失独对老年人身心健康的影响及作用机制研究

The death of only child is one of the most extreme stressful life events leading to the health inequality of the elderly. It will not only cause irreversible health damage, but also have a series of long-term negative effects on the social integration and daily behavior of the elderly. The coping process can take months or even years. The existing research does not agree on the health spillover effect of the loss of child, mainly because the differentiation of social capital is not considered. Based on the important public policy issue of the physical and mental health of the elderly who have lost their only child, this project carries out empirical research from three aspects: First, construct an integrated analytical framework to explain how the loss of only child affects the health outcomes of the elderly. Second, use micro survey data to assess the direct impact of the loss of only child on elders’ mortality risk, physical and mental health, as well as three influence mechanisms, to explore how the loss of only child affects elders’ health through social network structure, healthy behavior and external social conditions. Finally, combined with in-depth interviews and case studies, we test the multiple mechanisms that loss of only child affects elders’ health outcomes, and evaluate the relevant pension, medical care and social care policies. This project has practical guiding significance for the improvement of social assistance system, the design of health promotion and intervention programs in the context of population aging, and will also enrich the theoretical results in the corresponding fields.

独生子女死亡是导致老年健康不平等的最极端的压力生活事件之一，不仅会造成不可逆转的健康损伤，还会对老年人的社会融合和日常行为产生一系列长期负面影响，其调整、干预和恢复可能需要数月甚至数年。现有研究对失独的健康溢出效应究竟如何并未达成一致，主要是因为未考虑社会资本的差异化作用。本项目立足失独老人的身心健康这一重要的公共政策议题，从三个方面切入展开实证研究：首先，构建了一个解释失独影响老年身心健康的整合性分析框架。其次，利用微观调查数据，实证评估失独对老年人死亡风险和身心健康的直接影响及三种影响机制，探究失独如何通过社会网络结构、健康行为和外部社会条件影响老年健康。最后，结合深度访谈和案例研究，检验失独影响老年健康的多重机制，并对养老、医疗、社会关怀政策进行评估分析。本项目对人口老龄化背景下社会救助政策的优化及健康促进和社会干预项目的设计具有指导意义，也将丰富相应理论成果。

独生子女死亡是导致老年健康不平等的最极端的压力生活事件之一，不仅会对老年父母造成不可逆转的健康损伤，还会对老年人的社会融合和日常行为产生一系列长期负面影响，其调整、干预和恢复可能需要数月甚至数年。一些失去孩子的父母经历了悲伤的递减过程，而另一些父母则长期无法适应与恢复，并经历了持续的负面健康损伤。现有研究对失独的健康溢出效应究竟如何并未达成一致，主要是因为未考虑社会资本的差异化作用。本项目立足失独老人的身心健康这一重要的公共政策议题，结合依恋理论与认知压力理论理论，构建了一个解释失独影响老年身心健康的整合性分析框架。其次，在此框架下实证评估失独对老年人死亡风险和身心健康的影响，发现失去独生子女的父母比未失去独生子女父母有更差的自我评价健康和更多的负面情绪，这种健康损伤在独生子女死亡后的多年时间持续存在。第三，检验了社会融入对失独与老年健康之间关系的中介作用，发现社会融入的减弱可以解释失独对自我评价健康影响的24.8%和对负面情绪影响的6.7%。最后，检验了父母和子女个人特征的异质性作用，发现失独的健康损害效应在失去儿子的母亲和有更强生育意愿的父母身上更为明显。项目的研究发现对识别计划生育脆弱群体、制定更为精准的社会救助政策和纳入社会资本的包容性干预项目具有实践意义。