Family relations and life satisfaction of older people: a comparative study between two different hukous in China

This paper examined the relationships between family relations and life satisfaction between the two groups of older people with different hukous in Putian, Fujian, China. Five factors related to family relations: family support network, satisfaction with family support, family harmony, filial support and filial discrepancy, were included in the study. A total of 532 valid questionnaires, 263 and 269 being filled in by older people with agricultural and non-agricultural hukous, respectively, were obtained. Bivariate analyses indicated that five factors were correlated significantly with life satisfaction for both groups of older people. The results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that when controlling for socio-demographic variables, filial support was associated with life satisfaction for both groups of older people; satisfaction with family support and filial discrepancy was only associated with life satisfaction among older people with agricultural hukous; family harmony only contributed to explaining life satisfaction among older people with non-agricultural hukous. The present study confirmed some previous empirical findings, which indicated the importance of family relations to older people's lives, and extended our understanding about the correlates of life satisfaction for the two groups of older people with different hukous in China. Limitations and direction of future studies were also addressed. Meanwhile, the policy and practice implications of the study were discussed in the context of China's social and economic changes.