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Emotional and instrumental supports from adult children have been shown to increase positive outcomes among older adults. In this study, we examined the association between intergenerational transfer and self-rated health as well as the mediating and moderating roles of resilience and gender, respectively, using data from Chinese older adults in Honolulu (N=400). We found that the impact of emotional and instrumental support varied by gender. Further, we found that resilience significantly mediated the positive effect of provided economic support on health of older men (resilience mediated 25.1% of the total effect) as well as the positive effect of received emotional support on health of older women (resilience mediated 35.3% of the total effect). Our study highlights the importance of considering resilience and gender differences when examining intergenerational transfers and health among Chinese older adults. The design of a culturally tailored policy would help promote the health of Chinese older adults.

A growing body of literature found that attitudes towards aging is related to individual’s health among older adults. This paper aims to examine the relationship between negative attitudes towards aging and self-rated health among Chinese older adults living in Honolulu (N=400) and Wuhan (N=552) and explore the moderating roles of resilience and gender. Results showed that the positive relationship between attitudes towards aging and self-rated health was moderated by resilience such that higher levels of resilience weakened this association significantly and substantially, implying its stress-buffering role. Both the positive focal relationship and the moderating effect appeared to be stronger among older adults in Honolulu than their peers in Wuhan. For gender differences, the moderating effect of resilience was only significant for males in Honolulu and females in Wuhan, indicating that males in Honolulu and females in Wuhan may rely heavily on psychological resources such as resilience in coping with stressors.

This study investigated the association between intergenerational transfer and self-rated health (SRH) using data collected from 323 older Chinese immigrants in Honolulu and 752 Chinese older adults in Wuhan. We also explored the mediating role of resilience and the moderating role of gender in linking the associations. Findings show, for both study sites, receiving greater emotional support was associated with increased levels of SRH and this association was partially explained by resilience for females but not for males. For country differences, receiving economic support was negatively associated with SRH whereas providing economic support was positively associated with SRH for males but not for females in Honolulu. In Wuhan, receiving housework support was negatively associated with SRH for females but not for males. These findings indicate that future studies need to consider country differences as well as the impact of acculturation when examining intergenerational transfers and health among Chinese older adults.

Regular dental cleaning is vital to maintaining good oral health. This study aims to identify socio-demographic characteristics that are associated with the use of dental cleaning services among Chinese older adults in Honolulu, Hawai’i. In addition, we examine if birth-place moderates these associations. The data for this study were collected from 398 Chinese older adults living in Honolulu. Results from multivariate logistic regressions showed that those who were married and with higher levels of education were more likely to have their teeth cleaned within the past year compared to those who were not married or with lower levels of education. These significant associations were only found salient for the foreign-born when the moderating role of birth place was accounted for in the model. These differences may be partially due to the impact of acculturation and the knowledge of oral health and dental services.