Beliefs About Intra- and Intergenerational Communication in Japan, the Philippines, and the United States: Implication for Older Adults' Subjective Well-Being

This study focused on a unique comparison of American, Japanese, and Filipino younger and older adults' intra- and intergenerational communication experiences, and their implications for elder subjective well-being. Hypotheses largely supported and cross-cultural differences notwithstanding, younger adults were more likely to report nonaccommodation from, to feel obligated to be polite to, and to avoid older adults than their same-aged peers. Similarly, older adults judged other older adults to be, whilst more accommodating, more nonaccommodating and to require more obligatory respect than younger adults. Both inter- and intragenerational communication experiences were predictive of measures of subjective well-being but, again, with contrastive patterns across cultures. The theoretical relevance of these findings is highlighted.