Depressive symptoms among migrant Chinese grandparents and intergenerational family conflict: a moderated mediation model.

BACKGROUND: Amid China's rapid urbanization and demographic aging, the population of migrant grandparents who relocate to cities to provide intergenerational care has been steadily expanding. This group is particularly vulnerable to depressive symptoms due to the accumulation of multiple stressors, and they face an elevated risk of intergenerational family conflict. This study aims to examine the relationship between depression among migrant grandparents and intergenerational conflict within families, with a particular focus on the mediating role of hostile attribution bias and the moderating role of collective family efficacy. METHODS: Using the Short Form of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Collective Family Efficacy Questionnaire, the Hostile Attribution Bias Scale, and the Multidimensional Intergenerational Relationship Quality Scale, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 432 representative migrant grandparents in Zhengzhou, China, between March and May 2023. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and moderated mediation modeling. RESULTS: (1) Depressive symptoms were found to be positively and significantly associated with intergenerational family conflict (β = 0.336, 95%CI[0.253,0.418]). Hostile attribution bias demonstrated a significant mediating effect in the relationship between depressive symptoms and intergenerational family conflict (β = 0.175, 95%CI[0.097,0.257]). (2) Furthermore, collective family efficacy moderated the mediating role of hostile attribution bias. When collective family efficacy was at a low level, the mediating pathway of hostile attribution bias was significant (β = 0.486, 95%CI[0.374,0.597]); when collective family efficacy was at a high level, the mediating pathway was no longer significant (β = 0.058, 95%CI[-0.063,0.179]). CONCLUSION: Within the co-residential, multi-generational caregiving arrangements involving migrant grandparents in China, hostile attribution bias mediates the relationship between depressive symptoms and intergenerational family conflict, while collective family efficacy moderates the mediating pathway of hostile attribution bias on intergenerational family conflict. The findings provide a theoretical basis for designing targeted preventive interventions. Future interventions are recommended to focus on reducing hostile attribution bias and enhancing collective family efficacy to mitigate the negative relationship between depressive symptoms and intergenerational family conflict, thereby promoting the intergenerational well-being of migrant grandparents.