Abstract / Summary
Abstract Maintaining functional independence is a key goal of healthy ageing, yet intergenerational support is often examined as isolated dimensions or at single time points. We investigated whether longitudinal configurations of financial, practical, and relational exchanges with adult children were associated with subsequent functional limitations among middle-aged and older adults in China. Data were drawn from 12,769 participants aged 45–85 years in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011–2018). Group-based multi-trajectory modelling jointly characterized six indicators of intergenerational financial exchange, caregiving, and contact during 2011–2015. Multivariable regression models estimated associations between trajectory membership and 2018 instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and activities of daily living (ADL) scores. Five trajectories were identified with good classification quality. Compared with the high multidimensional exchange–stable interaction trajectory, all other trajectories were associated with higher adjusted IADL scores, with the largest differences observed for increasing financial reciprocity–minimal interaction (mean difference 0.67, 95% CI 0.46–0.87) and increasing financial exchange–declining interaction (0.57, 0.24–0.91). ADL differences were smaller and did not remain statistically significant after correction for multiple comparisons. Results were robust across alternative outcome specifications, longitudinal weighting, restriction to participants without baseline functional limitations, and analyses accounting for trajectory-classification uncertainty. Associations varied most clearly by age and educational attainment. Multidimensional intergenerational-support trajectories were more consistently differentiated in instrumental functioning than in basic self-care, suggesting that jointly considering how financial, practical, and relational exchanges evolve over time may provide a more informative account of family-support contexts and functional ageing.