Parental preference for boys in childhood and the health of the elderly: Evidence from China

Childhood maltreatment and association with trajectories of depressive symptoms among older adults: a longitudinal study in China

OBJECTIVES

Childhood maltreatment has long-lasting effects on mental health. Existing evidence suggests that trajectories of depressive symptoms vary among individuals; however, little is known about how childhood maltreatment shapes these trajectory patterns. Therefore, this study investigated the impacts of childhood maltreatment on eight-year depressive trajectories among Chinese older adults.

METHOD

Five waves of longitudinal data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were utilized. Growth Mixture Modelling was performed to identify distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms, and multinomial logistic regression was conducted to explore the associations between these trajectories and childhood maltreatment.

RESULTS

Four trajectories of depressive symptoms were identified: the 'no symptoms' class (61.83%), the 'increasing symptoms' class (14.49%), the 'decreasing symptoms' class (16.44%), and the 'chronic symptoms' class (7.24%). Older adults who experienced childhood physical abuse were more likely to be in the 'chronic symptoms' class than in the 'no symptoms' class, whereas emotional neglect did not show a significant association with three problematic trajectories.

CONCLUSION

This study provides empirical evidence that childhood physical abuse increases the likelihood of developing chronic depressive symptoms in later life. To mitigate this risk, it is crucial to institute comprehensive treatment plans that incorporate trauma-informed care principles, employ evidence-based therapies specifically designed to address the long-term effects of abuse, and prioritize regular screening and assessment of mental health among older adults.

Impact of the targeted poverty alleviation policy on older adults' healthcare utilization: A quasi-experimental analysis from China

China implemented the Targeted Poverty Alleviation (TPA) policy in 2015 to fight against poverty. In order to assess the health performance of the TPA policy, this study aims to evaluate the impact of the TPA policy on healthcare utilization among older adults who normally have higher vulnerability to poverty and diseases. Drawing on data from four waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), we investigated the impact of the TPA policy on older individuals' outpatient and inpatient utilization using the difference-in-differences (DID) approach. In total, 5285 older respondents were incorporated into a final sample. The results indicated that the implementation of the TPA policy had a significantly positive impact on increasing inpatient care utilization for poor older adults. However, its impact on outpatient service utilization was not significant. To ensure that the increased level of inpatient care utilization was not caused by deteriorating health status, we further analyzed the impact of the TPA policy on poor older adults' health outcomes. Results indicated that the TPA policy improved self-rated health and reduced the number of ADL limitations among older adults in registered poor households. The positive impact of the TPA policy on inpatient care utilization was found to be most beneficial for older adults in poor households who were female, coupled, and aged 70 years and above. The TPA policy in China improved healthcare access for economically disadvantaged older adults and contributed to the enhancement of their health outcomes. This evidence may have broad implications for other low- and middle-income countries aiming to reduce poverty and achieve health equity.

Interpersonal interactions, sense of loneliness and perceived depressive emotions among older adults: A cultural-psychological perspective from heterogeneous roles of different relationships

In the context of the "Chinese Differential Mode of Association" in traditional Chinese culture, this paper examines the heterogeneous effects of interpersonal interactions in different relationships on older adults' depressive emotions from a cultural-psychological perspective. Results using data from Chinese General Social Survey demonstrate that: interactions with children are the most helpful in reducing perceived depression for the elderly, followed by communications with siblings and relatives. However, interactions with friends and other fellows do not significantly reduce older people's perceived depression. This reflects the "Chinese Differential Mode of Association" in interpersonal relationships. When using different perceived depression measures, and Double Debiased Machine Learning (DDML) approaches for robustness and endogeneity tests, above findings are very robust. The impact mechanism is that interactions with children and siblings reduce depressive emotions by decreasing older adults' sense of loneliness, while communications with others do not have such a significant effect. This paper further discusses the roles of different types of interactions with adult children. It is found that receiving and providing emotional support can prominently decrease depressive emotions for older people, whereas the effects of monetary support and non-material assistance are less pronounced. In addition, interpersonal interactions' impacts are more significant for those who are female, older than 75 and with poorer health, as well as older people who exercise less frequently, have higher social status, and hold more traditional beliefs. In the current context of active promotion of healthy aging, findings of this paper have important implications for a deeper understanding and scientific management of depressive emotions among the elderly.

Association of early parent-child separation with depression, social and academic performance in adolescence and early adulthood: a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of parent-child separation during infancy and early childhood on depression, social relationships including parent-child and peer relationships, and academic performance during adolescence and early adulthood.

METHODS

Data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) were analyzed, which included a sample of 3829 children aged 4-15 years from 25 provinces over a period of 8 years. The study examined the association between early parent-child separation and outcomes related to depression, social and academic performance, comparing outcomes between individuals with and without early separation experiences. A series of subgroup analyses were conducted to further explore these associations.

RESULTS

Parent-child separation lasting 3 months or longer was found to be associated with moderate to severe levels of depression and impaired social relationships during adolescence and early adulthood, particularly among males, adolescents, urban dwellers, and those with less educated mothers. Children who experienced parent-child separation for 3 months or longer showed a positive correlation between separation duration and depression. Short-term separations under 3 months did not show this association. The duration of separation also had a negative correlation with parent-child and peer relationships, as well as academic performance.

CONCLUSION

Early parent-child separation has significant adverse effects on the mental health, social and academic performance of adolescents and early adulthood, especially among males, adolescents, urban residents, and those with lower maternal education. The severity of depression was found to be related to the duration of separation, highlighting the importance of minimizing separation to less than 3 months for children under the age of 3. These findings underscore the critical role of early parental care and the need for targeted interventions for high-risk populations.

The Relationship Between Stressful Life Events and Depressive Symptoms in College Students: mediation by Parenting Style and Gender's Moderating Effect

Aim

Stressful life events have a significant impact on the mental health of college students. Depression, as a prevalent psychological issue, has garnered attention in the field of college student mental health and is closely linked to it. Additionally, parenting style is identified as an important factor influencing the development of college students' mental health. Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationship between these three factors.

Methods

A total of 8079 first-year college students from two medical universities in Shandong Province, China were surveyed. The Beck Depression Inventory was utilized to evaluate depressive symptoms among the college students, while the Adolescent Self-rating Life Events Checklist and the Egna Minnen Beträfande Uppfostran were employed to gather data. Subsequently, the SPSS macro program PROCESS was utilized to analyze both the mediating and moderating effects. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.0.

Results

The study found a detection rate of 6.3% for depressive symptoms among college students. The correlation analysis of this study showed that the stressful life events of college students were significantly positively correlated with depressive symptoms (r=0.261, p< 0.01). Each dimension of parenting style was associated with depressive symptoms in different degrees and directions. At the same time, parenting styles of all sizes play a partial mediating role between stressful life events and depressive symptoms in college students, gender plays a crucial regulatory role in this mediation.

Conclusion

Stressful life events experienced by college students have a significant impact on their mental health. Early intervention through positive parenting styles from parents may prove to be beneficial in promoting the development of good mental health among college students.

Does digital infrastructure improve public Health? A quasi-natural experiment based on China's Broadband policy

This study proposed a scheme for improving people's health from the perspective of digital infrastructure construction. We used the China Family Panel Studies conducted between 2010 and 2020 and the digital infrastructure construction marked by the Broadband China policy between 2014 and 2016 as a quasi-natural experiment. We adopted the multi-time difference-in-differences method to identify the causal relationship between digital infrastructure and people's health. We found that digital infrastructure construction significantly improved people's health, and the effect was more prominent among young and middle-aged residents and those with less than a university education. Moreover, digital infrastructure construction improved the utilization of medical services, helped residents develop healthy lifestyles, and increased people's health investments. Additionally, digital infrastructure reduced health inequality among people and promoted health equity. The findings could guide future policies to improve people's health and well-being.

Gendered Parenting: Maternal Son Preference and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Early Adolescents

This study focused on the nuanced phenomenon of gendered parenting by exploring how maternal son preference is associated with depressive symptoms among Chinese early adolescents. Focusing on 1093 junior high school students from a relatively affluent city in Western China, this study examined the mediating roles of mother-child attachment and father-child attachment as well as the moderating role of school connectedness in the relationship between maternal son preference and depressive symptoms. The results revealed a noteworthy positive correlation between maternal son preference and depressive symptoms among female adolescents, with no significant association observed in males. In addition, mother-child attachment and father-child attachment mediated the relationship between maternal son preference and girls' depressive symptoms, supporting the "spillover effect" and "crossover effect". Moreover, a moderation effect analysis indicated that a higher level of school connectedness can buffer the effect of maternal son preference on girls' depressive symptoms, while a lower level of school connectedness can enhance the effect of maternal son preference on girls' depressive symptoms. In addition, maternal son preference was negatively correlated with boys' depressive symptoms in relation to high school connectedness. These insights help enhance people's understanding of gendered parenting, emphasizing the enduring necessity of addressing son preference within the broader context of promoting gender equality.

Gender differences in happiness in Chinese society: The role of parental preference for sons over daughters

OBJECTIVE

This paper studies the relationship between Chinese parents' preference for sons over daughters in childhood and these children's happiness in adulthood.

BACKGROUND

Happiness is an important dimension for measuring a society's well-being and a lifelong goal for many Chinese citizens deeply influenced by Confucianism. However, China's relatively low world ranking on happiness is worrisome for Chinese policymakers and prompts the question of whether the concept of "preference for sons" is related to lower adult happiness.

METHODS

This study used the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study to analyze the relationship between parents' preference for sons over daughters in one's childhood and adult happiness using the least squares method. An instrumental variable method was used to address endogeneity concerns. In addition, the Karlson-Holm-Breen method was used to analyze the mediating effects of childhood educational opportunities and health resources.

RESULTS

Parents' preference for sons over daughters in one's childhood was positively related to the happiness of male adults but negatively for female adults. Childhood education opportunities and childhood health resources have a mediating effect on the relationship between parental preference for boys and children's happiness in adulthood.

CONCLUSIONS

Parents' preference for sons over daughters substantially explains the gender gap in happiness in adult Chinese citizens. Reducing the idea of prioritizing boys over girls has the potential to improve the happiness level of adults.

The influence of parenting style and coping behavior on nonsuicidal self-injury behavior in different genders based on path analysis

Background

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors-an important factor that profoundly affects the physical and mental health of young people-are induced by complex and diverse factors, while showing significant differences at the gender level. We examined mediating behaviors among parenting styles, students' coping styles, and endogenous and exogenous influencing variables of adolescents' NSSI behaviors.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, Secondary school students in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China (n = 2,689; F/M:1532/1157) were surveyed for basic attributes, parenting styles, coping styles, and NSSI behaviors. After the initial screening of the sample data, several external derivatives were screened based on the single factor analysis method. On this basis, the construction of path analysis models under multivariate multiple elicitations was carried out.

Results

The overall prevalence of NSSI was 15.16%, and the incidence of NSSI in boys was lower than that in girls (OR = 0.334, 95% CI [0.235-0.474]). The path analysis model data fit well; the indicators of female and male part are: CFI = 0.913/0.923, GFI = 0.964/0.977, SRMR = 0.055/0.047, RMSEA = 0.097/0.069 with 90% confidence interval (CI) [0.084-0.111]/[0.054-0.084]. For female, when negative coping style and extreme education affect NSSI respectively, the standardized path coefficient values are 0.478 (z = 20.636, P = 0.000 < 0.01) and 0.151 (z = 6.524, P = 0.000 < 0.01) respectively, while for male, the corresponding values become 0.225 (z = 7.057, P < 0.001) and 0.104 (z = 3.262, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

In particular, we investigated the mediating effects of gender-specific NSSI influences and found that NSSI behaviors were strongly associated with environmental variables and individual factors, especially family parenting style and adolescent coping style, which influenced NSSI in a gender-specific manner. The results showed that males were the target of both positive and negative parenting styles, whereas females were more likely to choose negative coping styles directed towards emotions in response to external stimuli, and instead showed a more significant predisposition towards NSSI behaviors. This phenomenon seems to be influenced by multilevel factors such as sociocultural, individual value identity, and physiological structure differences. In the path analysis model with the introduction of mediating effects, the influence of gender differences on NSSI behavior becomes more pronounced under the interaction of multiple factors: women seem to be more significantly influenced by the external derivatives in the internal derivatives than male subjects, and are more likely to trigger NSSI behavior under the interaction of multiple factors. These findings effectively reveal the significant role of different end-influencing factors in NSSI behaviors at the level of gender differences, which can provide effective theoretical support to prevent and treat NSSI behaviors in adolescents.