The Role of Contextual Factors in Shaping Urban Older Adults’ Intention of Institutional Care in China: A Mixed-Methods Study

Yuekang Li (), Jinbao Zhang, Hao Luo, Xiaomei Pei, Tao Wu and Jun Jing
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Yuekang Li: Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MA 63130, USA
Jinbao Zhang: Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Hao Luo: Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Xiaomei Pei: Department of Sociology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Tao Wu: Gallup China, Beijing 100022, China
Jun Jing: Department of Sociology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-15

Abstract: Background: This mixed-methods study explores older people’s intention of institutional care and its contributing contextual factors, and the meaning given to their intention by older adults in the transitioning Chinese society. Methods: Guided by the extended Anderson model and frameworks of the ecological theory of aging, survey data collected from 1937 Chinese older adults were used. Transcripts from six focus group interviews were analyzed to incorporate the voices of the participants. Results: Community environment and services, health services, financial services, and regional service organizations were related to the institutional care intention of older people. The qualitative analysis showed that the reported conflicting feelings about institutional care was driven by the lack of supporting resources and age-friendly environment. The findings of this study suggested that the reported intention of Chinese older adults for institutional care may not be an ideal choice but a compromise or, in some cases, a forced choice. Conclusions: Rather than treating the stated institutional intention as a simple expression of older Chinese people’s likes or desires, the intention of institutional care should be understood within a framework that fully considers the influence of psycho-social factors and contextual organizations.

Keywords: residential and care intentions; institutional care; living arrangement; aging-friendly community; mixed-methods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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