Family size and old-age wellbeing: Effects of the fertility transition in Mexico

Carlos Díaz-Venegas; Joseph L. Sáenz; Rebeca Wong

doi:10.1017/S0144686X15001221

Family size and old-age wellbeing: Effects of the fertility transition in Mexico

Carlos Díaz-Venegas, Joseph L. Sáenz, Rebeca Wong

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

The present study aims to determine how family size affects psycho-social, economic and health wellbeing in old age differently across two cohorts with declining fertility. The data are from the 2012 Mexican Health and Ageing Study (MHAS) including respondents aged 50+ (N = 13,102). Poisson (standard and zero-inflated) and logistic regressions are used to model determinants of wellbeing in old age: psycho-social (depressive symptoms), economic (consumer durables and insurance) and health (chronic conditions). In the younger cohort, having fewer children is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and chronic conditions, and better economic wellbeing. For the older cohort, having fewer children is associated with lower economic wellbeing and higher odds of being uninsured. Lower fertility benefited the younger cohort (born after 1937), whereas the older cohort (born in 1937 or earlier) benefited from lower fertility only in chronic conditions. Further research is needed to continue exploring the old-age effects of the fertility transition.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	495-516
Number of pages	22
Journal	Ageing and Society
Volume	37
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X15001221
State	Published - Mar 1 2017

Keywords

MHAS
Mexico
elderly wellbeing
fertility transition
number of children

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
Health(social science)
Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Geriatrics and Gerontology
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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10.1017/S0144686X15001221

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abstract = "The present study aims to determine how family size affects psycho-social, economic and health wellbeing in old age differently across two cohorts with declining fertility. The data are from the 2012 Mexican Health and Ageing Study (MHAS) including respondents aged 50+ (N = 13,102). Poisson (standard and zero-inflated) and logistic regressions are used to model determinants of wellbeing in old age: psycho-social (depressive symptoms), economic (consumer durables and insurance) and health (chronic conditions). In the younger cohort, having fewer children is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and chronic conditions, and better economic wellbeing. For the older cohort, having fewer children is associated with lower economic wellbeing and higher odds of being uninsured. Lower fertility benefited the younger cohort (born after 1937), whereas the older cohort (born in 1937 or earlier) benefited from lower fertility only in chronic conditions. Further research is needed to continue exploring the old-age effects of the fertility transition.",

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N2 - The present study aims to determine how family size affects psycho-social, economic and health wellbeing in old age differently across two cohorts with declining fertility. The data are from the 2012 Mexican Health and Ageing Study (MHAS) including respondents aged 50+ (N = 13,102). Poisson (standard and zero-inflated) and logistic regressions are used to model determinants of wellbeing in old age: psycho-social (depressive symptoms), economic (consumer durables and insurance) and health (chronic conditions). In the younger cohort, having fewer children is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and chronic conditions, and better economic wellbeing. For the older cohort, having fewer children is associated with lower economic wellbeing and higher odds of being uninsured. Lower fertility benefited the younger cohort (born after 1937), whereas the older cohort (born in 1937 or earlier) benefited from lower fertility only in chronic conditions. Further research is needed to continue exploring the old-age effects of the fertility transition.

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Family size and old-age wellbeing: Effects of the fertility transition in Mexico

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Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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