Faculty of Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Car, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong.
BMC Geriatr. 2021 Mar 24;21(1):204. doi: 10.1186/s12877-021-02052-w.
It is common for older people to become grandparents in later life. However, the impacts of grandparenting on their health and well-being remain ambiguous, especially in Chinese society, where the family is in the core of culture. The current study explored the relationship between grandparenthood and Chinese older people's health and psychological well-being in Hong Kong.
Cross-sectional data were collected from a sample of 1208 Hong Kong Chinese older people aged 55 and above through a telephone survey conducted in 2019. Participants were grouped into three categories: current grandparents (n = 507), grandparents-to-be (n = 275), and grandparents-not-to-be (n = 426). Multivariate linear regressions were performed to examine the relationship between grandparenting status and health and well-being outcomes, including self-rated physical health, mental health, resilience, and happiness. The potential moderating roles of older adults' demographic characteristics, including age, sex, education, marital status, financial status, were also examined.
Bivariate analyses suggested statistically significant differences between health and well-being across the three groups of participants. Regression models showed that, compared with grandparents-not-to-be, being a current grandparent was associated with a significantly higher happiness level. Being a future grandparent was associated with significantly higher levels of happiness, resilience, and self-rated physical health. Moderating analyses showed that age, marital status, and educational level could moderate the relationship between grandparent status and resilience and self-rated mental health.
The current study offers preliminary insights into the significant relationship between grandparenthood and older adults' health and well-being. It calls for future studies to further explore the mechanisms between grandparenthood and the healthy ageing of different subgroups of older adults.
老年人在晚年成为祖父母是很常见的。然而，在家庭处于文化核心的中国社会，祖辈身份对他们的健康和幸福感的影响仍不明确。本研究探讨了祖辈身份与香港华裔老年人健康和心理幸福感之间的关系。
通过 2019 年进行的电话调查，从 1208 名年龄在 55 岁及以上的香港华裔老年人中收集了横断面数据。参与者分为三组：当前祖父母（n=507）、准祖父母（n=275）和非准祖父母（n=426）。多元线性回归用于检验祖辈身份与健康和幸福感结果之间的关系，包括自我评估的身体健康、心理健康、韧性和幸福感。还检验了老年人人口统计学特征（包括年龄、性别、教育程度、婚姻状况、财务状况）的潜在调节作用。
双变量分析表明，三组参与者的健康和幸福感存在统计学显著差异。回归模型显示，与非准祖父母相比，当前祖父母与幸福感水平显著升高相关。准祖父母与幸福感、韧性和自我评估身体健康水平显著升高相关。调节分析表明，年龄、婚姻状况和教育程度可以调节祖辈身份与韧性和自我评估心理健康之间的关系。
本研究初步探讨了祖辈身份与老年人健康和幸福感之间的显著关系。呼吁未来的研究进一步探索祖辈身份与不同老年人亚组健康老龄化之间的机制。
