Conflicting views on elder care responsibility in Japan

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Gerontology
• Family Studies

Background:

• Rapidly evolving family structures and elder care norms in Japan create social tension.
• Conflicting expectations exist regarding parent-child devotion, filial obligation, and gender roles within families.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate attitudinal ambivalence stemming from conflicting social expectations in Japanese adults.
• To explore how overlapping and conflicting beliefs relate to elder care preferences amidst changing norms.

Main Methods:

• Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was employed to identify distinct population groups based on beliefs.
• Data from the 2006 Japanese General Social Survey (JGSS) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Significant variation in beliefs regarding family roles and elder care was observed.
• A relationship was identified between belief patterns (latent classes) and elder care preferences.
• One latent class exhibited conflicting expectations about elder care responsibility, with preferences contradicting some beliefs.

Conclusions:

• Attitudinal ambivalence regarding elder care is present in the Japanese adult population.
• Belief systems significantly shape elder care preferences, sometimes leading to internal conflict.