Elderly perceptions of communication with older and younger adults in China: Implications for mental health

Abstract

Research on intergenerational communication has shown that young people often report negative experiences when talking with elderly people who are not family members. Some of this research has recently begun to investigate the Asian Pacific Rim, an area of interest because of its tradition of filial piety. The present study complements this by looking at the other side of the generational coin by investigating elderly people's views of intergenerational and intra‐generational communication in the People's Republic of China. These perceptions are related to informants’ feelings of depression, self‐esteem, and a sense of coherence in life. It was found that other older adults were perceived simultaneously as more nonaccommodative and more accommodative than young adults, and that some communication behaviors of young family members were perceived more positively than both those of elderly peer and young non‐family adults. Results further suggest that some aspects of the intragenerational communication climate may have implications for older people's feelings of depression and self‐esteem. The applied and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.