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. 2020 Oct 27;17(21):7868.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17217868.

Scoping Review: Intergenerational Resource Transfer and Possible Enabling Factors

Eliza Lai-Yi Wong  1 , Jennifer Mengwei Liao  1 , Christopher Etherton-Beer  2 , Loretta Baldassar  3 , Gary Cheung  4 , Claire Margaret Dale  5 , Elisabeth Flo  6 , Bettina Sandgathe Husebø  7 , Roy Lay-Yee  8 , Adele Millard  3 , Kathy Ann Peri  9 , Praveen Thokala  10 , Chek-Hooi Wong  11 , Patsy Yuen-Kwan Chau  1 , Crystal Ying Chan  1 , Roger Yat-Nork Chung  1 , Eng-Kiong Yeoh  1
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Scoping Review: Intergenerational Resource Transfer and Possible Enabling Factors

Eliza Lai-Yi Wong et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

We explore the intergenerational pattern of resource transfer and possible associated factors. A scoping review was conducted of quantitative, peer-reviewed, English-language studies related to intergenerational transfer or interaction. We searched AgeLine, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstracts, and Sociological Abstracts for articles published between Jane 2008 and December 2018. Seventy-five studies from 25 countries met the inclusion criteria. The scoping review categorised resource transfers into three types: financial, instrumental, and emotional support. Using an intergenerational solidarity framework, factors associated with intergenerational transfer were placed in four categories: (1) demographic factors (e.g., age, gender, marital status, education, and ethno-cultural background); (2) needs and opportunities factors, including health, financial resources, and employment status; (3) family structures, namely, family composition, family relationship, and earlier family events; and (4) cultural-contextual structures, including state policies and social norms. Those factors were connected to the direction of resource transfer between generations. Downward transfers from senior to junior generations occur more frequently than upward transfers in many developed countries. Women dominate instrumental transfers, perhaps influenced by traditional gender roles. Overall, the pattern of resource transfer between generations is shown, and the impact of social norms and social policy on intergenerational transfers is highlighted. Policymakers should recognise the complicated interplay of each factor with different cultural contexts. The findings could inform policies that strengthen intergenerational solidarity and support.

Keywords: healthcare policy; intergenerational relationships; social capital.

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Conflict of interest statement

We have no conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA 2009 flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Upward intergenerational resources transfer. (b) Downward intergenerational resources transfer. (c) Bidirectional intergenerational resources transfer.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Upward intergenerational resources transfer. (b) Downward intergenerational resources transfer. (c) Bidirectional intergenerational resources transfer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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