Yang Zhang

BACKGROUND: Retrospective reports of lifetime experience with mental disorders greatly underestimate the actual experiences of disorder because recall error biases reporting of earlier life symptoms downward. This fundamental obstacle to accurate reporting has many adverse consequences for the study and treatment of mental disorders. Better tools for accurate retrospective reporting of mental disorder symptoms have the potential for broad scientific benefits. METHODS: We designed a life history calendar (LHC) to support this task, and randomized more than 1000 individuals to each arm of a retrospective diagnostic interview with and without the LHC. We also conducted a careful validation with the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition. RESULTS: Results demonstrate that-just as with frequent measurement longitudinal studies-use of an LHC in retrospective measurement can more than double reports of lifetime experience of some mental disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The LHC significantly improves retrospective reporting of mental disorders. This tool is practical for application in both large cross-sectional surveys of the general population and clinical intake of new patients.

Migration of men has important influences on reshaping family and gender roles in left-behind wives. However, it is unclear whether husbands' out-migration increases the burden on or creates autonomy for left-behind wives. Using new data from Nepal, we examine the associations of husband's out-migration and remittance status with the work burden and autonomy of left-behind wives'. Results of our multi-level multivariate analyses show that the number of months a husband migrated internationally during the last year is significantly associated with an increase in participation in farming activities for the left-behind wives. Husband's out-migration and remittance status is also associated with an increase in wives' number of daily activities outside the home, and leisure activities and media use. In sum, husbands' out-migration might be good and bad for women, by increasing the burden on wives while also promoting their freedom of movement, leisure activities and media use. Importantly these findings are net of wives' individual background characteristics, household characteristics and community context measures.

OBJECTIVES: The multidimensional features of intergenerational relationships and the mixed feelings among parents with multiple children complicate how intergenerational relationships shape mental health among older parents. This study explores the patterns of intergenerational relationships among Chinese families with multiple children and their associations with older parents' depressive symptoms. METHODS: Through 3 waves (2014, 2016, and 2018) of nationally representative longitudinal data obtained from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS), we used the k-means clustering method and fixed-effects models to address the research questions. RESULTS: The findings revealed that over 41.64% of older parents had different types of intergenerational relationships with their different children. The closest parent-child relationship type was associated with the lowest levels of depressive symptoms among older parents, whereas the most estranged parent-child relationship type was associated with the highest levels of depressive symptoms. The most estranged parent-child relationship type (i.e., the alienated type) involving one child could reduce the psychological benefits gained through the closest type (i.e., the tight-knit type) involving another child. However, this moderation effect only manifested among socioeconomically privileged older parents. DISCUSSION: These findings highlight the importance of adopting a systematic view for studies regarding intergenerational relationships. The impacts of a single parent-child relationship on parents can be influenced by other parent-child relationships. Moreover, in the context of the dramatic and uneven social changes throughout China, the interactive features of intergenerational relationships have revealed an emerging strong preference for all-round relational harmony across multiple children, particularly among privileged Chinese families.