Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences - Theses
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ItemOlder parent-child relationships and their associations with older people’s psychological wellbeing: a comparison of Australian-born people and Chinese immigrants( 2014)Parent-child relationships are one of the most fundamental types of family relationships. Against the background of population ageing in Australia and many other Western countries, the present study explored the nature of these relationships in later life and their associations with older people’s psychological wellbeing. Alongside population ageing, Australian populations are becoming culturally diverse. To enhance our understanding of cultural diversity in these issues, the study focused the differences between older Australian-born people and older Chinese immigrants. Older Chinese immigrants were included in the present study because there are some unique features in the nature of parent-child relationships in this group, such as the concept of filial piety. A convenience sample of 122 participants were recruited in the present study, comprising 60 Australian-born people and 62 Chinese immigrants. These participants were interviewed using a standardized interview schedule. Three groups of measures were used, assessing socio-demographic factors, the nature of parent-child relationships, and psychological wellbeing. The solidarity–conflict model and the concept of ambivalence were used to operationalize the nature of parent-child relationships, and four indicators (i.e., depression, anxiety, loneliness, and quality of life) were used to present a broad picture of older people’s psychological wellbeing. Most participants reported relatively high levels of solidarity in their relationships with adult children. Specifically, the majority lived close to, had frequent contact with, and were involved in some kind of exchange relationships with their children. Most participants felt close to their children, believed that their children’s opinions and values were relatively similar to their own, and had some kind of filial expectations. However, conflict and ambivalence were common, albeit, of low intensity, in participants’ relationships with adult children. The study further found that these relationship dimensions were significantly associated with the four wellbeing indicators and that most of these associations persisted when socio-demographic variables were considered. There were both similarities and differences in the nature of older parent-child relationships between Australian-born people and Chinese immigrants. For example, participants from both groups preferred to live independently and to receive help from professional aged care services than from their children. However, older Chinese immigrants were more likely to live with children and reported higher levels of ideal filial expectations. There were also stronger associations between depressive symptoms and the nature of older parent-child relationships among Chinese participants. These findings highlight the complexity of parent-child relationships in contemporary multicultural Australian society and suggest that using a comprehensive model, such as the solidarity-conflict model, helps to present a more complete picture of these relationships. They also provide evidence for the importance of these relationships to older people’s psychological wellbeing. Finally, these findings have important implications for policy development and service planning and provision for older people, in particular, those for older Chinese immigrants.