子女情感支持对老年人日常活动能力影响

Effect of children′s emotional support on the ability to engage in social participation activities and the mediating role of loneliness on the effect among Chinese elderly:an analysis of 2018 CHARLS survey data

目的了解老年人日常活动能力现状,分析子女情感支持对老年人日常活动能力的影响,为提高代际和谐及老年人的生活质量提供实证依据。方法基于2018年中国健康与养老追踪调查(CHARLS)数据,选取6775名年龄≥60周岁的老年人作为研究对象,应用RStudio软件的潜在类别模型拟合老年人日常活动能力,使用Stata 17.0软件分析老年人的日常活动能力状况,并运用多元logit模型探究子女情感支持对老年人日常活动能力的影响以及孤独感在子女情感支持影响老年人日常活动能力间的中介效应。结果2018年我国老年人低活动能力比例(47.50%)明显高于一般能力(个人中心7.36%,家庭中心36.49%)和高能力(8.65%)群体。其中,在一般能力的家庭中心类活动中女性(44.16%)比男性(28.22%)、≥70周岁的年长老年人(49.37%)比60~69周岁的老年人(24.59%)、初中及以上学历(37.09%)比小学及以下学历(36.29%)、非农业户籍(56.60%)比农业户籍(30.46%)老年人的参与程度更高,差异有统计学意义(P<0.01)。回归模型分析显示,子女情感支持可以改善老年人的日常活动状况,对提高老年人日常活动一般能力(OR=1.35~1.44,P<0.05),尤其对老年人参与家庭中心类活动一般能力的提升效果更为明显(OR=1.37,P<0.01)。子女情感支持可以通过降低老年人孤独感(β=-0.14~-0.08,P<0.05)的方式提高老年人日常活动能力。结论我国老年人的日常活动能力较差,子女情感支持正向影响老年人的日常活动能力,对老年人参与家庭活动增益作用明显,降低孤独感在其中发挥了中介作用。

Objective To study the ability to engage in social participation activities and the influence of children′s emotional support on the ability of Chinese elderly,and to provide evidence for improving intergenerational harmony and the quality of life of the elderly.Methods Relevant data of 6775 residents aged 60 and above were extracted from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study(CHARLS).Participants′social participation ability was analyzed using Stata 17.0 software,and participants′ability was categorized using a latent class analysis(LCA)using RStudio software.In addition,a multivariate logistic model was used to examine the influence of children′s emotional support on elderly′s social participation ability and the mediating effect of loneliness on this influence.Results The LCA revealed that about half(47.50%)of the participants had low ability to participate in social activities,obviously higher than those with moderate(7.36%and 36.49%for individual and household-centered activities)and high(8.65%)ability;more elderly women were classified as having moderate ability than elderly men(44.15%vs.28.22%),and among those with moderate ability,the proportion was significantly higher in those aged≥70 years(49.37%vs.24.59%),with education of junior high school or higher(37.09%vs.36.29%),and with non-agricultural household registration(56.60%vs.30.46%)compared with those aged 60-69 years,with primary school education,and with agricultural household registration(P<0.01 for all).The results of multivariate logistic model analysis showed that the elderly with higher emotional support from children were more likely to have moderate ability of social participation activity,with odds ratios(95%confidence interval)of 1.35(1.03-1.77)and 1.37(1.18-1.59)for ability of individual and household-centered activities.Emotional support from children could also improve the ability of social participation activities by reducing the loneliness of the elderly(β=-0.14--0.08,P<0.05).Conclusion The ability to engage in social participation activities was poor among the elderly in China in 2018.Emotional support from children is positively correlated with the elderly′s ability to engage in social participation activities,and the support plays a mediating role in the improvement by reducing the elderly′s loneliness.