Li Y, Chi I, Krochalk PC, Xu L. Widowhood, family support, and self-rated health among older adults in China
Int J Soc Welfare 2011: ••: ••–••© 2011 The Author(s), International Journal of Social Welfare © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare.
Although widowhood can be an extended life experience, research generally treats the widowed as one homogenous group, thus masking the variability within this group. Using national representative survey data from China, we examined whether length of widowhood among older adults moderates the effects of family support on self-rated health. Based on bivariate descriptive statistics and logistic regressions and controlling for demographic variables, we found that persons who were widowed longer, had more children, and took care of grandchildren were more likely to report poor self-rated health than their married counterparts. In addition, those widowed were less likely to report negative health if they regarded their children as filial, particularly among those widowed longer, thus suggesting that filial piety may have a buffering effect. Further specified is the complex role family support plays in self-rated health suggesting that length of time widowed should be considered in order to understand its long-term effects on health status.