This application is a transfer of our prior application (R01MD006173) to examine the relationship between adult children's filial piety and psychosocial wellbeing of Chinese older adults. Despite the rapid growth of Chinese populations, we have the most rudimentary understanding of many important issues facing the US Chinese older adults . More specifically, there are significant disparities in psychosocial wellbeing among Chinese older adults, who have the highest suicide rate than any other racial/ethnic group in the US. This marked health disparity is further exacerbated by the linguistic and cultural complexities when studying these issues as well as the inadequate community support necessary to empower the Chinese community to be fully engaged as equal partners in research. These impediments necessitate a deeper understanding broader contextual cultural factors associated with psychosocial distress, through the development of sustainable community-academic partnership and the reciprocal transfer of expertise to improve the health of the Chinese population. Accordingly, we will leverage a comprehensive model of community-based participatory research (CBPR) to examine the relationship between important cultural factors and psychosocial wellbeing of Chinese older adults. Among many important cultural factors, filial piety is the most important and defines relationships between adult children and their parents. Improved understanding of filial piety could improve our understanding of a key contextual factor that may affect psychosocial wellbeing of Chinese older adults. The primary specific aims are to: 1) examine the relationship between adult children's filial piety with older adult's psychosocial wellbeing;2) examine the relationship between the discrepancies in adult children's filial behaviors and older adult's filial expectations with the psychosocial wellbeing of older adults; and 3) examine the degree to which adult children's filial piety influences other risk factors associated with psychological distress and social isolation of older adults. The secondary specific aims are to: 4) explore the influence of other relevant cultural factors on above relationship (aims 1-3); and 5) identify through semi-structure interviews the Stress, barriers, challenges and cultural variations in the adherence and expectation of filial piety in both adult children and older adults.To achieve these objectives, a bilingual and bicultural principal investigator and an experienced interdisciplinary team will build on our NIH funded CBPR projects to collaborate with Chicago Chinese community groups. The findings from this proposal could inform the successful conduct of future prevention and intervention studies to improve psychosocial wellbeing in US Chinese older adults.
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