Agree to disagree: How life satisfaction (in)congruence links to resilience in grandchild–grandparent dyads of Chinese left-behind families

Abstract

Chinese left-behind families (CLBF) are households where parents migrate for work, leaving their children in rural areas under the care of grandparents. This arrangement often strengthens intergenerational bonds but can also create incongruence in life experiences and perceptions among family members. While previous research has highlighted the interdependence of life satisfaction and resilience within these grandchild–grandparent dyads, it remains unclear how perceptual agreement or disagreement in life satisfaction relates to dyadic resilience. This study examines the associations between congruence and incongruence in life satisfaction and resilience at the dyadic level. A total of 237 grandchild–grandparent dyads from CLBF completed self-reported measures of life satisfaction and resilience. Using polynomial regression and response surface analyses, we found that higher congruence in high life satisfaction was associated with higher resilience for both grandchildren and grandparents. However, incongruence showed distinct patterns in resilience for the two generations: greater incongruence—regardless of direction—was linked to lower resilience for grandchildren but higher resilience for grandparents. These findings provide nuanced insights into the intergenerational dynamics in CLBF, highlighting that congruence in higher life satisfaction promotes dyadic resilience, while incongruence challenges resilience in grandchildren but benefits grandparents. Future qualitative studies may provide deeper insights into these divergent effects, and longitudinal studies could better capture the dynamics over time. Intergenerational communication about life satisfaction and shared dialogues are encouraged to enhance resilience for both grandchildren and grandparents in CLBF.