Suchergebnisse

Li Y, Chi I, Krochalk PC, Xu L. Widowhood, family support, and self‐rated health among older adults in ChinaInt J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: S72–S85 © 2011 The Author(s), International Journal of Social Welfare © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare.Although widowhood can be an extended life experience, research generally treats the widowed as one homogenous group, thus masking the variability within this group. Using national representative survey data from China, we examined whether length of widowhood among older adults moderates the effects of family support on self‐rated health. Based on bivariate descriptive statistics and logistic regressions and controlling for demographic variables, we found that persons who were widowed longer, had more children, and took care of grandchildren were more likely to report poor self‐rated health than their married counterparts. In addition, those widowed were less likely to report negative health if they regarded their children as filial, particularly among those widowed longer, thus suggesting that filial piety may have a buffering effect. Further specified is the complex role family support plays in self‐rated health suggesting that length of time widowed should be considered in order to understand its long‐term effects on health status.

This study examined relationships between social networks and immigration stress among first‐generation Chinese immigrants. Using data from a larger study of health behavior among first‐generation Mandarin/English‐speaking immigrants residing in the Los Angeles metropolitan area (N = 1,183), this study found that Chinese immigrants living closer to immediate family and maintaining larger social networks experienced lower immigration stress. Unexpectedly, immigrants with larger family sizes and who participated in voluntary associations (e.g., religious, alumni, and nationality associations) reported increased immigration stress. The findings suggest that practitioners need to be cautious of a possible downside in designing interventions to expand social networks among immigrant clients. The study is especially important in the context of a rapidly increasing immigrant population from Mainland China to the USA.Key Practitioner Message: ● Working with immigration families should incorporate assessment of their social network; ● Interventions designed to facilitate supportive social networks should differentiate different social network ties; ● Different social network ties may affect the stress level of immigrants differently.