School of Public Administration Describes Findings in Science (Unlocking intergenerational support: The impact of long-term care insurance on elderly family dynamics): Science

2025 DEC 01 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at NewsRx Science Daily -- Researchers detail new data in Science. According to news reporting from Dalian, People’s Republic of China, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “As China faces an aging population and changing family dynamics, including smaller nuclear families and increased mobility, it is crucial to understand how long-term care insurance policies affect intergenerational support for older adults. This study investigates the impact of these policies on economic, caregiving, and emotional support for individuals aged 60 and above.”

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from the School of Public Administration, “Using multi-period difference-in-differences models and unbalanced panel data from the CHARLS database (2011-2020), the analysis focuses on 66 Chinese pilot cities implementing long-term care insurance policies, emphasizing urban households and healthier elderly groups. The findings show that long-term care insurance policies significantly reduce children’s financial and caregiving burdens while strengthening emotional bonds between older parents and their children. These effects are stronger in urban areas and among healthier elderly populations, indicating that household context and health status influence policy benefits. The results highlight the role of these policies in easing intergenerational pressures amid demographic shifts and provide evidence to improve policy design. By revealing differences in policy effectiveness across family types, this study offers theoretical insights for developing targeted eldercare strategies. It supports government efforts to tackle aging-related challenges and promote sustainable family support systems.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “The research underscores the need for flexible policies that respond to evolving societal needs and ensure equitable care for China’s elderly.”

For more information on this research see: Unlocking intergenerational support: The impact of long-term care insurance on elderly family dynamics. PLOS One, 2025;20(11). PLOS One can be contacted at: Public Library Science, 1160 Battery Street, Ste 100, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA. (Public Library of Science - www.plos.org; PLOS One - www.plosone.org)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Yumeng Li, School of Public Administration, Dongbei University of Finance & Economics, Dalian, People’s Republic of China. Additional authors for this research include Yi Qu, Anning Yin and Jia Li.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0337073. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Publisher contact information for the journal PLOS One is: Public Library Science, 1160 Battery Street, Ste 100, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA.

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