Liu Yiwei, Su Yuting, Yin Yuru
School of Government, Central University of Finance and Economics. Address: 39 South College Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100081, China.
College of Literature and Law, Henan Agricultural University. Address: 15 Longzihu University Park, Zhengdong New District, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Soc Sci Med. 2022 Jun;302:114986. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114986. Epub 2022 Apr 22.
This study analyzed the relationship between parents' son preference in a person's childhood and their health when they become older, and tested whether childhood educational opportunities, health level, and care resources play mediating roles in this relationship.
China has entered a stage of aging population. The health of the elderly determines whether the government can successfully cope with the challenges brought about by the aging of the population. Chinese people are deeply influenced by Confucianism. The concept of "son preference" is related to residents' parenting strategies. Then, if one's parents exhibit a son preference in their childhood, will it affect one's health in old age?
Based on the data of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study collected in 2014, this paper uses the least square method to analyze the impact of parents' preference in childhood for boys on the health of the elderly, and uses Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) to analyze the mediating effects of childhood educational opportunities, health level and care resources.
This study found that parents' preference for boys had a positive impact on the health of male children when they became elderly but had a negative impact on the health of female children when they became elderly. Childhood educational opportunities, health level, and care resources mediated this relationship.
It is necessary to analyze the impact of parents' preference for sons in one's childhood on the health of elderly, and intervene the adverse factors affecting the health, to improve the health level and quality of life of the elderly.
本研究分析了一个人童年时期父母的重男轻女观念与他们老年时健康状况之间的关系，并检验了童年时期的教育机会、健康水平和照料资源在这种关系中是否起中介作用。
中国已进入人口老龄化阶段。老年人的健康状况决定了政府能否成功应对人口老龄化带来的挑战。中国人深受儒家思想影响。“重男轻女”观念与居民的育儿策略有关。那么，如果一个人的父母在其童年时期表现出重男轻女的倾向，这会影响其老年时的健康吗？
基于2014年中国健康与养老追踪调查（China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study）的数据，本文采用最小二乘法分析父母童年时期对男孩的偏好对老年人健康的影响，并使用卡尔森-霍尔姆-布林（Karlson-Holm-Breen，KHB）方法分析童年教育机会、健康水平和照料资源的中介作用。
本研究发现，父母对男孩的偏好对男性儿童老年时的健康有积极影响，但对女性儿童老年时的健康有消极影响。童年教育机会、健康水平和照料资源在这种关系中起中介作用。
有必要分析一个人童年时期父母重男轻女观念对老年人健康的影响，并对影响健康的不利因素进行干预，以提高老年人的健康水平和生活质量。
