title: A Research Note on Challenges of Cross-National Aging Research: An Example of Productive Activities Across Three Countries.
abstract: Cross-national studies can elucidate the influence of sociocultural contexts on a wide variety of aging issues. This study aims to develop methods for using secondary data for cross-national comparisons using productive activities as an example. The study also identifies challenges in conducting cross-national research. Using the national representative data from the United States, China, and South Korea, this study developed a sequence of methods for cross-national analysis. Results indicate that productive activities vary by country, and this variation could possibly be due to the differences in sociocultural context and variations in operationalization and measurement. Given the difficulty of making decisions and drawing conclusions across different cultural contexts, team members must include scholars who are familiar with the culture and language of the region of study. Researchers also need to determine whether data sets are valid for cross-national comparisons and understand the limitations of the comparisons, given constraints in the data.
authors.affiliation: 1 George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Yu-Chih
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: 1 George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: 2 Institute for Public Health, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: 1 George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.|2 Institute for Public Health, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McBride
authors.affiliation: 1 George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Huajuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Physical Education, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Dongmin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: 1 George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Ching-Ying
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: 4 Hospice and Community Care and Bryn Mawr College, Oxford, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Montemuro
authors.affiliation: 1 George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.|2 Institute for Public Health, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morrow-Howell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D017028:Caregivers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002681:China; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012106:Research; D014481:United States; D014838:Volunteers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: caregiving; cross-national research; global aging; volunteering; working