Causal Analyses of Chinese Elders' Living Arrangement and Subjective - PDF document

Causal Analyses of Chinese Elders' Living Arrangement and Subjective Well-being Jinyuan Qi ABSTRACT This study employs propensity score matching, weighted regression and fixed effects models to examine the causal relations between living arrangements (co-residence with descendants among the elderly Chinese having living children) and subjective well-being (SWB). The analyses of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2011 and 2013 and Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) in 2002, 2005 and 2008 suggest that the negative correlation between living with descendants and lower SWB is spurious due to the selection bias. The logistic regression models report that Chinese elders are more likely to live with descendants if they have fewer social support resources (e.g. agricultural hukou, no pension, and widowhood), functional limitation, and have strong preference of co-residence with children. As the doubly-robust regression models and the hybrid model show, these factors associated with living arrangements are also associated with SWB, such as functional limitation, gender, marital status and SES. By controlling for all the observed confounders, the null hypothesis of no causal effects cannot be rejected in the weighted regression model, and both the fixed effects model and Allson’s hybrid model show the positive causal effects of co-residence with descendants on SWB. As empty-nest households are increasing and elders’ SWB is deteriorating in recent years, further research is urgently needed to study the dynamics of Chinese elders’ living arrangements and interventions to improve the elders’ mental health. Key words: Living arrangement, Subjective well-being, mental health, causal analysis 1

Introduction Elderly suicide rates are increasing in both rural and urban China (Li, Xiao, & Xiao, 2009). Previous studies show that the leading causes are physical health problems and mental health problems (e.g. depression) related with rapid changes of family and intergenerational relations (Chen, 2009; Gao, S., et al., 2009; Jing, Zhang, & Wu, 2011; Liu, 2011; Liu, C. Y., 1997). To improve elders’ life quality and decrease elderly mortality, it is urgent to study what strongly influence Chinese elders’ mental health in the aging society. As the elderly’s living arrangements have changed greatly and frequently in China (Zimmer, 2005), there is a lack of research on the causal effects of living arrangements on Chinese elders’ mental health. For instance, the migration of working-age adults from rural to urban China has changed traditional patterns of living arrangements and intergenerational relations in rural China. There are also many empty nesters in urban China due to more frequent inter-city or international migrations. This research focuses on the particular living arrangement of the elderly having living children, and investigates whether living with their descendants will improve the elderly’s subjective well-being (SWB) or cause more problems. Graph 1 Graph 2 As the crosstab analyses shown above, generally elders’ mental health appears to be getting worse from 2002 to 2008 (decreasing subjective wellbeing) and from 2011 to 2013 (increasing depressive symptoms). Those elderly Chinese living with descendants even have a lower mean score of SWB and higher mean score of depressive symptoms in 2005, 2008, 2011. Does that mean living with descendants may cause decreasing subjective well-being? Since some factors (e.g. physical health, socioeconomic status (SES), etc.) can influence both living arrangement and SWB, this study will use propensity score matching, weighted regression and panel data analyses to examine causal effects by removing selection bias. This paper firstly will discuss existing literature about Chinese elders’ living arrangements and mental health. The second part will introduce causal inference methods and two data sets used for this study - China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2011 and 2013, and Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) in 2002, 2005 and 2008. Thirdly, this 2

paper will present matching results and regression results using weights from propensity matching score, and then compare the cross-sectional results in 2011 with the results from panel data analyses. The last part is the discussion, limitation and implication of this study. Literature Review From late 1970s to now, the Chinese family household has been aging rapidly and dramatically, and transformed to a smaller size due to the fertility decline, increasing life expectancy and dramatic changes in social attitudes and economic mobility which is related to living arrangements between elderly Chinese and their children (Yi, et al, 2008). Under a medium fertility and mortality scenarios, Yi, et al (2008)’s population projection shows that by the year 2030 and 2050, the proportion of the elderly aged 65 or above living in empty-nest households without co-residing children among the total population will be 2.9 and 4.6 times of that in 2000, and the percentage of the oldest-old aged 80+ living in empty-nest households will be even more dramatic: 3.4 and 11.1 times in 2030 and 2050 as in the year 2000. Only a few studies investigate what factors are related to Chinese elders’ living arrangements. Sereny (2011) has reported the association between living arrangements and ethnicity and SES, living arrangement preferences, self-reported health and disability. Zimmer (2005) has also found the oldest-old living arrangements are strongly associated with their function limitation. Chinese elder’s SWB is related with living arrangements, socio-economic status, social support, self- rated health, and age-related functioning (Deng, et al., 2010; Gao, Jin & Unverzagt, et al., 2009; Yip, et al., 2007; Zhang, & Liu, 2007; Zhang, et al., 2008). Some studies suggest family-based support is central for improving SWB among the Chinese elderly (Cheng, et al., 2009; Phillips et al., 2008; Shen and Yeatts, 2013; Siu, & Phillips, 2002; Weng, 1998), and the Chinese family traditions that involve high levels of social support which are protective for depression (Chen, Copeland, & Wei, 1999; Chen, et al., 2005). Like other age groups, elderly Chinese living alone is more likely to report higher levels of depressive symptoms (Chen & Short, 2008; Chou & Chi, 2000; Chou, Ho & Chi, 2006). Silverstein, Cong, and Li (2006) have reported that traditional family arrangements (living with children) in China are beneficial, as elderly people’s stronger emotional cohesion and tighter intergenerational exchange with children will improve their psychological well-being (Chen & Silverstein, 2000). Chen and Short (2008) also found that co-residence with immediate family is positively associated with subjective well-being among oldest-old in rural China. According to the previous research, a positive correlation is predicted between living with descendants and better SWB. The crosstab result (Graph 1 & Graph 2 in Introduction) that SWB is lower among elderly Chinese living with descendants after 2005 is contradictory with what previous studies have found. As the literature shows, some factors are both associated with living arrangements and SWB, such as self- rated health, functional limitation and SES. The negative association may be caused by selection 3