Does an Empty Nest Affect Elders’ Health? Empirical Evidence from China

Min Gao, Yanyu Li, Shengfa Zhang, Linni Gu, Jinsui Zhang, Zhuojun Li, Weijun Zhang and Donghua Tian
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Min Gao: School of Social Development and Public Policy, China Institute of Health, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Yanyu Li: School of Humanities and Social Sciences, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071000, China
Shengfa Zhang: School of Social Development and Public Policy, China Institute of Health, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Linni Gu: School of Social Development and Public Policy, China Institute of Health, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Jinsui Zhang: School of Social Development and Public Policy, China Institute of Health, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Zhuojun Li: School of Social Development and Public Policy, China Institute of Health, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Weijun Zhang: School of Social Development and Public Policy, China Institute of Health, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Donghua Tian: School of Social Development and Public Policy, China Institute of Health, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-20

Abstract: The “empty-nest” elderly family has become increasingly prevalent among old people in China. This study aimed to explore the causality between empty nests and elders’ health using effective instrumental variables, including “whether old parents talk with their families when they are upset” and “ownership of housing”. The results showed that empty nests had a significantly adverse influence on elders’ physical health, cognitive ability and psychological health. Furthermore, urban elders’ cognitive ability was more influenced by empty nests than that of rural elders. Additionally, the effects of an empty nest on elders” health were more significant among female, single elders and senior rural elders. “Living resources”, “availability of medical treatment” and “social activity engagement” were found to be significant mediators between empty nests and elders’ health, accounting for 35% of the total effect.

Keywords: empty nest; overall health; instrumental variable; limited-information maximum likelihood model (LIML); 2 stage least squares (2SLS) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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