Search

This study explores the association between grandparent caregiving by Chinese-American older adults and their perception of filial care and respect (i.e. filial piety) received from their adult children. Drawing on arguments regarding norms of altruism and reciprocity based on social exchange theory in the context of intergenerational relationships, this study examines whether more active engagement in grandparenting results in higher levels of filial piety among adult children and whether that in turn results in better well-being through reducing loneliness. It uses data from Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago, a survey of the well-being of Chinese-American older adults in Chicago. The results show that more hours of grandparent caregiving relate to higher amounts of filial piety in the view of older parents. However, more pressure to take care of a grandchild from adult children reduces perceived filial piety. Furthermore, grandparent caregiving can reduce loneliness among older adults, and receipt of filial piety mediates the association. Discussion focuses on how grandparent caregiving can strengthen intergenerational relationships while contributing to psychological well-being among older Chinese-American adults. This research contributes to the discussion of normative aspects of the intergenerational solidarity theory and holds policy implications for the promotion of well-being among Chinese-American older adults based on their grandparenting practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reciprocity has been traditionally treated in sociological and anthropological theory as a force of integration that keeps network members tied together through a complex web of obligations and interdependencies. This article suggests that in the context of poverty it can be a burden and source of relational stress that leads to the demise of social relationships. It is argued that poverty can make it difficult for individuals to maintain relations with others and participate in social support networks because they do not have many resources to share and reciprocate. Recently published ethnographic studies on the social networks of low-income families in the United States form the basis for a micro-level model linking poverty to social fragmentation. By focusing on the suppressive effect of reciprocity, this model identifies two major emergent mechanisms – exclusion and withdrawal – operating in two realms – material and normative – that are conducive to social fragmentation. This article thus promotes our understanding of the ways in which relational dynamics affect low-income families’ social well-being and contributes methodologically by laying the groundwork for future empirical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]