Living Arrangements and Disability Among Older Adults in China

Using data from a large representative longitudinal sample of older adults in China, the current study examines the associations between living arrangements and disability measured by activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). The cross-sectional models showed that living alone was associated with the lowest odds of disability among all the seven types of living arrangements. Living with others who are not spouses or offspring and living in an institution were linked to the highest odds of disability, particularly in more recent waves. Other forms of living arrangements such as living with spouse only, living with adult children and living in skipped-generation households lay somewhere in the middle in the correlation to disability. Findings from the transitional models revealed that moving from independent living towards co-residence with family corresponded to higher risks of disability. Overall, the associations were stronger for ADL disability than for IADL disability. The authors observed temporal fluctuations rather than linear trends in these patterns across the 16 years of the study from 2002 to 2018. Study implications are discussed.