A study of family support, friendship, and psychological well-being among older women in Hong Kong
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
The International Journal of Aging and Human Development
Publication Date
2002
Volume
55
Issue
4
First Page
299
Last Page
319
Publisher
Sage Publications, Inc.
Abstract
The "dual-channel" hypothesis (Lawton, 1996), which suggests the dual-antecedent pattern for positive and negative aspects of psychological well-being, was tested by examining the differential relationships between objective and subjective measures of family support (family contact, family quality, perceived importance of family) and friendship (friends support, friends quality, perceived importance of friendship) to two facets of psychological well-being (positive and negative affect). Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a sample of 60 older women aged 60 to 85 in one district of Hong Kong. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses, controlling for age and marital status, demonstrated that two subjective measures (family quality and perceived importance of friendship) were significant predictors of positive affect; and one subjective measure (family quality) was a significant predictor of negative affect. The "dual-channel" hypothesis was partially supported. Recommendations regarding informal support provision for older women are discussed.
DOI
10.2190/2K1W-HWLP-JKD5-LRP6
Print ISSN
00914150
E-ISSN
15413535
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2002, Baywood Publishing Co., Inc
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Additional Information
Paper presented at the 7th Annual Congress of Gerontology, 27-Nov-99, Hong Kong, China.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Siu, O.-L., & Phillips, D. R. (2002). A study of family support, friendship, and psychological well-being among older women in Hong Kong. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 55(4), 299-319. doi: 10.2190/2K1W-HWLP-JKD5-LRP6