Abstract
Rapid ageing trend spotlights the need for more eldercare. Care preparation as a form of proactive coping can mitigate the negative effects of potential eldercare needs. Acquisition and preservation of resources are essential for effective proactive coping. The roles of digital literacy and intergenerational relationships as two significant resources on older people’s care preparation are still understudied. Integrating social convoy theory, intergenerational solidarity theory and proactive coping theory, this study compared the levels of digital literacy, intergenerational relationships and care preparation in son-dominant, daughter-dominant, and daughter and son-balance families; and examined the direct and indirect effects of digital literacy on care preparation through intergenerational relationships. Data of 3,626 participants with at least one adult child were drawn from the Panel Study of Active Ageing and Society, designed to be a biennial study conducted with a representative sample of people older than 50 years in Hong Kong. ANOVA was used to compare scores of key variables in three types of families. PROCESS was used to examine the mediation effects. Results showed that digital literacy directs and indirectly influence care preparation through intergenerational relationships for ageing parents. The findings implicate the need to enhance older people’s digital literacy and foster their intergenerational relationships, thereby assisting them to be well-prepared for care needs in later life.
Presenters
Xue BaiAssociate Professor and Director of Research Centre for Gerontology and Family Studies, Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Care preparation, Family solidarity, Social policy
