Productive engagement patterns and their association with life satisfaction among elderly sandwich generation

Little is known about the patterns of productive engagement among elderly sandwich generation. Related, the implication of these patterns for life satisfaction remains unclear. The present study addresses these gaps. The sample comprised 497 Shanghai ESG aged 55 and above. Seven productive activities were included, and latent class analysis was employed to identify prevalent patterns of productive engagement. Regression analysis was then conducted to investigate the relationship between these patterns and life satisfaction. Four patterns of productive engagement among ESG were identified, including Active engagement except for working (46.3%), Family Caring (22.3%), Family Caring-Spiritual growth (21.9%), and Working-Parent caring (9.5%). Compared with the Family Caring -Spiritual growth class, ESG of Working-Parent caring and Active engagement except for working were related to lower life satisfaction. The identification and characterization of those patterns may help community workers and municipalities to provide more appropriate help for different classes of ESG.