title: Intergenerational Exchange of Resources and Elderly Support in Rural China.
abstract: This study examines how parental investments on children affect elderly support, and how this effect is contingent on emotional closeness or parental authority. Data collected from 770 elderly parents residing in rural China were analyzed. We gathered dichotomous data for (a) whether parents invested on their children via financial or instrumental means (i.e., parental investments) and (b) whether parents reported closeness to their children (i.e., emotional closeness) and whether children respected them (i.e., parental authority). We examined the relation between these variables and children's elderly support (financial, instrumental, and emotional). We tested models in two ways, one examining the direct effect of investments, and another testing the interactions between investments and closeness or authority. We first found that investments were not directly associated with elderly support, although the closeness and authority were. Additionally, the association between investments and support was found within parents who reported authority or closeness with their children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Maryland Population Research Center, University of Maryland, College Park, USA zylin@umd.edu.
authors.forename: Zhiyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaomei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pei
mesh_terms: D032721:Adult Children / Q000208:ethnology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations / Q000208:ethnology*; D012424:Rural Population; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Chinese elders; aging families; intergenerational transfers; parent–child relations; reciprocity