Social adaptation and adaptation pressure among the “drifting elderly” in China: A qualitative study in Shanghai

Abstract

Summary Objective In China, a population of “drifting elderly” that is mainly composed of older parents who migrate for nonemployment reasons has emerged and developed rapidly. The need to understand their social adaptation after migration is well recognized but neglected, so we explored this in the current study. Methods A qualitative study using a grounded theory approach was undertaken involving 53 elderly interprovincial migrants in five districts of Shanghai from July 2016 to May 2018. This involved in‐depth interviews with participants. Adaptation of the drifting elderly and their motivations for migrating were studied, and differences in daily life when compared with before migrating, difficulties encountered after migrating, and social‐adaptation pressure were analyzed. Results The drifting elderly had poor adaptation regarding self‐identity, daily activities, and social context. The adaptation process regarding daily life, social relationships, and obtaining social support was difficult. They experienced both proximate adaptation pressure (induced by providing and/or obtaining social support) and evolutionary adaptation pressure (induced by mismatch and/or constraints). Conclusion The social adaptation of the drifting elderly was affected by differences in daily life when compared with before migrating, and adaptation pressure was caused by both proximate and evolutionary factors. The decision to migrate was the result of a rational principle of maintaining the intergenerational support structure, and it was influenced by the evolutionary advantage related to maintaining this structure. Strengthening social support for the drifting elderly is necessary to promote their adaptation.

Association between rural-to-urban migration and the cognitive aging trajectories of older Chinese adults: results from a prospective cohort analysis

“…We observed that female elderly migrants performed better in terms of social attachment than female non-migrants, particularly in leisure activities. This nding was inconsistent with those of previous studies, which reported that migrants experienced poor social adaptation and integration [7,21,36]. This inconsistency may be related to differences in the selection of the control group, which comprised non-migrant rural elderly people in our study but local citizens in other studies.…”

“…Increasingly, older Chinese adults are moving to live near their migrant children, and many provide care for their grandchildren [5]. This unique trend in migration is associated with signi cant changes in the living environments and social networks of older Chinese adults, which may have important but not fully understood effects on their health and quality of life [6,7].…”

“…Moreover, urban environments provide more opportunities for various leisure activities, which may also contribute to the maintenance of cognitive function [10]. However, some empirical studies have also found that rural-tourban elderly migrants adapted poorly to aspects of their daily lives [7] and were likely to lose their original social networks, which increased their risk of depression [11]. The association between migration and cognitive function change may show sex-related differences, as women tend to be more involved in family and social activities than men [12,13].…”

Association between rural-to-urban migration and the cognitive aging trajectories of older Chinese adults: results from a prospective cohort analysis

“…Increasingly, older Chinese adults are moving to live near their migrant children, and many provide care for their grandchildren [5]. This unique trend in migration is associated with significant changes in the living environments and social networks of older Chinese adults, which may have important but not fully understood effects on their health and quality of life [6,7].…”

“…Moreover, urban environments provide more opportunities for various leisure activities, which may also contribute to the maintenance of cognitive function [10]. However, some empirical studies have also found that rural-to-urban elderly migrants adapted poorly to aspects of their daily lives [7] and were likely to lose their original social networks, which increased their risk of depression [11]. The association between migration and cognitive function change may show sex-related differences, as women tend to be more involved in family and social activities than men [12,13].…”