Exploring the Role of Appraised Support in Mitigating Reverse Culture Shock Among Cross-Border Retirement Migrants

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Social Psychology
• Migration Studies

Background:

• Cross-border retirement migration is a growing global phenomenon.
• Hong Kong seniors migrating to mainland China represent a unique demographic for research.
• Understanding their experiences is crucial for public health and social policy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply a Stress and Coping Theory model to examine reverse culture shock (RCS) in Hong Kong seniors.
• To investigate the relationship between social support, its appraisal, and loneliness.
• To explore indirect associations involving secondary appraisal within the appraisal structure.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed 210 Hong Kong seniors (aged ≥65) who relocated to mainland China and had returned.
• Utilized validated scales to measure RCS, social support, appraisal, and loneliness.
• Employed robust regression and mediation analysis to assess associations.

Main Results:

• Higher levels of RCS were significantly associated with increased loneliness.
• Appraisal of social support, more than social support itself, showed a significant negative association with loneliness.
• Mediation analysis revealed significant indirect associations involving social support appraisal, influenced by the duration since the last return.

Conclusions:

• Reverse culture shock is linked to subjective well-being in older returnees, particularly with eased travel post-COVID-19.
• Social support appraisal is a stronger predictor of loneliness than social support, with temporal context being a moderating factor.
• Secondary appraisal may play a role in indirect pathways from primary appraisal to emotional outcomes, varying with temporal context.