Social Network Types and Subjective Well-being in Chinese Older Adults

The study examined social network types in a sample of 1,005 older Chinese adults in Hong Kong and the networks’ relations to subjective well-being. Given the nature of kinship in Chinese society, we broke down social support provision by closeness of blood ties (immediate kin, distant kin, and non-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2009-11, Vol.64B (6), p.713-722
Main Authors: Cheng, Sheung-Tak, Lee, Coty K. L., Chan, Alfred C. M., Leung, Edward M. F., Lee, Jik-Joen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult. Elderly
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging - ethnology
Aging - psychology
Asian people
Biological and medical sciences
Cluster analysis
Cross-Cultural Comparison
Cultural Groups
Developmental psychology
Distant
Elderly
Elderly people
Extended Family
Family
Family Relations
Female
Friends
Friends - psychology
Friendship
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Geriatric psychology
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Chinese
Humans
Kinship
Kinship Networks
Leisure Activities
Male
Middle Aged
Older people
Psychological aspects
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Quality of Life - psychology
Social network
Social Networks
Social Support
Subjective well-being
Subjective wellbeing
Well Being
Wellbeing
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Summary:The study examined social network types in a sample of 1,005 older Chinese adults in Hong Kong and the networks’ relations to subjective well-being. Given the nature of kinship in Chinese society, we broke down social support provision by closeness of blood ties (immediate kin, distant kin, and non-kin). Using K-means cluster analysis, we identified 5 network types: diverse, friend focused, restricted, family focused, and distant family. The latter was characterized by few immediate kin but mostly distant kin. Diverse and family-focused networks were most beneficial to well-being, whereas restricted networks were least. Distant family networks were associated with only marginally lower well-being than family-focused networks and were comparable to friend-focused networks. Results suggested the importance of the extended family in support provision for Chinese older adults, especially in the absence of immediate kin and friends. Implications of the present findings for other cultural groups are discussed.
ISSN:1079-5014
1758-5368
DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbp075