Association between Childcare disagreements with children, Life Satisfaction, and Loneliness among the migrant elderly following children in Jinan, China

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-1532894/v1

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Association between Childcare disagreements with children, Life Satisfaction, and Loneliness among the migrant elderly following children in Jinan, China

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1532894/v1

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Background: More and more migrant elderly following children (MEFC) appeared as the fast urbanization and population aging in China. This study aimed to explore the association between childcare disagreements with children, life satisfaction and loneliness of MEFC in Jinan, China, and furtherly provide evidence-based suggestions for China's aging policy.

Methods: A total of 656 MEFC (36.7% males and 63.7% females) were selected by multi-stage cluster random sampling in Jinan, China. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews. Descriptive analysis, T test, F test and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted in this study.

Results: Childcare disagreements with children was found to be positively significantly associated with loneliness of the MEFC, and a greater impact was found among MEFC without temporary residence permits (TRP) than those had TRP. There was a significant negative correlation between the life satisfaction and loneliness among the MEFC. Childcare disagreements with children was found to be negatively associated with life satisfaction of the MEFC.

Conclusion: Childcare disagreements with children was found to be positively corelated with the loneliness of MEFC, while life satisfaction was negatively corelated with the loneliness of MEFC. Besides disagreement with their children was negatively associated with life satisfaction of MEFC. More psychological care from children and less conflicts in raising up grandchildren are needed to lower the loneliness of the MEFC.

migrant elderly following children

loneliness

life satisfaction

disagreement with children

structural equation modeling

With the development of the economy and advancements in medical science, the average life expectancy of the population of China has increased substantially [1], as well as the number of elderly people [2]. According to China’s seventh national census (2020), the population of 60 years and older is 264.02 million, accounting for 18.70% of the entire population (of which 190.64 are aged 65 and older, accounting for 13.50%). Compared with 2010, the proportion of the population aged 60 years and older has increased by 5.44% [3]. As the process of urbanization has accelerated [4], population migration has continuously increased in China [5], reaching 375.82 million in 2020, of which 124.84 million represent the inter-provincial mobile population. Compared with 2010, the migrant population after ten years has increased by 69.73% [6]. Reflecting the traditional Chinese culture, some elderly people moved to new cities with their children to help caring for their grandchildren [7]; henceforth, “migrant elders following their children” (MEFC). With the implementation of the universal two-child policy in 2015 [8] it was expected that there would be more MEFC in China.

After the MEFC left their hometown moving to new cities, the social context and daily living environment changed, which push them to adapt to the new environment and go through the re-socialization process. This may have caused a series of problems with the MEFC, such as difficulties in social integration [9], slow social adaptation [10], reduced utilization of medical services [11], decline in health status [12], lower or no medical insurance reimbursement ratio in the new cities [13], higher depression and loneliness, separation of registered and actual residences, lack of essential public health services [14], and social welfare inequality [15]. All these issues affected the health status of MEFC and the development of their families, and have become an important social problem that needs to be urgently solved [16].

Loneliness is a state of distress, depression, and detachment due to the emptiness of a person’s social and/or emotional life [17]. Loneliness may occur in people of all ages, especially in the elderly [18–20]. It is negatively related to their physical and mental health, and can lead to physical discomfort, poor prognosis, and be accompanied by cognitive decline, depression, stress, and anxiety [21–23]. Loneliness could also increase the risk of suicide and impair the quality of life [24, 25]. Research on the loneliness of migrants in China mostly focused on workers and children, and less attention was paid to the elderly [26–29], while the level of loneliness among the latter has increased in recent years [30].

Life satisfaction refers to wellness in relation to several dimensions, such as happiness, peace, self-confidence [31]. Previous studies on the life satisfaction of Chinese people mostly focused on migrant workers, few considering the elderly migrant, who were more vulnerable within social interactions and emotional states [32, 33]. Older immigrants completed life cycle stages, such as work and parenting, which can cause dramatic changes in the short-term satisfaction [34]. Studies have shown that most senior immigrants believe that their life satisfaction would remain stable or even improve over time [35]. However, the migration process would seriously affect their life satisfaction, especially of those who migrated from rural to urban areas within China [36]. However, it was revealed that elderly immigrants whose families are reunited tended to show higher life satisfaction [37]. And research of elderly residing in nursing homes in the Philippines suggests that life satisfaction of the elderly could influence their loneliness [38].

Childcare disagreements with children refer to the conflicts between MEFC and their children generations in the care of the grandchildren generations. Research in Taiwan showed that long-term multi-generation caregivers were more likely to report higher life satisfaction and fewer negative psychological changes when compared with non-caregivers [39]. By contrast, other studies demonstrated that living with children and caring for grandchildren are more likely to cause adverse health consequences for the elderly, and grandparents who cared for grandchildren were more likely to experience feelings of depression and isolation [40, 41].

But there was no research to explore the impact of life satisfaction on loneliness in MEFC Therefore we proposed to assume that life satisfaction had a relationship with loneliness, and further we explored the relationship between childcare disagreements with children, life satisfaction, and loneliness of MEFC in Jinan, China.

2.1. Study Location

Shandong Province lies in eastern China, and as of the end of December 2019, there are 16 cities, 137 county-level administrative districts (57 municipal districts, 27 county-level cities, and 53 counties), and 1824 township-level administrative districts [42]. Jinan is the capital city of Shandong Province and its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 was 1.01 trillion Chinese Yuan (≈ 157285.51 million US$) [43]. As of July 1, 2020, Jinan has jurisdiction over 10 districts and 2 counties (132 streets and 29 towns) [42]. By the end of 2019, the registered resident population was 8.91 million, an increase of 0.78 over the previous year, while the local population was 7.98 million, representing an increase of 1.46%. [44] It is predicted that by 2020, the total elderly population will reach 1.6 million, accounting for 25% of the total population [45].

2.2. Data Collection and Research Subjects

In 2019, there were 2.9 million floating populations in Jinan [46]. This study focused on the elderly over 60 years old and living with their children among the floating population as the research object. The participants were selected through a multi-stage cluster random sampling. In the first stage, three out of 10 districts were selected as the primary sampling units (PSUs), in consideration to the economic development and geographic location. In the second stage, a total of three sub-districts were chosen from these PSUs as the secondary sampling units (SSUs), which meant that one sub-district was chosen from each of the previously selected districts. In the third stage, three communities were selected from the SSUs, one community from each of the previously selected sub-districts. (as shown in Fig. 1). All the migrants over the age of 60 who followed their children (MEFC) to Jinan city in these three communities constituted the total sample of this study. Elderly under the age of 60 or local elderly are excluded. Questionnaire survey was conducted with the help of local government and social work organizations.

Following a training in the research background, social survey techniques, and contents of the questionnaire, 33 college students became the investigators of this study. Of them, 11 were from Shandong University, 13 from Jinan University, 2 from Dongying Vocational Institute, and 7 from Weifang Medical University. Investigators spent twenty-minute around conducting face-to-face interviews with each subject to collect data. A total of 670 MEFC were initially chosen and interviewed. However, 14 of them were excluded from the sample due to obvious logical errors in the questionnaire or incomplete questionnaires. A total of 656 MEFC were finally included in the database. In the questionnaire survey, we screened the elderly interviewed through a series of questions. All interviewees filled in the basic information about the grandchildren being taken care of and the differences with their children in the care of their grandchildren, so as to ensure the 656 elderly people included in the study need to take care of their grandchildren.

2.3. Measurements

2.3.1. Short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-6)

There are many ways to measure loneliness, which can be summarized in two approaches. One is to use a single question with a rating response scale, such as “Are you lonely?” [47]. The single question is known as the direct approach [48] and it proved to be highly acceptable to participants [49]. However, the meaning of loneliness may vary depending on the subject’s personal understanding [50]. Another method is to use multiple item scales, including the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale [51], Emotional and Loneliness Scale [52], De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale [53], or a Rasch-type Loneliness Scale [54].

Among them, the UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA) has become the most widely utilized to measure feelings of loneliness in a variety of populations. The scale was originally developed by Russell in 1978 and included 20 items [51]. It mainly measures the loneliness of the research object, defined as “the gap between the desire for social interaction and the actual level” [55]. To reduce the burden on the respondent, Hays and DeMatteo [56] simplified the scale to an 8-item (ULS-8) version. Zhou et al. [57] tested the reliability and validity of the ULS-8 Loneliness Scale in the context of Chinese society and culture, and after excluding two positive factors, found that the newly formed ULS-6 Loneliness Scale has good reliability and validity. The ULS-6 is more suitable for investigating loneliness among the elderly in the community. Each item of the scale uses a four-level frequency-scoring method: 1 (never), 2 (rarely), 3 (sometimes), 4 (always). The total score of the scale varies between 6 and 24; the higher the total score, the higher the degree of loneliness.

2.3.2. Social Demographic Characteristics

Social demographic characteristics were collected as a basis for comparison, including gender, age, marital status, employment, status, education level, income situation, chronic disease, self-rated health, willingness to follow their children, temporary residence permit and liking current city, childcare disagreements with children.

2.3.3. Life Satisfaction

Studies have shown that family support and community partnerships have a great impact on the life satisfaction of elderly immigrants [37, 58]. Therefore, life satisfaction of MEFC in this study was measured through three dimensions on the basis of previous research: family support, community partnerships, and evaluation of life. Family support by the participants were measured by their responses to three indicators: “marital satisfaction,” “household income and expenditure,” and “filial piety of children.” Community partnerships were measured using three indicators: “interpersonal relationships,” “getting assistance,” and “recreational activities.” Evaluation of life was measured by two questions: “How is your life in general?” and “Do you think you are happy?”

2.3.4. Childcare Disagreements with Children

Childcare disagreements with children were captured by four indicators, including "“consumption concepts”, “education”, “dressing “and “raising”.

2.4. Statistical Analysis

In this study, EpiData version 3.1 software (EpiData Association, Odense, Denmark, Europe) was used to establish the database, and the double para entry rule was applied for inputting data. Before data entry, we provided a unified entry manual for each entry clerk, and conducted necessary training. In order to ensure the quality, two entry clerks double record and compare. After data entry being completed, spot check is carried out.

SPSS version 25.00 was used to conduct descriptive analyses, and p-values less than 0.05 were regarded as statistically significant. Categorical variables were entered into independent sample t-tests and one-way ANOVA, with loneliness as dependent variables.

Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the association between loneliness, life satisfaction, and disagreement with children in the MEFC of Shandong Province. The IBM SPSS Amos version 25.0 (Windows statistical software package) was employed to perform the SEM and obtain generalized least square estimates of the model parameters as well as to calculate the fitness indices of the model. The SEM can not only analyze the empirical correlation between different variables in the model, but also report the statistical relationship among latent and explicit variables, concurrently.

Assessment of the model fitness calculates how the theoretical model might be consistent with the empirical data. The chi-square test, GFI, AGFI, CFI, and RMSEA were reported for analysis of model fitness, as in many previous studies. The hypothetical models are regarded to be well fitted to the data when p > 0.05; GFI > 0.90, AGFI > 0.90, CFI > 0.90, and RMSEA < 0.05. It is generally believed that the AGFI value is greater than 0.9, indicating that the theoretical model is well fitted. However, once the model has many estimated parameters, it is difficult for the AGFI to reach 0.9. Therefore, MacCallum and Hong suggested that it can be appropriately relaxed to 0.8[59].2.5. Ethical Considerations

Informed data collection and use of information were received from all participants. The research passed the review of Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in Shandong University (No. 20180225).

3.1. Sample Characteristics

Information regarding the basic characteristics and loneliness of participants is shown in Table 1. This study found that MEFC’s average score of loneliness was 10.19, with a SD of 3.43. It was shown that 47.9% of the sample was 65 to 69 years old. Most respondents were female(63.7%), married (88.9%), unemployed(74.4%), had an education level of junior school or below (81.1%).In terms of income, most elderly lived on alimony from children(49.7%), monthly income between 100 and 1000 yuan(37.3%).In terms of physical health, most participants did not have chronic diseases(59.1%) and self-evaluated health(75.9%)In terms of immigration willingness, most respondents were willing to follow their children(90.9%),did not having temporary residence permit(64.8%) and liked the current city of residence(93.6%). T-tests and one-way ANOVA showed that no significant differences were found between the different age, gender, marital status, employment status, education, income source, self-rated health groups in terms of loneliness. A statistical difference on loneliness between the groups of monthly income, chronic diseases, willingness to follow the children, whether liking current city, childcare disagreements with children and TRP was observed.

Table 1

Basic characteristics of Loneliness among the MEFC.
Variable	N(%)	Mean score of ULS-6	t/F value	P value
Total score	656 (100.0)	10.19(SD = 3.43)
Gender
Male	238 (36.3)	9.9496	-1.377	0.169
Female	418(63.7)	10.3325	-1.377	0.169
Age
60 ~ 64	238 (36.3)	10.4244	1.203	0.301
65 ~ 69	314(47.9)	9.9809
> 70	104(15.9)	10.3077
Marital status
Married	583(88.9)	10.1475	-0.973	0.331
Divorced/Widowed	73(11.1)	10.5616	-0.973	0.331
Employment status
Employed	37(5.6)	10.0000	1.260	0.284
retire	131(20.0)	9.7939
Unemployed	488(74.4)	10.3156
Education
Junior high school or below	532(81.1)	10.2481	0.844	0.399
High school or above	124(18.9)	9.9597	0.844	0.399
Source of Income
Own Income	235(35.8)	10.5149	2.143	0.094
Spouse's Income	60(9.1)	10.2833
Alimony from Children	326(49.7)	10.0675
Subsistence Allowance	35(5.3)	9.0571
Income (RMB per month)^a
Q1	221(33.7)	9.9231	10.451	< 0.001
Q2	247(37.7)	10.9433
Q3	188(28.7)	9.5266
Chronic diseases
Yes	268(40.9)	10.5224	4.190	0.041
No	388(59.1)	9.9665	4.190	0.041
Self-rated health
Healthy	498(75.9)	10.2289	1.789	0.168
General	118(18.0)	10.3729
Unhealthy	40 (6.1)	9.2250
Willingness to follow the children
Unwilling	26 (4.0)	10.1154	4.398	0.013
General	34(4.9)	11.8824
Willing	596(90.9)	10.1007
Temporary Residence Permit
Yes	231(35.2)	9.4632	16.577	0.000
No	425(64.8)	10.5906	16.577	0.000
Liking current city
Yes	614(93.6)	10.1156	4.992	0.026
No	42 (6.4)	11.3333	4.992	0.026
Childcare disagreements on consumption concepts^b
Q1	475(72.4)	9.5221	26.53	< 0.001
Q2	136(20.7)	11.8529
Q3	45(6.9)	12.2667
Childcare disagreements on education^c
Q1	523(79.7)	9.7495	23.12	< 0.001
Q2	97(14.8)	11.9278
Q3	36(5.5)	12.9722
Childcare disagreements on dressing^d
Q1	515(78.5)	9.7398	22.570	< 0.001
Q2	103(115.7)	11.7476
Q3	38(5.8)	12.1316
Childcare disagreements on raising^e
Q1	499(76.1)	9.6693	26.531	< 0.001
Q2	124(18.9)	11.7661
Q3	33(5.0)	12.2121

^a Income (RMB per month) is divided into three quantiles, Q1 represents the poorest group, Q4 represents the rich group. Q1 represents less than 100 yuan, Q2 represents 100 to 1,000 yuan, and Q3 represents more than 1,000 yuan.^b "Childcare disagreements on consumption concepts" refers to the childcare disagreements between MEFC and their children on consumption concepts, Q1 represents absolutely not, Q2 represents minor divergence, and Q3 represents big divergence. ^c "Childcare disagreements on education" refers to the childcare disagreements between MEFC and their children on education, Q1 represents absolutely not, Q2 represents minor divergence, and Q3 represents big divergence. ^d "Childcare disagreements on dressing" refers to the childcare disagreements between MEFC and their children on dressing, Q1 represents absolutely not, Q2 represents minor divergence, and Q3 represents big divergence. ^e "Childcare disagreements on consumption concepts" refers to the childcare disagreements between MEFC and their children on raising, Q1 represents absolutely not, Q2 represents minor divergence, and Q3 represents big divergence.

3.2. The Structural Model

3.2.1. Measurement Invariance Across Groups

Considering the influence of the temporary residence permit on MEFC’s loneliness shown in Table 1, we conduct a grouping analysis based on whether having temporary residence permit. Table 2 shows the relevant fitting statistics about the invariance of the "TRP" variable and the fitness index in the five selected models. To check whether the ‘TRP’ variable is suitable for the group comparison, the fitness indexes between those who had TRP and the others should be compared first.

Table 2

Multi-group model invariance test.
Model	χ2	df	χχ2/df	GFI	AGFI	CFI	RMSEA	∆CFI	∆RMSEA
M1	628.613***	254	2.475	0.903	0.870	0.945	0.047	---	---
M2	628.613***	254	2.475	0.903	0.870	0.945	0.047	0	0
M3	628.890***	254	2.475	0.903	0.870	0.945	0.047	0	0
M4	657.392***	261	2.510	0.907	0.876	0.942	0.047	0.003	0
M5	659.343***	264	2.504	0.907	0.879	0.942	0.046	0	0.001

M1 = Having Temporary Residence Permit; M2 = No Temporary Residence Permit; M3 = Unconstrained; M4 = Measurement Weights; M5 = Structural Weights *** P < 0.001. χ2 = Chi square; df = degrees of freedom; GFI = Goodness of Fit Index; AGFI = Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index; CFI = Comparative Fitness Index; RMSEA = Root-mean Square Error of Approximation ∆CFI = change of CFI; ∆RMSEA = change of RMSEA.

The model fitness indices employed in the present study were goodness of fit index (GFI), adjusted goodness of fit (AGFI), comparative fit (CFI), and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), each meeting the corresponding standard. As shown in the Table 2, the fitness indices of the MEFC who had temporary residence permits (M1) and those without (M2) were the same: GFI = 0.903 > 0.9, AGFI = 0.870 > 0.8, CFI = 0.945 > 0.9, RMSEA = 0.047 < 0.050, implying that we could further check the measurement invariance between the Having Temporary Residence Permit group and the other group in the following models.

Then, we used the ∆CFI and ∆RMSEA between M3 (unconstrained model), M4 (measurement weights model), and M5 (structural weights model) to evaluate the measurement invariance. As shown in Table 2, the ∆CFI between M4 and M3 is 0.003, and that between M5 and M4 is 0. All the ∆CFI values were less than 0.010, indicating that the measurement invariance was established between the models M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5 across TRP. The ∆RMSEA between M4 and M3 was 0, and that between M5 and M4 was 0.001. All the ∆RMSEA values were less than 0.015, also indicating that the measurement invariance was established between the five models across the Having Temporary Residence Permit group and the other one [60, 61].

3.2.2. Model Fitness Indices

The proposed models of MEFC who had TRP and those who did not are illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively, containing three latent variables: loneliness, life satisfaction, and disagreements with their children. Due to the small size of the rectangle in SEM, we used ‘Household income and expenditure’ to represent the respondents’ satisfaction with household income and expenditure for short, other seven indicators of life satisfaction (Overall satisfaction, Feel happy, Filial piety of children, Marriage, Recreational activities, Getting assistance, Interpersonal relationships) are all same to ‘Household income and expenditure’. Table 2 shows the model fitness index of different models, but here we only focused on M1 (Having Temporary Residence Permit) and M2 (No Temporary Residence Permit). The estimated values of model fitness for both were the same: GFI = 0.903 > 0.9, AGFI = 0.870 > 0.8, CFI = 0.945 > 0.9, RMSEA = 0.047 < 0.050, indicating that the theoretical model fit the empirical data very well for both groups [62]. The Chi-square value in Amos is called CMIN, and it was significant, as shown in Table 2 (P < 0.001).

3.3. Relationship between Childcare Disagreements with Children, Life Satisfaction, and Loneliness using SEM

The association between loneliness, life satisfaction, and disagreements with their children is shown in Table 3, Fig. 2, and Fig. 3. In this study, there are three unobserved variables: loneliness, life satisfaction, and disagreement with the child.

Table 3

Standardized Effects between Childcare Disagreements with Children, Life Satisfaction, and Loneliness among MEFC by TRP.
Variable	Direct		Indirect		Total
Variable	Having TRP	None TRP	Having TRP	None TRP	Having TRP	None TRP
Childcare disagreements with children→Loneliness	0.149	0.187	0.184	0.122	0.339	0.307
Life Satisfaction→Loneliness	-0.515	-0.342	-	-	-0.515	-0.342
Childcare disagreements with children →Life Satisfaction	-0.369	-0.352	-	-	-0.369	-0.352

3.3.1. Association between Childcare Disagreements with Children and Loneliness

Childcare disagreements with children and its indicators exerted both direct and indirect effects on loneliness (through life satisfaction). The positive and direct effects were observed for both the MEFC holding TRP (standardized direct effects = 0.155) and those without TRP (standardized direct effects = 0.185). Meanwhile, childcare disagreements with children could affect loneliness positively and indirectly via life satisfaction (standardized indirect effect of 0.184 for MEFC holding TRP and 0.122 for MEFC without TRP). Eventually, childcare disagreements with children exerted a stronger positive effect on loneliness for the MEFC holding TRP than those without (standardized total effects = 0.339 and 0.307, respectively), which meant that the groups registering higher. Childcare disagreements with children would generally present a higher degree of loneliness. It is worth noting that the standardized total effects of the groups were statistically significant, yet very little difference was observed between the two groups.

3.3.2. Association between Life Satisfaction and Loneliness

A negative and direct relationship was observed between life satisfaction and loneliness among the MEFC in the survey, which meant that a better status of life satisfaction of the elderly would indicate a lower level of loneliness. Statistical significance was found across groups, and the coefficient was slightly stronger among the elderly with TRP (standardized total effects = -0.508 for those with TRP; standardized total effects = -0.346 for those without TRP).

3.3.3. Association between Childcare Disagreements with Children and Life Satisfaction

Regarding the relationship between childcare disagreements with children and life satisfaction, a negative and direct effect was found for all the MEFC in the survey (standardized total effect = -0.361 for MEFC holding TRP; standardized total effect = -0.352 for MEFC without TRP), indicating that the higher the disagreement with their children, the lower their life satisfaction. Statistical significance was found across groups, yet the relationship between childcare disagreements with children and life satisfaction was higher for the elderly holding TRP than for those without.

4.1. Main Findings and Comparison with Other Studies

Employing SEM, this study investigated the relationship between childcare disagreements with children, life satisfaction, and loneliness in MEFC in Jinan, China. The results revealed that life satisfaction was correlated with childcare disagreements with children, and they both affected loneliness. Regarding the impact of life satisfaction on loneliness, there is a clear difference between the groups with and without TRP.

4.1.1. Loneliness of the Participants

In this study, ULS-6 was used to measure the degree of loneliness of MEFC, and the results were similar to the study on the loneliness of the elderly living with their children in Liuyang, Hunan, which used the same scale [63]. There is a statistically significant difference in loneliness among different monthly income groups, and this result is similar to a study of elderly German immigrants, which concluded that the common phenomenon of loneliness among elderly immigrants was caused by their low socioeconomic status [64]. With the progress of the Chinese society, the lives of the elderly are becoming increasingly abundant. They need money to participate in different social activities to reduce loneliness. Another study in the Netherlands showed that the main sources of loneliness among elderly immigrants are a lack of belonging, homesickness related to their place of origin, and limited social networks [65]. This result is similar to the statistically significant different on the loneliness of MEFC by having TRP or not in this study.

4.1.2. Childcare Disagreements with Children and Loneliness

The present study shows that childcare disagreements with children have a positive effect on loneliness. Research in Amsterdam showed that disagreement with children in daily life could increase social and emotional loneliness in the elderly [66].Although intergenerational support has played a very positive role in the urban adaptation of MEFC [67], conflicts and contradictions are inevitable because of the large differences in the growth experience, personal appeals, behaviors, and values of parents and offspring. In terms of consumption, parents tend to be frugal because of their growing up circumstances, while the offspring are mostly influenced by consumerist culture. Therefore, the two generations will inevitably experience friction in their daily lives. In family relations, the gradual decline of the decision-making ability and economic status of the elderly have made them gradually have less power in the education of their grandchildren. Although filial values are still important for young migrants [68], the couples in this study generally had a low degree of financial dependence on their parents. When their personal wishes conflict with those of their parents, they are more likely to follow the decisions of the nuclear family, especially regarding their own children.

Meanwhile, the MEFC may encounter a dilemma between the altruism of taking care of their grandchildren and feeling underestimated while living in their children’s homes. Especially when the elderly and their children’s partners have different views regarding their grandchildren’s education and consumption, the elderly might be unfairly treated by their adult children. Although it can be a joyful task to spend time with beloved grandchildren, it can also be seen as a stressful burden that limits personal freedom [69]. At the same time, MEFC was far away from the familiar hometown, and even separated from their spouses. Dissatisfaction with the current life, and the discord between parents and children generate a loneliness that cannot be completely eliminated, even if they have the joy of being with their children and grandchildren.

These findings not only raise questions about the effectiveness of the most common loneliness interventions, but also further indicate that the focus of interventions should be to improve the quality of social relations among the elderly.4.1.3. Life Satisfaction and Loneliness

The loneliness of the MEFC in this study was negatively affected by life satisfaction. Research of elderly residing in nursing homes in the Philippines suggests that improving the life satisfaction of the elderly can reduce their feelings of loneliness, which is consistent with the results of this study [38].

In addition, China’s household registration system is an invisible barrier, which limits the spillover of social welfare benefits to rural residents and unregistered urban migrants [70]. The group with TRP presented a more significant connection between life satisfaction and loneliness. This may be because the migrant elderly in this group are willing to live for a long time, therefore, they subjectively pay more attention to the psychological impact of life satisfaction on themselves.

4.1.4. Childcare Disagreements with Children and Life Satisfaction

The life satisfaction of the MEFC in this study was negatively affected by disagreements with their children. Franks [71] observed that more family involvement was related to higher psychological distress. Previous studies have shown that due to the increasingly richer lives of elderly Chinese people, older people with better health do not need to live with their children, and their life satisfaction is higher [72]. Furthermore, Chinese seniors who live with their grandchildren have a much higher degree of happiness than their counterparts. However, living with their grandchildren, and implicitly their children, as a condition will have a negative effect on the happiness of the elderly [73].

Family is an important support for the material and spiritual life of the elderly, especially in China, where the concept of family is emphasized in traditional culture [74]. However, the MEFC gave up their original way of life, and when they came to the new environment, they regarded their children as a strong spiritual support. The difference in concepts between the two generations may lead to the elderly believing that their efforts to take care of their children and their families have no corresponding return. Thus, disagreement with their children reduces the life satisfaction of the elderly.

4.2. Implications

There are many reasons for the loneliness of the MEFC. To alleviate it, the government could take the following measures. First, it can focus on protective factors, such as organizing regular cultural and sports activities for the elderly and opening community activity centers to help MEFC into the new environment. More community centers and recreational spaces are needed to facilitate interaction and mutual help between migrants and the local senior citizens. Second, contrary to what is commonly believed, the MEFC leave their hometown to take care of their children’s family, but they do not always get emotional comfort from getting along with their children and grandchildren. The workload of caring for children is heavy, and disagreeing with their offspring make the MEFC feel that they are outside the family. The children of the MEFC should manifest filial piety toward their parents; it is necessary that children care about their parents not only from a material, but also from a psychological perspective, thus creating a harmonious family atmosphere.

4.3. Limitations

The present study has several limitations. First, due to the impact of COVID-19, our research only chosen MEFC in Jinan as the research object, which might not fully reflect the loneliness level of MEFC in China. Second, there may be more confounding factors than those considered in this study. Third, the loneliness of elderly migrants may be biased by memories, because influenced by traditional Chinese concepts, some of them are ashamed to express their true feelings and psychological state. Fourth, this study did not use the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), which can also be improved in future studies.

4.4. Future Research

In view of the rapid aging of China’s population, these findings should provide some insights into the current living conditions of MEFC and suggest ways to appropriately support them to ensure effective aging policies. There are many reasons for the loneliness of the MEFC and it's worth finding the specific causes. We hope that more scholars will be inspired to focus on the loneliness of MEFC. For future research, qualitative studies are needed to conduct to shed light on the results of the data.

The present study expounded the empirical association between childcare disagreements with children, life satisfaction, and loneliness among MEFC in China. Childcare disagreements with children were found to have a significant positive impact on the loneliness of the elderly, whether they had a TRP or not, with a slightly stronger effect among the elderly who had a TRP. Significant and negative relationships were observed between life satisfaction and loneliness, and the relationship was stronger among the elderly with TRP. Childcare disagreements with children have a negative impact on the life satisfaction of the surveyed elderly migrants who followed their children, with a slightly stronger effect in those with TRP.

Author Contributions: Y.Z. analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript. F.K. applied to the fund to support this study; designed the study; completed the questionnaire design; supervised and joined the data collection; instructed the writing, statistical analysis, and data processing; and provided comments on the modification of the manuscript. S.L. gave many valuable comments on the draft and also polished it. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding: This study was supported and funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71804094), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2016M592161), Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (No. ZR2016GB02), Postdoctoral Science Foundation of Shandong Province (No. 201603021), and The Fundamental Research Funds of Shandong University (No. 2015HW002, No. 2018JC055).

Institutional Review Board Statement: The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Ethics Committee of Shandong University (No. 20180225).

Informed Consent Statement: Informed consent for data collection and use of the data were obtained from all subjects.

Data Availability Statement: The data are available on request from the corresponding author in this study. The data are not publicly available due to privacy restrictions.

Acknowledgments: The research team greatly appreciates the funding support and research participants for their cooperation and support.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest

Consent for publication：Not applicable

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No competing interests reported.

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Association between Childcare disagreements with children, Life Satisfaction, and Loneliness among the migrant elderly following children in Jinan, China

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Abstract

Figures

1. Introduction

2. Methods

2.1. Study Location

2.2. Data Collection and Research Subjects

2.3. Measurements

2.3.1. Short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-6)

2.3.2. Social Demographic Characteristics

2.3.3. Life Satisfaction

2.3.4. Childcare Disagreements with Children

2.4. Statistical Analysis

3. Results

3.1. Sample Characteristics

3.2. The Structural Model

3.2.1. Measurement Invariance Across Groups

3.2.2. Model Fitness Indices

3.3. Relationship between Childcare Disagreements with Children, Life Satisfaction, and Loneliness using SEM

3.3.1. Association between Childcare Disagreements with Children and Loneliness

3.3.2. Association between Life Satisfaction and Loneliness

3.3.3. Association between Childcare Disagreements with Children and Life Satisfaction

4. Discussion

4.1. Main Findings and Comparison with Other Studies

4.1.1. Loneliness of the Participants

4.1.2. Childcare Disagreements with Children and Loneliness

4.1.4. Childcare Disagreements with Children and Life Satisfaction

4.2. Implications

4.3. Limitations

4.4. Future Research

5. Conclusions

Declarations

References

Additional Declarations

Supplementary Files

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