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Can money substitute adult children's absence? Measuring remittances' compensation effect on the health of rural migrants' left-behind elderly parents
Abstract In rural China, remittances were believed to play a pivotal role in compensating the left-behind elderly parents for their health loss due to their adult children's outmigration. No prior study, however, has explored how much remittances matter. The endogeneity issues are the main obstacles to clearly answer this question. Using China Family Panel Studies data, this study combines Extended Regression Models and Mediation Analysis to measure the compensation effect of remittances on the health of migrants' left-behind elderly parents in rural China. The results show that migrants' remittances could compensate partial loss of their elderly parents' self-reported health and mental health, but not with other health indicators' deterioration, such as body mass index. Specifically, migrant workers' remittances are able to compensate their elderly parents' 15.33 percent loss in self-reported health and 20.37 percent loss in mental health. This means adult children's outmigration has significant consequences on their aging parents' health; and their remittances' compensation effect is quite limited.
Highlights Adult children's out-migration impairs their left-behind elderly parents' health in rural China. Remittances compensate for 15.33 percent of the loss in self-reported health of the left-behind parents. Remittances compensate for 20.37 percent of the loss in mental health of the left-behind parents. Remittances failed to compensate for the deterioration in left-behind elder parents' BMI status.
Can money substitute adult children's absence? Measuring remittances' compensation effect on the health of rural migrants' left-behind elderly parents
Abstract In rural China, remittances were believed to play a pivotal role in compensating the left-behind elderly parents for their health loss due to their adult children's outmigration. No prior study, however, has explored how much remittances matter. The endogeneity issues are the main obstacles to clearly answer this question. Using China Family Panel Studies data, this study combines Extended Regression Models and Mediation Analysis to measure the compensation effect of remittances on the health of migrants' left-behind elderly parents in rural China. The results show that migrants' remittances could compensate partial loss of their elderly parents' self-reported health and mental health, but not with other health indicators' deterioration, such as body mass index. Specifically, migrant workers' remittances are able to compensate their elderly parents' 15.33 percent loss in self-reported health and 20.37 percent loss in mental health. This means adult children's outmigration has significant consequences on their aging parents' health; and their remittances' compensation effect is quite limited.
Highlights Adult children's out-migration impairs their left-behind elderly parents' health in rural China. Remittances compensate for 15.33 percent of the loss in self-reported health of the left-behind parents. Remittances compensate for 20.37 percent of the loss in mental health of the left-behind parents. Remittances failed to compensate for the deterioration in left-behind elder parents' BMI status.
Can money substitute adult children's absence? Measuring remittances' compensation effect on the health of rural migrants' left-behind elderly parents
Pan, Zehan (author) / Dong, Weizhen (author)
Journal of Rural Studies ; 79 ; 216-225
2020-08-11
10 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
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