(Photo provided to Ecns.cn)
空巢老人
'empty-nest' seniors
空巢老人('empty-nest' seniors)一般是指子女长大离家后的中老年人(parents whose children have grown up and left home),也可以称为"left behind" seniors。全国老龄委预测,从2015到2035年,我国将进入急速老龄化阶段(become rapidly aging),老年人口(elderly population)将从2.12亿增加到4.18亿,占比升至29%。
从旧时的四世同堂(four generations living under one roof)到如今的核心家庭(nuclear family/smaller families with just the young couple and a kid),中国社会的家庭模式经历了巨大变迁。每当假期结束,子女又要离家时,空巢老人会感到很难过(have a hard time/feel depressed),感到万分孤独(in solitude and isolation),甚至出现分离焦虑(separation anxiety)。这是空巢老人特有的节后综合征(post-holiday blues)。
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