The Impacts of Positive Psychology and Individualism on Mental Health Status of the Elderly in China: Evidence From Chinese General Social Survey Data

Abstract Background Many previous studies have proved that positive psychology can promote mental health. However, little is known about how and when it promotes mental health in older adults. Methods The data of this study were sourced from the 2017 wave of Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), involving 1,537 older adults aged 60 and above. OLS regression model was used to explore the impact of positive psychology on mental health of the elderly. Moreover, stata 16.0 was used to measure the moderating effect of individualism on the relationship between positive psychology and mental health. Results After controlling for demographic characteristics, socio-economic status and lifestyle factors, the regression results suggest that positive psychology was associated with mental health (coefficient = 0.112, p < 0.01). In addition, the positive relationship was significantly stronger for people who were older, married, lived in urban areas, with higher education and higher subjective social class position, and higher exercise frequency. Moreover, the moderating effect analysis results suggest that individualism strengthened the relationship between positive psychology and mental health. Conclusions This study reveals that positive psychology has a positive effect on mental health among the elderly, and the positive health effect shows significant age, marital status, living areas, education background, social class position and physical exercise inequalities. Furthermore, this study also provides new evidence indicating that individualism positively moderates the relationship between positive psychology and mental health. Promoting positive psychology can be a promising way for China to promote psychological care for the elderly in the future.

The Effects of Social Media Use on the Health of Older Adults: An Empirical Analysis Based on 2017 Chinese General Social Survey

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9091143 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 1143

Author(s):

Liping Fu ◽

Yu Xie

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Social Media ◽

Internet Use ◽

Media Use ◽

General Social Survey ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Social Media Use ◽

Social Survey ◽

Chinese General Social Survey

An aging population and social informatization are currently the two main social phenomena affecting China. Under their influences, the real-life experiences of older adults are becoming more and more closely connected to the online world, and the influences of the Internet on healthy aging cannot be ignored. This work aimed to study whether Internet use had an effect on the physical and mental health of older adults, whether the effect was positive or negative, and whether its influence on physical and mental health was heterogeneous. In this study, data from the 2017 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) was used to analyze the effects of social media use on the physical and mental health of older adults. The results indicated that there was a significant positive relationship between social media use and the health of older adults. The correlation between social media use and mental health of older adults was more significant than physical health. These results could help us further study the effects of Internet use on the health of older adults.

Impact of Internet Use on Elderly Health: Empirical Study Based on Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) Data

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare8040482 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 482

Author(s):

Jing Wang ◽

Changyong Liang ◽

Keqing Li

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Internet Use ◽

General Social Survey ◽

The Elderly ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Social Survey ◽

Self Rated Health ◽

Elderly Health ◽

Moderating Role

In the current era, the rapid spread of Internet technology has combined with various traditional industries; this provides new research perspectives and solutions for current problems, such as those in the elderly care industry. Elderly health is an important social problem in various countries, and governments have turned to the internet for new methods and better solutions. However, internet-use behavior has a certain influence on the elderly’s health status. This study investigates the effects of internet use on the elderly’s physical health, mental health, and self-rated health, along with the moderating role of individual cognitive ability in the above relationship. This study uses data from the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) in 2012 and 2015 as samples for analysis via the hierarchical regression method. The sample is from China and had 2821 and 3185 valid respondents in 2012 and 2015, respectively. Results show that internet use significantly affects the physical and mental health of the elderly and does not significantly affect self-rated health. In addition, individual cognitive ability plays a negative moderating role between internet use and physical and mental health. Finally, on the basis of results analysis and discussion, this study provides new recommendations to achieve targeted health improvements.

The relationship between Americans’ spiritual/religious beliefs and behaviors and mental health: New evidence from the 2016 General Social Survey

Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health ◽

10.1080/19349637.2018.1515052 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 30-48

Author(s):

Stephanie A. Bosco-Ruggiero

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Religious Beliefs ◽

General Social Survey ◽

Social Survey ◽

And Behaviors ◽

New Evidence ◽

The Effect of Social Capital on Health Among Chinese Older Adults: : A Cross-Sectional Study based on Chinese General Social Survey Database

10.1109/icphds53608.2021.00014 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yin Sun ◽

Xudong Zhang ◽

Yuehong Han

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Capital ◽

General Social Survey ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Social Survey ◽

Chinese Older Adults ◽

Chinese General Social Survey

Exploring the Relationship Between Internet Use and Mental Health Among Older Adults in England: Longitudinal Observational Study

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/15683 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (7) ◽

pp. e15683

Author(s):

Sabrina Sze Man Lam ◽

Stephen Jivraj ◽

Shaun Scholes

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Internet Use ◽

Information Access ◽

Moderating Effect ◽

The Internet ◽

Occupational Class ◽

The Impact ◽

Background There is uncertainty about the impact of internet use on mental health in older adults. Moreover, there is very little known specifically about the impact of particular purposes of internet use. Objective This study aims to investigate the longitudinal relationship between two distinct concepts of mental health with the frequency of internet use among older adults: the moderating role of socioeconomic position (SEP) and the association between specific purposes of internet use. Methods Longitudinal fixed and random effects (27,507 person-years) models were fitted using waves 6-8 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to examine the relationship between different aspects of internet use (frequency and purpose) and two mental health outcomes (depression and life satisfaction). The potential moderating effect of SEP on these associations was tested using interaction terms. Results Infrequent internet use (monthly or less vs daily) was predictive of deteriorating life satisfaction (β=−0.512; P=.02) but not depression. Education and occupational class had a moderating effect on the association between frequency of internet use and mental health. The associations were stronger in the highest educational group in both depression (P=.09) and life satisfaction (P=.02), and in the highest occupational group in life satisfaction (P=.05) only. Using the internet for communication was associated with lower depression (β=−0.24; P=.002) and better life satisfaction (β=.97; P<.001), whereas those using the internet for information access had worse life satisfaction (β=−0.86; P<.001) compared with those who did not. Conclusions Policies to improve mental health in older adults should encourage internet use, especially as a tool to aid communication.

Physical Activity Measurement in Older Adults: Relationships with Mental Health

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity ◽

10.1123/japa.16.4.369 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 369-380 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Sarah J. Parker ◽

Scott J. Strath ◽

Ann M. Swartz

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

The Elderly ◽

Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽

Activity Measurement ◽

Positive And Negative Affect ◽

This study examined the relationship between physical activity (PA) and mental health among older adults as measured by objective and subjective PA-assessment instruments. Pedometers (PED), accelerometers (ACC), and the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) were administered to measure 1 week of PA among 84 adults age 55–87 (mean = 71) years. General mental health was measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWL). Linear regressions revealed that PA estimated by PED significantly predicted 18.1%, 8.3%, and 12.3% of variance in SWL and positive and negative affect, respectively, whereas PA estimated by the PASE did not predict any mental health variables. Results from ACC data were mixed. Hotelling–William tests between correlation coefficients revealed that the relationship between PED and SWL was significantly stronger than the relationship between PASE and SWL. Relationships between PA and mental health might depend on the PA measure used.

Exploring the Relationship Between Internet Use and Mental Health Among Older Adults in England: Longitudinal Observational Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.15683 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Sabrina Sze Man Lam ◽

Stephen Jivraj ◽

Shaun Scholes

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Internet Use ◽

Information Access ◽

Moderating Effect ◽

The Internet ◽

Occupational Class ◽

The Impact ◽

BACKGROUND There is uncertainty about the impact of internet use on mental health in older adults. Moreover, there is very little known specifically about the impact of particular purposes of internet use. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the longitudinal relationship between two distinct concepts of mental health with the frequency of internet use among older adults: the moderating role of socioeconomic position (SEP) and the association between specific purposes of internet use. METHODS Longitudinal fixed and random effects (27,507 person-years) models were fitted using waves 6-8 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to examine the relationship between different aspects of internet use (frequency and purpose) and two mental health outcomes (depression and life satisfaction). The potential moderating effect of SEP on these associations was tested using interaction terms. RESULTS Infrequent internet use (monthly or less vs daily) was predictive of deteriorating life satisfaction (β=−0.512; P=.02) but not depression. Education and occupational class had a moderating effect on the association between frequency of internet use and mental health. The associations were stronger in the highest educational group in both depression (P=.09) and life satisfaction (P=.02), and in the highest occupational group in life satisfaction (P=.05) only. Using the internet for communication was associated with lower depression (β=−0.24; P=.002) and better life satisfaction (β=.97; P<.001), whereas those using the internet for information access had worse life satisfaction (β=−0.86; P<.001) compared with those who did not. CONCLUSIONS Policies to improve mental health in older adults should encourage internet use, especially as a tool to aid communication.

Stress and depression among Chinese new urban older adults: A moderated mediation model

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.9446 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (9) ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Yang Sun ◽

Huijuan Wang ◽

Libin Zhang ◽

Zhaoliang Li ◽

Shaobo Lv ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Risk Factor ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Moderating Effect ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Mediation Model ◽

Moderated Mediation Model ◽

We explored the relationship between stress and depression among 296 new urban older adults in China aged 60 years and older, along with the moderating effect of relocation duration and the mediating effect of anxiety. Participants completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales–simplified Chinese version. Results show that stress was a risk factor for depression, relocation duration moderated the relationship between stress and depression, and this moderating effect was mediated by anxiety. The importance of focusing on and preventing mental health problems among new urban older adults in China is discussed, with a focus on stress-induced anxiety and depression, and the feasibility of intervention at different stages postrelocation.

How Does Education Promote the Mobility of Social Class?: Empirical Analysis Based on CGSS2017

Scientific and Social Research ◽

10.36922/ssr.v3i2.1113 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 103-108

Author(s):

Zhenni Cai ◽

Yue Li ◽

Ruiying Chen

Keyword(s):

Social Class ◽

Social Mobility ◽

General Social Survey ◽

Significant Positive Effect ◽

Social Survey ◽

Healthy Development ◽

Class Mobility ◽

Specific Effects ◽

Positive Effect

Education has been given significant responsibilities as a way of promoting social class mobility. With the development of the market economy, there is growing concerns about whether and how much more education can still change social class. This paper uses the data of Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS)2017 to examine the effects of education and marriage matching on social mobility; used multiple linear regression to explore the pathways and specific effects of education on individual social class change. It is found that education has a significant positive effect in promoting the improvement of social class, and indirectly affects the improvement of individual social class through personal income and social capital; marriage matching is also a factor to affect people’s social class, but its effect is limited and there is a two-way pattern. In response to the findings, relevant countermeasures are proposed to increase the acceptance of social mobility and promote social fairness for a healthy development of society.

Social trust and health of China's older adults: Cultural and recreational participation as mediator

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.9198 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (5) ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Jingjing Zhou ◽

Qilong Cao

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Social Trust ◽

Pearson Correlation ◽

General Social Survey ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Future Research ◽

Social Survey ◽

Positive Effect

We explored the relationships between social trust, cultural and recreational participation, and health of people in China aged 60 years and over. Data were obtained from the 2015 Chinese General Social Survey. Pearson correlation analysis results show there was a positive correlation between social trust and cultural and recreational participation, and between social trust and health. Bootstrapping analysis-based structural equation modeling shows that after the effects of gender, age, household registration, education level, marital status, and personal annual income had been controlled for, social trust had a significant positive effect on the health of older adults. Further, cultural and recreational participation mediated the effect of social trust on participants' health. These findings, which can be used to improve the health of older adults in China through informing relevant government policies, also provide theoretical and practical guidance for future research.