Intergenerational Time-for-Money Exchanges in Rural China: Does Reciprocity Reduce Depressive Symptoms of Older Grandparents?

Abstract

In this study, we examined how children's financial support influenced the depressive symptoms of older parents in rural China. The mutual aid model of the Chinese family suggests that the psychological benefits of economic receipts would be contingent on whether older parents provided child care for the offspring of their migrant children. The sample we analyzed consisted of 1,027 parents, aged 60 and older, living in the rural village of Anhui Province, a region with high rates of labor force migration. Clustered regression analysis of longitudinal data from 3,112 parent–child dyads showed that financial support from children reduced depression in older parents. Further, the psychological benefits were most pronounced when financial support was accompanied by full-time provision of child care to the offspring of migrant children, particularly of daughters. We conclude that intergenerational “time-for-money” reciprocity is not only a survival strategy for ensuring the economic prosperity of rural migrant families in China but can also contribute positively to the psychological well-being of grandparents left behind.