健康传播中的反哺效应: 代际沟通对中老年人传染病防控行为的影响研究

The middle-aged and elderly population is one of the most vulnerable groups in the COVID-19 pandemic. Adult children provide the most important social support to the elderly, and also serve as one of the most important information sources for this group. Family communication pattern is a critical factor that affects the efficiency and the effectiveness in health communication in a family setting. Conversation orientation predicts family members’ positive health attitudes and behaviors, while conformity orientation predicts health issues concealment.
Based on FCP, the study examines the effects of intergenerational communication on the middle-aged and elderly’s health information seeking and health behaviors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Via a survey of 193 elderly people (mean age=49.18 years), the results indicate that family communication orientation (conformity/conversation orientation) is related to interpersonal discussions about COVID-19 and preventive behaviors against COVID-19. COVID-19 discussion served as a mediator between family communication orientation and negative emotions as well as preventive measures. In particular, intergenerational communication about scientific knowledge mediated the effects of family communication orientation and preventive measures; disputed communication over COVID-19 topics mediated the effects of conformity orientation on negative emotions. The reverse socialization from youth to the middle-aged and elderly can significantly enhance the middle-aged and elderly’s emotional health as well as preventive behaviors, and bear important practical implications for disease prevention and health literacy enhancement among the elderly populations. The conversation orientation increases the middle-aged and elderly’s health knowledge and behaviors, and strengthens the emotional bonding and mutual understanding between the elder and their children. Conformity orientation increases intergeneration differences and brings more negative emotions and unpleasant communications to the middle-aged and elder. These unpleasant family communications further contribute toward hindering their health literacy improvement for a long time.
The findings enrich the horizon of intergenerational communication in health communication, provide empirical evidences for reverse socialization in the health context, and offer valuable suggestions for promoting health behaviors among the aging populations. Health intervention should consider adult children as a key stakeholder and leverage their role in promoting health behaviors among the elderly. They should be advised with strategies that facilities intergenerational health communication and health literacy enhancement. The middle-aged and elderly should be advised to cultivate conversation orientation in family communication.