Page 65 - IJPS-2-1

Yiqing Yang and Ming Wen

Table 1. Sample descriptive statistics (N=432)
Variables Range M (SD) %
Parental satisfaction (ref.= dissatisfaction) 0–1 64.81
Relationship quality with offspring 1–3
All children met expectation 70.60
At least one but not all met expectation 18.98
None met expectation 10.42
Emotional support from offspring 1–3
All children met expectation 69.91
At least one but not all met expectation 17.59
None met expectation 12.50
Practical support from offspring 1–3
All children met expectation 59.26
At least one but not all met expectation 17.59
None met expectation 23.15
Financial support from offspring 1–3
All children met expectation 72.69
At least one but not all met expectation 13.89
None met expectation 13.43
Offspring’s filial piety 1–3
All children met expectation 80.56
At least one but not all met expectation 14.35
None met expectation 5.09
Controls
Age 60–79 66.24 (5.00)
Female (ref.=male) 0–1 55.32
Married (ref.= widowed/divorced) 0–1 77.08
Financial strain (ref. = no) 0–1 39.59
Self-rated health a 1–5 2.31 (0.91)
Offspring’s marriage
All children met expectation 67.36
At least one but not all met expectation 25.46
None met expectation 7.18
Offspring’s SES
All children met expectation 48.15
At least one but not all met expectation 24.77
None met expectation 27.08
a Higher scores indicate better health.
ref. = reference group.

4. Discussion

This study identifies correlates of parental satisfaction in late life in a sample of 432 older parents aged
60 to 79 with 1,223 adult children from one of the least developed counties in China. Results indicated
that most parents reported being satisfied with their parental roles, and we found support to our three
hypotheses. Specifically, relationship quality with offspring, offspring’s emotional support, offspring’s
practical support, offspring’s financial support, and offspring’s filial piety were positive correlates

International Journal of Population Studies | 2016, Volume 2, Issue 1 59