Exploring the Role of Appraised Support in Mitigating Reverse Culture Shock Among Cross-Border Retirement Migrants

TL;DR

This study shows that how retirees perceive social support affects their loneliness when returning to mainland China after living in Hong Kong.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel application of stress and coping theory to understand reverse culture shock in cross-border retirement migrants.

Findings

Higher reverse culture shock is linked to increased loneliness among retirees.

Perceived social support appraisal is more strongly associated with reduced loneliness than actual support.

Secondary appraisal indirectly influences emotional outcomes and varies with time since return.

Abstract

What are the main findings?
This study innovatively investigates reverse culture shock (RCS) among Hong Kong retirees relocating to mainland China, applying stress and coping theory to explore how appraisals of social support are associated with lower loneliness.Focusing on 210 participants, we found that higher levels of RCS were associated with higher levels of loneliness, while support appraisal was more strongly associated with lower loneliness. Our findings further suggest an indirect association involving secondary appraisal, with variation across time since the last return.

This study innovatively investigates reverse culture shock (RCS) among Hong Kong retirees relocating to mainland China, applying stress and coping theory to explore how appraisals of social support are associated with lower loneliness.

Focusing on 210 participants, we found that higher levels of RCS were associated with higher levels of loneliness, while support appraisal was more strongly associated with lower loneliness. Our findings further suggest an indirect association involving secondary appraisal, with variation across time since the last return.

What are the implications of the main findings?
These insights inform cross-border policies to enhance social support perceptions among older adults relocating to mainland China and have global implications for improving mental health outcomes in ageing populations.

These insights inform cross-border policies to enhance social support perceptions among older adults relocating to mainland China and have global implications for improving mental health outcomes in ageing populations.

Background/Objectives: Cross-border retirement migration has become a global trend. However, this population from Hong Kong, with a unique status, offers valuable opportunities for multidimensional empirical research. This paper aims to apply a Stress and Coping Theory–based model to verify the presence of reverse culture shock (RCS) among them and explore how social support and its appraisal are associated with loneliness. It further examines indirect associations involving secondary appraisal within the appraisal structure. Methods: We recruited 210 Hong Kong seniors (aged ≥65) who had relocated to mainland China and had ever returned and surveyed them using validated scales. Results: Robust regression results revealed that higher levels of RCS were associated with higher levels of loneliness. Compared to social support (β = −0.04, p = 0.278), its appraisal had a significant negative association with loneliness (β = −0.09, p < 0.05). Mediation analysis demonstrated a significant indirect association involving social support appraisal, with variation across duration since the last return. Conclusions: With the resumption of normal cross-border travel after COVID-19, RCS is associated with subjective well-being among older returnees. Support appraisal shows a stronger association with loneliness, although this association varies by temporal context. We further propose that within the appraisal structure, secondary appraisal may be implicated in indirect associations linking primary appraisal to emotional outcomes, and that these associations vary by temporal context.

Figures