Relationship between Intergenerational Emotional Support and Subjective Well-Being among Elderly Migrants in China: The Mediating Role of Loneliness and Self-Esteem

Man Yang, Hao Wang and Jun Yao ()
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Man Yang: School of Nursing, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
Hao Wang: School of Nursing, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
Jun Yao: School of Nursing, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-10

Abstract: With the augmentation of family migration, the number and proportion of elderly migrants have increased dramatically in China. The well-being of this group has a profound impact on the whole society. Subjective well-being is a comprehensive reflection of whether a person’s needs are met. In this cross-sectional study, we established a multiple mediation model to evaluate the mediating effects of loneliness and self-esteem on intergenerational emotional support and, consequently, on subjective well-being in elderly migrants. The study population consisted of 728 elderly migrants living in Nanjing (Jiangsu, China), including 219 men (30.1%) and 509 women (69.9%). The participants’ loneliness and self-esteem were measured using the R-UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Philadelphia Senior Center Confidence Scale. Multiple regression analyses revealed a significant correlation between intergenerational emotional support and subjective well-being, and mediation analysis revealed that intergenerational emotional support indirectly influenced subjective well-being through three mediators: loneliness (mediating effect, 0.149), self-esteem (mediating effect, 0.136), and loneliness and self-esteem (mediating effect, 0.041). We conclude that loneliness and self-esteem mediate the relationship between intergenerational emotional support and subjective well-being in elderly migrants and can be regulated to improve elderly migrants’ subjective well-being. Great attention should be paid to the emotional needs of elderly migrants, and communication and exchange with elderly migrants should be emphasized to enhance their subjective sense of well-being.

Keywords: subjective well-being; intergenerational emotional support; loneliness; self-esteem; elderly migrant (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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