Remote family communication as discounted compensation: Mobile use and psychological well-being among internal older migrants within China

Abstract

Among the growing floating population in China, many older people—who migrate along with their adult children to provide family support—have formed a specific social group: lao-piao-zu. This group of older migrants is a population with particular experiences and challenges, which merits more scholarly attention to their well-being. The study first presents a three-dimensional conceptual framework for understanding multimodal mobile phone communication among older migrants. Guided by this framework and based on a face-to-face survey (N = 376) conducted in China’s first-tier city Shenzhen, the study specifically examined how various forms of mobile communication could affect psychological well-being (PWB) among these older migrants. The results showed that mobile phone use could increase multimodal communication activities. However, only communication with the hometown could reduce loneliness and promote PWB. We argue that mobile communication has limited effects on older migrants’ PWB. It is a promising channel for maintaining remote ties; however, it should be considered more as a form of compensation than as the optimal option for older people who are away from their hometowns.