Aging Families in Chinese Society

<p>Declining fertility rates and increased life expectancies over the last few decades have conspired to make China one of the more rapidly aging societies in the world. <i>Aging Families in Chinese Society </i>focuses on the accelerated social and demographic changes in China and examines their implications for family care and support for older adults. </p><p>Contributors to this landmark volume portray various challenges facing aging families in China as a result of reduced family size, changing gender expectations, rapid economic development and urbanization, rural-to-urban migration, and an emerging but still underdeveloped long-term care system. Divided into four thematic areas – Disability and Family Support; Family Relationships and Mental Health; Filial Piety and Gender Norms; and Long-term Care Preferences – chapters in this volume confront these burgeoning issues and offer salient policy and practice considerations not just for today’s aging population, but future generations to come. </p><p>Combining quantitative data from social surveys in China, comparative surveys in Taiwan and Thailand, and qualitative data from in-depth interviews, <i>Aging Families in Chinese Societies </i>will be of significant interest to students and researchers in aging and gerontology, China and East Asian Studies and population studies. </p> <p>Introduction. Aging Families in Chinese Society <i>Merril Silverstein </i><b>Section 1: Disability and Family Support </b>1. Disability and Social Support Networks among Older Adults in Contemporary China <i>Zheng Wu and Margaret J. Penning </i>2. Family Roles in Caring for Older Persons with Long-Term Care Needs in China and Thailand <i>Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan </i>3. How Do Intergenerational Relationships Change When a Parent’s Death Gets Closer? Evidence from Rural China <i>Zhen Cong, Yaolin Pei, Merril Silverstein, Shuzhuo Li, and Zhirui Chen </i><b>Section 2: Family Relationships and Mental Health </b>4. Family, Friendship, and Loneliness Among Older Chinese Adults: Urban–Rural Comparisons <i>Haowei Wang, Sae Hwang Han, Ping Xu, Jan E. Mutchler, Peng Du, and Jeffrey A. Burr </i>5. Grandparent–Grandchild Family Capital and Depressive Symptoms of Older Adults in Rural China: A Two-Wave Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis <i>Vivian W. Q. Lou, Weiyu Mao, Nan Lu, and Iris Chi </i>6. Aging in Place? Influence of Neighborhood and Home Environments on Cognitive Functioning among Older Chinese Adults <i>Pei-Chun Ko </i>7. Better Grandparent, Better Grandchild? Cognitive Evidence From Chinese Multigenerational Households <i>Jing Zhang, Tom Emery, and Pearl Dykstra </i><b>Section 3: Filial Piety and Gender Norms </b>8. Aging and Intergenerational Ambivalence in China: An Urban–Rural Comparison <i>Jieyu Liu </i>9. Trends in Living Arrangements among China’s Oldest and Extreme Old <i>Zachary Zimmer and Chi-Tsun Chiu </i>10. Gendered Time Use of Older Adults in Rural Chinese Families <i>Zhiyong Lin and Feinian Chen </i><b>Section 4: Long-Term Care Preferences </b>11. "Can Eldercare Facilities Be My Home?" Understanding Factors Influencing Long-Term Care Facility Residents’ Life Satisfaction in China <i>Heying Jenny Zhan, Qi Wang, Xi Yang, and Jing Liu </i>12. Intergenerational Family Relationships and Their Impact on Preferences for Meeting Future Care Needs among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Taiwan <i>Ju-Ping Lin, Chia-Wen Yu, and Chiu-Hua Huang </i>13. Preferences for Institutional Care among Older Adults in China: Is Family Composition Important? <i>Wencheng Zhang and Merril Silverstein </i></p>