Relocation Stress, Marital and Fertility Decisions, and Living Arrangements at Old Age

Kuanjeng Chen Project Coordinator Chang Gung University Our previous studies indicate that while most of the elderly live with the adult children in contemporary Taiwan, the elderly in solitude is evolving to become a major social problem in 50 years, due to a lower than replacement fertility and a high mobility among the young adults. We propose a three year-three prone project to study the dynamics of shifting living arrangement at old age， the impacts of marriage and childbearing decisions on the elderly living arrangement, and the development of relocation stress syndrome for the elderly transferring from one mode of living arrangement to the other. The project is designed to employ demographic, psychological, and economic perspectives for a comprehensive understanding of the issue, and to facilitate an exchange of the perspectives. We will examine batches of “survey of the elderly conditions” and “survey of the knowledge, attitude, and practice of contraception” extending from 1965 until 2005 for the construction of multi-state life tables of living arrangements at old age and the probabilities of transferring from one mode of living arrangement to the other, given the sex, age, marital and health status, fertility and mortality. A measurement of the relocation stress syndrome will also be developed and utilised to observe and record the building and coping of the stress.

Project ID:PF9708-0438
External Project ID:NSC95-2745-H182-001-HPU