Childhood adversities and caregiving for older parents: building capacity for a caring society

Hu, Bo, Bai, Xue and Wang, Pengyun (2024) Childhood adversities and caregiving for older parents: building capacity for a caring society. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 79 (7). ISSN 1079-5014

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Abstract

Objectives: This study investigates the relationships between childhood adversities and the provision of informal care for older parents in later life in China. Methods: The data came from 4 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (N = 20,047). Using multilevel logistic regression models, we examined the relationships between adverse experiences in childhood and both the propensity and intensity of caregiving for older parents. Drawing on the regression results, we then estimated the total number of caregivers for older parents in China. Results: Experiencing 1 additional childhood adversity was associated with a decrease of 8% in the odds of providing informal care (p < .001). The association between childhood adversity and caregiving remained significant after sociodemographic factors and later-life outcomes were controlled for. We estimated that 58.3 million middle-aged adults in China were providing care for parents in 2020. Had people experienced 1 fewer adversity in their childhood, there would have been 2.2 million more caregivers in 2020. Had they experienced 2 fewer adversities, there would have been 3.4 million more caregivers. Discussion: The factors associated with informal caregiving can be traced back to early-life experiences. To address the shortage of informal care supply, it is crucial to foster a caring culture from the very beginning of human development.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology
Additional Information:	© 2024 The Authors
Divisions:	Personal Social Services Research Unit
Subjects:	H Social Sciences H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Date Deposited:	17 May 2024 10:45
Last Modified:	15 Jul 2024 21:12
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/123509

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