2012) and well-being (Larson et al 1986) and lower levels of depression and loneliness (Poulin et al 2012; Zhang and Li 2011). Friendship network size is positively associated with happiness (Ellison 1990), and more frequent contact with friends is correlated with greater levels of SWB (Helliwell and Putnam 2004; Pinquart and Sörensen 2000).…”

The Perception of Social Support Among U.S. Chinese Older Adults

“…For example, a recent study using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study found that older adults perceiving more family-based social support were more satisfied with their life (Shen & Yeatts, 2013). In another study of 150 Chinese older adults in mainland China and 145 American older adults in the United States, the association between family support and depression and loneliness were stronger for Chinese older adults than for U.S. older adults (Poulin, Deng, Ingersoll, Witt, & Swain, 2012). Taken together, the finding of our study and those from prior studies may reflect the role of cultural values such as filial piety and collectivism in shaping Chinese older adults' perception of different sources of social support.…”