Social networks and societal position are key drivers of the spiritual well-being of the parents of migrants in rural West Bengal

ABSTRACT

India has been upholding the traditional custom of multigenerational co-residence and is well known for its spiritual legacy. However, the era of globalization and urbanization has reshaped family structures, with adult migration influencing older parents’ spiritual journeys. The study investigates the differences in spiritual well-being among parents of migrants and non-migrants and the influence of social-familial position and social network on spiritual well-being using a cross-sectional survey conducted by 500 elderly parents. The study revealed that the mean score of spiritual well-being was significantly lower among parents of migrants compared to parents of non-migrants. Social networks enhance the spiritual well-being of elderly parents considerably. Social networks enhance spiritual well-being, particularly for parents of migrants, to a greater extent than among parents of non-migrants. Moreover, the study found that household decision-making roles emerged as a significant predictor of spiritual well-being, with more substantial effects observed among parents of migrants compared to non-migrants. Policymakers and social services providers should focus on strengthening social network structures for elderly parents, especially for parents of migrants. This could foster more robust social networks and empower older individuals to participate in household decision-making processes, which will ensure better spiritual well-being in the context of adult-child migration.

KEYWORDS:

• Ageing
• multigenerational co-residence
• social network
• spiritual well-being

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability statement

The study is based on primary data source only.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study took ethical clearance from the Students Research Ethics Committee of the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) before conducting the survey. The purpose and data collection procedure were explained to the district social welfare officer and Gram Pradhan. Potential respondents were interviewed and informed about the study’s objective, protocol, and time requirements. Confidentiality and inconveniences to answer any question(s) they can skip or end of the interview at any point in time were also explained to this protentional respondent. The study did not offer any incentives to respondents to participate.

Additional information

Funding

We did not receive any grants from any funding agency in public, commercial, or non-profit sectors for conducting this present study.