Living arrangements and psychological well-being of the elderly after the economic transition in Vietnam

• Main Authors: YAMADA, Ken, TEERAWICHITCHAINAN, Bussarawan
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2015
• Subjects: Elderly left behind; Intergenerational coresidence; Internal migration; Psychological well-being; Asian Studies; Family, Life Course, and Society; Gerontology; Health Economics; Medicine and Health; Sociology
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1899; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/3156/viewcontent/Yamada_Teerawichitchainan_JGSS15__1_.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

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.