Depressive Symptoms Among Adult Children Aged 55 Years or Older: The Effects of Support Provided to Their Older Parents

Objectives This study examines the effects of frequency of visits, monetary, and in-kind support provided to older parents on the depressive symptoms of adult children. Method This study drew secondary data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study Follow-up Questionnaire. A total of 629 older children aged 55 years and older (M = 59.80, standard deviation = 3.90) met the inclusion criteria. The dependent variable—depressive symptoms—was measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Results Approximately 22% of participants reported clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses found that more frequent visits and monetary support to older parents were related to lower levels of depressive symptoms in older children. Conclusion Providing monetary support to parents may help mitigate a major concern of parents: health-care costs. Older children’s altruistic behaviors meet legal and cultural expectations in Chinese society, contributing to family intimacy and thereby their own mental health outcomes.