| Features | Variable description | Total | Empty-nest group (n = 497) | Non-empty-nest group (n = 1205) | χ2 | P Value |
| sex | Male | 623 | 259 (52.1) | 364 (30.2) | 72.759 | 0.001* |
| Female | 1079 | 238 (47.9) | 841 (69.8) | |||
| Marriage | Married | 397 | 221 (44.5) | 176 (14.6) | 177.234 | 0.001* |
| Unmarried, divorce and widowed | 1305 | 276 (55.5) | 1029 (85.4) | |||
| Disability level | Mild disability | 870 | 282 (56.7) | 588 (48.8) | 0.577 | 0.008 |
| Moderate disability | 343 | 94 (18.9) | 249 (20.7) | |||
| Severe disability | 489 | 121 (24.3) | 368 (30.5) | |||
| Self-assessment of health status | Very good, good, moderate | 981 | 303 (61.0) | 678 (56.3) | 3.389 | 0.184 |
| Bad, very bad, unanswerable | 721 | 194 (39.0) | 527 (43.7) | |||
| Self-assessment of Economic Situation | Rich | 277 | 71 (14.3) | 206 (17.1) | 3.383 | 0.186 |
| Moderate | 1178 | 344 (69.3) | 834 (69.2) | |||
| Poverty | 247 | 82 (16.4) | 165 (13.7) | |||
| Social security and commercial insurance | Yes | 1557 | 465 (93.6) | 1092 (90.6) | 3.900 | 0.048 |
| No | 145 | 32 (6.4) | 113 (9.4) | |||
| Source of life | Pension | 330 | 136 (27.4) | 194 (16.1) | 42.626 | 0.001* |
| Family | 1128 | 272 (54.8) | 856 (71.0) | |||
| Government relief and others | 244 | 89 (17.8) | 155 (12.9) | |||
| Living willingness | Live alone (or with spouse only) | 458 | 295 (59.4) | 163 (13.5) | 456.556 | 0.001* |
| Live with children | 946 | 85 (17.1) | 861 (71.5) | |||
| Nursing home | 298 | 117 (23.5) | 181 (15.0) | |||
| Community support | Yes | 1009 | 303 (61.0) | 706 (58.6) | 0.823 | 0.364 |
| No | 693 | 194 (39.0) | 499 (41.4) |