Bio
Dr. Jinyu Liu is a social gerontologist, who has dedicated her career to the study of aging and health among older adult populations, especially among Chinese older adults in China and the United States. Her research has focused on two themes: (1) determinants of stress among family caregivers and (2) effects of social support on the mental health of older adults. In the first theme, she aims to identify stressors that merge from family caregiving and potential ways of improving well-being of family caregivers. In the second theme, her studies have (1) elucidated the nuanced effects of family relationships on the mental health of older adults during social and cultural transformations; and (2) explored social connections and community resources to enhance the mental health of older adults who were socialized in a family-oriented cultural tradition. Her studies have been funded by National Institutes of Health, Rutgers Asian Resource Center for Minority Aging Research, Columbia Population Research Center, and Weatherhead East Asian Institute.
Research Interests
- The buffering effects of family support and neighborhood resources on the relationship between physical health problems and depressive symptoms of older adults in China
- Intergenerational relationships and depressive symptoms of Chinese older adults in the context of international migration
- The stress process experienced by family caregivers providing care for frail older adults in the social and cultural context of China