Fueled by years of the lowest mortality and fertility rates worldwide, Hong Kong has become one of the fastest‐aging societies in the world with a high proportion of older adults among Asia Pacific regions. Against this background, the aging situation has elicited new risks and opportunities to facilitate a positive life for the older adults. In light of the aging situation, attention is drawn to the quality of aging, such that the concepts of healthy aging, active aging, successful aging and positive aging are frequently encountered. Positive aging was introduced in this study as a pressing concept for longer-life societies, which answers the question that how older people could positively live their longer lives to the full. Specifically, the present study examined the contribution of social support networks (e.g., structure, function, and emotional closeness) and coping (e.g., problem, emotion and avoidance) to positive aging inspired by a convoy approach.
Grounded in a holistic review of theories and literature on the research topic, the present study constructed a conceptual framework and proposed 4 main research questions and 38 hypotheses. A mixed-method approach was adopted to explicate the situation of positive aging and the contribution of social support networks and coping with a particular interest in family and peer support networks.
The present research consisted of two phases of studies. The pilot study was a qualitative study that employed in-depth interview with 16 older participants from two District Elderly Community Center (DECC) in Hong Kong. Interviewees were asked to talk about their opinions towards the main research questions in the constructed interview guidelines. Thematic findings were collected and analyzed, from which inspirations of scale construction in the main study were drawn. The main study was a cross-sectional survey of 393 older people who were conveniently selected from six DECC in Hong Kong through a multi-stage sampling method. Face-to-face interviews were carried out by trained student interviewers using a constructed questionnaire.
The present study depicted an indigenous landscape of positive aging of older Hong Kong Chinese in the community center with lower-middle socioeconomic statuses. It clearly presented the contributing factors including perceived socioeconomic status, social network size, family/peer social networks, emotional closeness and problem/ emotion coping. The results of the study indicated that family and peer support constituted the mainstay of support networks of the elderly, of which family and peer emotional closeness were positively predictive of positive aging. Peer groups, including center members, friends, old colleagues, neighbors, and old classmates can provide vital emotional support and companionship support to older people in the community, assisting them in coping with stressors. Moreover, the study found that a larger close social network might not be equivalent to higher quality of close relationships. It is the depth of emotional closeness, namely, close interaction and intimacy with social partners that makes more contributions to positive aging. Amongst the three coping strategies (e.g., problem, emotion and avoidance coping), avoidance coping was prevalently used by older adults in all age groups. Participants with higher education background tended to use more problem and emotion coping. Additionally, problem and emotion coping were found to mediate the relationship between social support network and positive aging. With regard to the role of domestic helper in providing social support to the elderly, the instrumental and companionship support provided by domestic helpers were beneficial. There is potential in bringing more domestic helpers in elderly care and improving the service quality such that the goal of aging in place (AiP) can be promoted in Hong Kong.
Significant findings of this study are essential to facilitate the Hong Kong elderly to age well in the community, shedding light on the meanings and benefits of the notion AiP. The study echoes a few implications and contributions to policy makers (e.g., facilitate peer support networks and build dynamic elderly community center), social services (e.g., develop more center members) and common families (e.g., enhance positive interaction within generations and support caring and productive engagement) to assist the elderly to lead a positive life in the community. On the practice level, it is suggested that the community and families should pay more attention to the physiologic, psychological and societal needs of older adults, mobilize resources and develop emotional closeness together with the elderly.
The limitations of this study have been duly noted. On the academic level, longitudinal studies are recommended to unravel the unsolved research questions from a lifespan perspective. In addition, future research is suggested to enrich the framework and predictors of the convoy model. In the meantime, the results and implications of the current research regarding the concept, framework and measurement of positive aging require further demonstration and extension in other populations at home and abroad, motivated by the desire to promote well-being in later life.
| Date of Award | 3 Oct 2014 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Awarding Institution | - City University of Hong Kong
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| Supervisor | Ming Lin Alice CHONG (Supervisor) |
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