Xuefang Zhuang

Introduction: China has experienced unprecedented population aging and socioeconomic changes that have raised important questions regarding the determinants of life course strengths and weaknesses in health later in life. Studies have focused on the effect of childhood socioeconomic environments on older adults’ mental health. However, the mechanism of this impact remains unclear, and research on the effects of objective and subjective socioeconomic status on mental health is limited. Methods: This study used the China Labor-force Dynamic Survey (CLDS) dataset from 2018 and SEM to comprehensively examine the mechanism underlying the effect of socioeconomic status on the mental health of older adults in China from the life-course perspective. This study has systematically compared various dimensions of socioeconomic status, using both objective and subjective measures, and explored gender-based disparities on older adults’ mental health. Results: The results indicate that childhood socioeconomic status influences mental health through the mediating effect of older adults’ socioeconomic status. A high childhood objective socioeconomic status promotes mental health through the mechanism of older adults’ objective socioeconomic status, supporting the theories of social causation and economic choice. Moreover, childhood subjective socioeconomic status mediates the relationship between childhood objective socioeconomic status and older adults’ socioeconomic status. Furthermore, there is a noticeable difference in the impact of socioeconomic status on mental health between males and females, with the transmission of objective and subjective socioeconomic status being more significant among men and women, respectively. Discussion: The findings of this study underscore the importance of early interventions targeting socioeconomic status factors across the lifespan to maximize the prevention benefits and improve mental health among older adults in China.

With accelerated population aging, the importance of older adults’ self-rated health is constantly increasing. Self-rated health is influenced by complex relationships between the built environment and psychosocial factors. Therefore, this study constructs a pathway framework of “material (housing quality and environmental pollution)–psychological (depression and social capital)–self-rated health” elements to explore the influencing mechanism of older adults’ self-rated health. This study utilized the 2018 China Labor Force Dynamics Survey Database to explore the relationship between built environment factors (housing quality and environmental pollution), depression, social capital, and older adults’ self-rated health, using structural equation modeling. The heterogeneity between urban and rural areas is also analyzed. Better housing quality and less environmental pollution were found to be related to higher levels of self-rated health. Depression and social capital were important mediators in the relationship between housing quality, environmental pollution, and self-rated health. Regarding urban–rural heterogeneity, the direct impact of environmental pollution on self-rated health was only significant among urban older adults. Secondly, the multiple mediating roles of social capital were only reflected among rural older adults. The government and relevant entities should promote improvements in housing quality and reduce environmental pollution to achieve a healthy and livable environment.

Housing prices are a topic of significant social concern, and public services are a crucial factor influencing migrants’ return intentions. Based on the China Labour Force Dynamics Survey and China Real Estate Index database from 2012 to 2018, this study adopts probit model to explore the influence mechanism of housing prices on migrants’ return intentions and the moderating effect of public services. The results indicate that housing prices have a significant positive impact on migrants’ return intentions, and the level of public services negatively moderates the relationship between housing prices and migrants’ return intentions. Moreover, employing an instrumental variable approach to address the endogeneity of housing prices, the modeling results provide robust evidence of the significant and heterogenous impact of housing prices on return intentions among migrants. In particular, the positive impact of housing prices is mainly concentrated among single urban migrants without housing. Additionally, public services negatively moderate the positive impact of housing prices on return intentions among single rural migrants without housing. By elucidating the correlation between housing prices, public services, and return intentions among migrants, this study offers recommendations for policymakers regarding migration issues in urban development.

As the global aging trend increases, older adults are placing greater emphasis on their health. Evidence indicates that there is a complex association between house prices and older adults’ health, with their subjective well-being potentially acting as a mediator in this connection. A mediation model, utilizing data from China’s 2018 Labor Dynamics Survey, was employed to examine the impact pathway of house prices, subjective well-being, and self-rated health, while investigating the differences between young-old and old-old groups. The major findings are as follows: (1) House prices negatively affected self-rated health among the older adults. (2) The subjective well-being of older adults mediated the pathway through which house prices affected their self-rated health. (3) For old-old adults, higher house prices were more strongly linked to an increased likelihood of reporting good, very good, or excellent health. Subjective well-being was more significantly associated with reporting better health among the young-old group. Compared with the young-old population, the impact of house prices on self-rated health was stronger among the old-old, and the degree increased with increasing age. Consequently, to improve older adults’ well-being and self-rated health, effective healthy-aging policies should not only consider the influence of the real estate market, but also balance the allocation of elderly service facilities, promote affordable housing, and implement a combination of medical and nursing care from the perspective of urban planning.

Introduction: The importance of improving older adults' mental health is increasing worldwide with the rapid development of the aging process. Green space is an important part of the urban built environment, demonstrates a deep connection with the mental health of older adults, and its internal mechanisms have been widely studied. This study analyzed the influence of urban green spaces on the mental health of older adults via three factors: relative deprivation, physical activity, and social trust.Methods: Based on the 2018 China Labor Dynamics Survey, a multi-level structural equation model was used to explore the mediating roles of relative deprivation, physical activity, social trust in urban green spaces, and the mental health of older adults.Results: Urban green space was positively correlated with the mental health of older adults. Relative deprivation and physical activities played a mediating role between urban green space and the mental health of older adults.Discussion: An increase in urban green spaces can help increase the number of older adults obtaining green space resources, and help them maintain good mental health. Secondly, older adults with a relatively homogeneous environment have more equal opportunities to obtain urban green space resources, which helps to reduce the comparison of older adults in access to green space resources and reduce the adverse impact of relative deprivation on their mental health. Additionally, increasing urban green spaces can encourage older adults to engage in physical activities and improve their mental health. Finally, we suggest improving the accessibility, fairness, and quality of green spaces, paying attention to the psychological needs of older adults, encouraging older adults to engage in physical activities in green spaces, and taking various measures to enhance the positive role of green space on the mental health of older adults.