The Role of Family Support in the Well-Being of Older People: Evidence from Malaysia and Viet Nam

TL;DR

This study examines how family support, including living arrangements and children’s proximity, impacts the mental and physical health of older adults in Malaysia and Viet Nam, highlighting the importance of social safety nets.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on the influence of family support on elderly health in Southeast Asia using panel data and Poisson random effects models.

Findings

Having children protects mental and physical health.

Living with a son benefits physical health.

Proximity to children offers greater mental health protection for women.

Abstract

Demographics in Malaysia and Viet Nam are evolving rapidly, potentially disrupting traditional family support to older people. We estimate a set of Poisson random effects models with panel data from the Malaysia Ageing and Retirement Survey and the Viet Nam Aging Survey to analyze how living arrangements, marital status, and support from children influence the mental and physical health of older people. In Malaysia, having living children plays an important protective role for both mental and physical health, while living with a son appears to have a protective effect for physical health. Results are similar for Viet Nam, except older women, who are at greater risk of mental and physical health problems, appear to enjoy a greater protective effect for their mental health from a child living nearby than do men. Our analysis underscores the importance of social safety nets for the health of senior citizens living alone.