Health Consequences of Late-Life Widowhood: The Protective Role of Intergenerational Co-Residence in China

Jianfeng Liu, Xiaochen Ma, Yubei Ma and Yue Wan

No 404596, 2026 Annual Meeting, July 26 - 28, 2026, Kansas City, Missouri from Agricultural and Applied Economics Association

Abstract: This study examines how intergenerational co-residence mitigates mental health consequences of widowhood in China. Using longitudinal data (2011-2020) from CHARLS and a staggered difference-in-differences design, we find widowhood increases depressive symptoms by 1.815 points (CES-D scale). However, sustained co-residence with adult children is associated with offsetting approximately 79.6% of this adverse effect. Alternative support mechanisms— financial transfers, visits, and remote communication — provide no comparable protection. Mechanism analysis reveals that co-residence protects by stabilizing social networks rather than by monitoring health behaviors. We quantify protection value at 2,790 RMB per person-year, translating to 7.4 billion RMB annual social benefits under a 70% co-residence scenario. The non-substitutability of embedded family support implies that policies should prioritize maintaining pre-existing co-residence arrangements rather than relying on crisis-activated or remote support interventions.

Keywords: Health; Economics; and; Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 46
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aaea26:404596

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.404596

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