Full metadata record
| DC Field | Value | Language |
|---|---|---|
| dc.contributor | Department of Applied Social Sciences | en_US |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Bai, Xue (APSS) | en_US |
| dc.creator | Kang, Rui | - |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/14506 | - |
| dc.language | English | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Hong Kong Polytechnic University | en_US |
| dc.rights | All rights reserved | en_US |
| dc.title | Navigating new environments : the role of social capital in adaptation, well-being, and settlement intentions among older internal migrants relocating to unite with adult children in urban China | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | Background: Late-life migration for family reasons has increased in urban China. Although such migration facilitates family reunion, it presents challenges. How older migrants establish and mobilise social capital to support adaptation, well-being, and settlement intentions within the host environment remains poorly understood. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | Objectives: The objectives of this study were to quantify the effect sizes of social capital on the well-being of older migrants, identify distinct social capital profiles differentiating between hometown and local connections, examine the determinants of these profiles and their associations with adaptation and well-being, evaluate how family social capital influences adaptation and well-being through community structural and cognitive social capital pathways, and assess the mediating and moderating effects of place attachment and family enabling factors on the association between social capital and permanent settlement intention in host cities among older internal migrants in China. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | Methods: Empirical data were collected from 721 older migrants who relocated to their adult children in Shenzhen (n = 406) and Guangzhou (n = 315). A meta-analysis of 32 studies was first conducted to estimate the overall effect sizes of social capital on well-being among older migrants and to examine the factors moderating these effects. Moreover, latent profile analysis, logistic regression, and multiple linear regression were conducted to identify the older migrants' social capital profiles, reveal their determinants, and assess their associations with adaptation and well-being. Furthermore, multivariate linear regression, logistic regression and path analysis models were employed to assess the community social capital and place attachment pathways. Moderation analysis was conducted to test whether family enabling factors moderated the indirect pathways from social capital to permanent settlement intention through place attachment. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | Results: | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | a) The meta-analysis demonstrated significant positive effects of family social capital, community structural social capital, and community cognitive social capital on older migrants' well-being. Internal migrants and those relocating for family reasons particularly benefited from family social capital. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | b) Four distinct social capital profiles emerged, reflecting varying strengths of connection to hometown and local communities. Compared with the Strong Hometown–Weak Local Social Capital type, older migrants with Strong Local–Weak Hometown Social Capital exhibited greater psychological adaptation and fewer depressive symptoms. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | c) Family social capital was positively associated with adaptation and well-being, with community cognitive social capital consistently mediating these associations. Mediation through community structural social capital was marginal for sociocultural adaptation and non-significant for depressive symptoms. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | d) Place attachment mediated the associations between family and community structural social capital and permanent settlement intention. Intended care arrangements were only directly associated with ageing-in-place preference, while host-city house ownership moderated the indirect pathways. | en_US |
| dcterms.abstract | Conclusions: This thesis clarifies how interactions between hometown and local social capital, as well as between family and community resources, shape adaptation, well-being, and settlement intentions among older internal migrants in China, thereby extending social capital theory. To support older migrants' intentions to permanently settle in host cities, tailored interventions that address their specific care needs and foster social integration are essential for promoting successful ageing and well-being in urban environments. | en_US |
| dcterms.extent | xi, 192 pages : color illustrations | en_US |
| dcterms.isPartOf | PolyU Electronic Theses | en_US |
| dcterms.issued | 2026 | en_US |
| dcterms.educationalLevel | Ph.D. | en_US |
| dcterms.educationalLevel | All Doctorate | en_US |
| dcterms.accessRights | open access | en_US |
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https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/handle/200/14506