Social Support versus Social Interaction: Influence on Psychological Well-Being of Left behind Parents of Youth Emigrants in Amritsar, Punjab, India

Vinod Kumar, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Archana K. Roy, International Institute for Population Science

While numerous studies have found evidence of poorer psychological health among left-behind elderly, few studies have been conducted in Majha region of Punjab to assess the impact of emigration on parents who remain behind. Based on primary data collected from 388 left-behind parents of emigrant youth in Amritsar, Punjab, this study aims to assess the association between their psychological health and social support and interaction. It uses the 10-item CES-D scale to assess depressive mood, 5-item SWLS to assess life-satisfaction and 11-item DSSI scale used to assess the level of social interaction and support received. Around 20% of parents were assessed as depressed, 61% had high life satisfaction, while 49% parents had high social interaction and 44.2% received high social support. Social support plays a significant role in influencing psychological well-being as it directly addresses their emotional and practical needs and provide assistance as needed. Social interaction does not have a similar impact on depressive mood suggesting that simply engaging in social activities might not be sufficient to mitigate depressive symptoms. Further, parents with poor health or multiple morbidities were likely to have diminished social support, which increased their risk of experiencing depressive symptoms and low life satisfaction.

Keywords: International Migration, Population Ageing

See extended abstract.