PRODUCTIVE AGING FAMILY CAREGIVING AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING OF OLDER ADULTS IN CANADA

摘要

Productive aging is a significant topic in the gerontological study, which is closely and positively associated with older people’s subjective wellbeing. However, family caregiving as a key aspect of productive aging may plays a different role in this scenario. Current study intends to explore the relationship between older adults’ engagement in different productive activities and their subjective wellbeing in Canadian context. Using the secondary data from General Social Survey (Cycle 22)-Social Network, analyses are conducted to explore the relationship between productive activities include employment, volunteering, family caregiving (for children or senior) and housework, and subjective wellbeing includes life satisfaction, happiness and perceived mental health. Analyses based on general aging population indicate that older adults actively engaging in employment, voluntarism, and housework would report better subjective wellbeing, but family caregiving for seniors is negatively associated with subjective wellbeing. Analysis is further conducted within different groups of aging population. As a result, involve in voluntarism and housework activities are positively related to their life satisfaction among aging people from ethno-cultural or immigration communities. Also, a positive relationship between volunteering activities and subjective wellbeing, and negative relationship between caregiving for senior and life satisfaction/perceived mental health are identified among Canadian born aging people. The findings reveal the different role of family caregiving in later life regarding to subjective wellbeing. Also, with the increasing aging and diversified population in Canada, the findings emphasize the importance of providing better-tailored service to support aging people from varying demographic background.