Kinship bereavement and psychological well-being of U.S. Chinese older women and men

Abstract

This study examined the relationship of kinship bereavement with the psychological well-being of Chinese American older women and men. Data from the Population Study of ChINese Elderly were used. Respondents were asked if their spouse, children/grandchildren, siblings, close relatives, and friends had died. Widowhood was associated with more loneliness for both genders. For women, close relative/friend loss was associated with more stress, and children/grandchildren loss was linked to stronger anxiety. Only coefficients for close relative in the stress model were significantly different between genders. The variation in patterns of kinship bereavement may be attributed to Chinese cultural attitudes toward death.