Greater financial resources are associated with lower self-perceived uselessness among older adults in China: The urban and rural difference.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to address whether associations between financial resources and self-perceived uselessness are different by urban-rural residence and whether the associations are stronger for subjectively-measured than for objectively-measured financial resources among older adults.

DESIGN AND METHODS

We relied on the latest four waves of data of a China nationally representative survey with 25,954 community-residing respondents in 2005-2014. Self-perceived uselessness was classified into four categories: high, moderate, and low frequencies plus unable to answer the question. Financial resources included six objectively- or subjectively-measured variables and two culturally-measured variables. Multinomial logistic models were employed for the purposes, taking the low frequency as the reference category and adjusting for intrapersonal correlation.

RESULTS

Better financial resources, either objectively- or subjectively-measured, are associated with lower risk of the high and moderate frequencies of self-perceived uselessness relative to the low frequency in both urban and rural older adults. Subjectively-measured financial resources have more pronounced associations with self-perceived uselessness than objectively-measured financial resources in both urban and rural areas. Upward wealth transfer, one culturally-measured financial factor, is associated with greater relative risk of the high vs. the low frequency in urban areas, but the association is not significant in rural areas. In both urban and rural areas, the downward transfer, another culturally-measured financial factor, is associated with lower relative risk of the high frequency vs. the low frequency.

CONCLUSIONS

The associations between financial resources and self-perceived uselessness differ between urban and rural areas. Subjectively-measured financial resources tend to be more strongly associated with self-perceived uselessness.