Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
11-2015
Abstract
Objectives: We examine the relationship between living arrangements and psychological well-being of the older adults in Vietnam, where there is an influence of Confucian values and a lack of close substitutes for family care of the older adults, by exploiting a great deal of regional variation in economic development. We also examine the role of living arrangements in well-being differentials across regions. Method: We estimate a triangular simultaneous-equation discrete-response model, which accounts for the simultaneity between living arrangements and psychological well-being (happiness, depression, loneliness, poor appetite, and sleep disorder), using a nationally representative sample of 2,225 adults aged 60 and older drawn from the 2011 Vietnam Aging Survey. Results: Intergenerational coresidence significantly increases the psychological wellbeing of the older adults in Vietnam. The results are fairly robust, even after taking quasicoresidence into account, decomposing the psychological well-being index into each affect and symptom, and splitting the sample by gender. Discussion: Changes in living arrangements induced by differences in labor market opportunities in neighboring regions have resulted in significant differences in psychological well-being among the older adults. The findings point to the need for attention to the mental health of elderly parents left behind in less economically developed regions.
Keywords
Elderly left behind, Intergenerational coresidence, Internal migration, Psychological well-being
Discipline
Asian Studies | Family, Life Course, and Society | Gerontology | Health Economics | Medicine and Health | Sociology
Research Areas
Applied Microeconomics; Sociology
Publication
Journals of Gerontology, Series B
Volume
70
Issue
6
First Page
957
Last Page
968
ISSN
1079-5014
Identifier
10.1093/geronb/gbv059
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Citation
YAMADA, Ken, & TEERAWICHITCHAINAN, Bussarawan.(2015). Living arrangements and psychological well-being of the elderly after the economic transition in Vietnam. Journals of Gerontology, Series B, 70(6), 957-968.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1899
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbv059
Included in
Asian Studies Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Gerontology Commons, Health Economics Commons, Medicine and Health Commons