Gao Min, Li Yanyu, Zhang Shengfa, Gu Linni, Zhang Jinsui, Li Zhuojun, Zhang Weijun, Tian Donghua
School of Social Development and Public Policy, China Institute of Health, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
School of Humanities and Social Sciences, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071000, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Apr 27;14(5):463. doi: 10.3390/ijerph14050463.
The "empty-nest" elderly family has become increasingly prevalent among old people in China. This study aimed to explore the causality between empty nests and elders' health using effective instrumental variables, including "whether old parents talk with their families when they are upset" and "ownership of housing". The results showed that empty nests had a significantly adverse influence on elders' physical health, cognitive ability and psychological health. Furthermore, urban elders' cognitive ability was more influenced by empty nests than that of rural elders. Additionally, the effects of an empty nest on elders" health were more significant among female, single elders and senior rural elders. "Living resources", "availability of medical treatment" and "social activity engagement" were found to be significant mediators between empty nests and elders' health, accounting for 35% of the total effect.
“空巢”老人家庭在中国老年人中越来越普遍。本研究旨在利用有效的工具变量，包括“老年父母心烦时是否与家人交谈”和“住房所有权”，探讨空巢与老年人健康之间的因果关系。结果表明，空巢对老年人的身体健康、认知能力和心理健康有显著的不利影响。此外，城市老年人的认知能力比农村老年人更容易受到空巢的影响。此外，空巢对女性、单身老年人和农村高龄老年人的健康影响更为显著。“生活资源”、“医疗可及性”和“社会活动参与度”被发现是空巢与老年人健康之间的重要中介因素，占总效应的35%。
