Chen Lin
Department of Social Work, School of Social Development and Public Policy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
J Aging Stud. 2017 Apr;41:44-51. doi: 10.1016/j.jaging.2017.03.004. Epub 2017 Apr 11.
China's tradition of taking care of one's aging parents continues to evolve, as evidenced by the growth in nursing home residents in Shanghai. However, how these families make the decision to institutionalize remains unclear. To fill this gap, this study draws on power relations to examine communication dynamics when oldest-old and their adult children decide to institutionalize. This study used a phenomenological approach. Twelve dyads of matched elderly residents and their children participated in face-to-face, in-depth interviews (N=24). The format and content of intergenerational communication indicated that both conflicts and compromises took place. Adult children achieved greater decision-making power than their frail parents, which evoked older adults' ambivalent feelings. A discrepancy in perceived filial piety between generations also emerged. These dynamics of caregiving decision-making offer insight in understanding evolving filial piety in urban China.
中国照顾年迈父母的传统在不断演变，上海养老院入住人数的增长就是明证。然而，这些家庭如何做出将老人送进养老院的决定仍不清楚。为填补这一空白，本研究运用权力关系来考察高龄老人及其成年子女决定将老人送进养老院时的沟通动态。本研究采用现象学方法。十二对匹配的老年居民及其子女参与了面对面的深入访谈（N = 24）。代际沟通的形式和内容表明既有冲突也有妥协。成年子女比体弱的父母拥有更大的决策权，这引发了老年人矛盾的情绪。两代人在孝道观念上也出现了差异。这些照护决策动态为理解中国城市中不断演变的孝道提供了见解。
