Conversation Breeds Compliance: The Role of Intergenerational Communication in Promoting Preventive Behaviors against COVID-19 among Middle-Aged Parents in China

Wanqi Gong, Qin Guo and Crystal L. Jiang
Additional contact information
Wanqi Gong: School of Journalism and Communication, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou 510420, China
Qin Guo: School of Humanities, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
Crystal L. Jiang: Department of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 19, 1-13

Abstract: This study aims to explore and compare the influences of two crucial information channels used by middle-aged parents—media and their adult children—on their health knowledge, emotions and preventive behaviors against COVID-19, based on media exposure and the family communication patterns (FCP) theory. Parents of college students in Guangzhou, China were invited to participate in an online survey between February 10 and 24, 2020. A total of 193 respondents, aged between 40 and 65 years, completed the study questionnaire. Media exposure was a positive predictor of negative emotions, intergenerational discussions, and preventive behaviors among Chinese middle-aged parents. Conversation orientation was a positive predictor of scientific discussions and preventive behaviors, whereas conformity orientation was a negative predictor of knowledge, but a positive predictor of intergenerational discussions and negative emotions. Intergenerational discussions mediated the relationships between media exposure and preventive behaviors, as well as between FCP and preventive behaviors. Health communication efforts require the help of adult children as intergenerational communication serves as an important amplifier in terms of influencing the health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of middle-aged and elderly populations.

Keywords: family communication patterns; COVID-19; intergenerational communication; media exposure; middle-aged parents; preventive behaviors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/19/10198/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/19/10198/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:19:p:10198-:d:645241

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().