Institutionalized Risks and Shiduers' Post-loss Experience: A Qualitative Analysis Among Older Bereaved Chinese Parents Who Have Lost Their Only Child.

This article examines the post-loss experiences of older Chinese adults known as shiduers—those who have lost their only child—focusing on how institutional factors, particularly the one-child policy and family-based aging policies, shape their grief and life difficulties. Using in-depth interviews with 20 shiduers in Wuhan, the study applies Ulrich Beck's risk society theory to argue that these institutional policies have transferred and institutionalized risks onto shiduers, creating long-term, collective hardships that are often rationalized or overlooked by society and government. The findings highlight that while some financial subsidies exist, current elderly support systems inadequately address shiduers' unique vulnerabilities, especially regarding caregiving and social support in old age. The study calls for comprehensive policy interventions and greater societal recognition to better support this aging population within China's specific cultural and institutional context.