The Impact of Social Capital on Mental Health: Evidence from the China Family Panel Survey

Indebtedness and mental health in China: the moderating roles of income and social support

Objective

To explore the effect of indebtedness on mental health and the moderating effects of two types of coping resources (i.e., income and social support) in the Chinese context.

Methods

41,274 adults from four waves of China Family Panel Studies conducted in 2012, 2016, 2018, and 2020. Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale was used for investigation. Pooled ordinary least squares regressions were used to examine the effect of indebtedness on mental health and the moderating effects of income and social support. Stata 16.0 was used to conduct data analysis.

Results

The results showed that indebtedness had an adverse effect on mental health among Chinese adults. Furthermore, debtors with higher incomes showed fewer mental disorders than those with lower incomes. In terms of social support, monetary support from relatives was able to moderate the negative effects of indebtedness; however, the moderating effects of emotional support were negligible.

Conclusion

The results of this study indicated the adverse mental health outcomes of indebtedness in emerging economies and highlighted that economic resources played protective roles against debtors' mental disorders.

The impact of pension insurance types on the health of older adults in China: a study based on the 2018 CHARLS data

Introduction

Pension insurance is an essential safeguard for the quality of life and health of older adults because it provides a stable and dependable source of income after retirement. China has constructed a multi-level social security system to accommodate the diverse needs of older adults, and offers various levels of pension insurance to maximize their interests.

Methods

This study uses propensity score matching and ordinary least squares techniques to analyze 7,359 data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in order to explore the relationship between different pension insurance categories and the health of older individuals.

Results

The research findings reveal that advanced insurances greatly benefit the health of older adults more than basic pension insurances, and the findings pass the robustness test. In addition, the effect was found to be heterogeneous, depending on the location of retirement and the marital status of older adults.Our findings suggest that both material and non-material consumption may be potential mechanisms by which pension insurance affects the health of older adults, providing new evidence for the causal mechanism between pension insurance and the health of older adults.

Discussion

This study expands the scope of research on the health effects of pension insurance by covering a large representative sample across the country. The results show the important impact of the level of pension insurance on the health of older adults and can contribute to the development of social policies to promote the physical and mental health of older adults.

The Role of Subjective Wellbeing in Mediating Social Trust to the Mental Health of Health Workers

Mental health problems of health workers are attracting increasing concerns in China and the world. A trustful relationship between health workers and patients is the foundation of quality patient care, which is currently under serious threat. This study aimed to determine the associations of social trust on subjective wellbeing and mental health of health workers. Using the survey data of 262 health workers extracted from the 2018 Chinese Family Panel Studies, a structural equation model with partial least square approach was established. The results showed that social trust was linked to both subjective wellbeing (β = 0.251, p < 0.01) and mental health (β = -0.210, p < 0.01). The effect of social trust on mental health was partially mediated by subjective wellbeing (51.87%). The association between social trust and subjective wellbeing was moderated by socioeconomic status: social trust has a stronger effect on subjective wellbeing in those with higher socioeconomic status. Erosion of social trust may present a serious risk to mental health and subjective wellbeing of health workers. High socioeconomic status can amplify the effect of social trust.

Heterogeneity Influence of Financial Digitalization and Inclusion on Employees’ Psychological States

Digital inclusive finance (DIF) has the power to spawn a new system of Internet finance and realize financial inclusion. However, the role of DIF in improving the health status of individuals is largely unknown. This study aims to demonstrate whether and how the development of DIF impacts the mental health of Chinese employees. This paper performs an empirical study based on the city-level data of the digital inclusive financial index with the China family panel studies. Ordinary least squares (OLS), probit models and mediation techniques are employed with appropriate instruments to alleviate endogeneity concerns. The results show that DIF can help employees improve their mental health. The results were robust to a variety of checks. Moreover, increasing income is the main pathway in which DIF improves individual mental health. Finally, it also reveals the heterogeneous effects of DIF on individual mental health. That is, the use depth of DIF has a significant positive effect on mental health status, but not on other sub-indicators, such as coverage breadth and degree of digital service provision; on those vulnerable groups containing females and employees with low education, its decisive role is larger than their counterparts who are males and have high levels of education. These results highlight the vital role of DIF in improving the mental health status of individuals. Consequently, there is a need to strengthen the construction of financial infrastructure and achieve a deeper integration of the financial system with digital technologies.

How do digital lives affect resident mental health in the digital era? Empirical evidence based on Chinese general social survey

Having good mental health means we are better able to connect, function, cope and thrive. The widespread application of digital technology in daily life provides new ways and promising tools for residents to maintain their mental health. Given the importance of mental health for everyone, and the fact that mental health problems are prevalent worldwide, this study discusses how digital lives affects the mental health of residents. The results suggest that digital lives are significantly and positively associated with mental health. Mechanisms analysis identifies personal perceptions (self-rated physical exercise and subjective wellbeing) as the important paths for digital lives to promote mental health, while social perceptions (social trust and social fairness) play a suppressing effect on the relationship between them. The results of further discussion show that the degree of the influence of digital lives on mental health of individuals is heterogeneous among different regions. Due to the difference in development level, the positive impact of digital lives is greater in urban areas than in rural areas, and it is stronger in western regions than in eastern and central regions. This study enriches the nascent research stream of digitalization, explores new paths of harnessing digital technologies for mental health, and offers useful insights for the government to guide them in formulating digital development strategies and achieving the Healthy China Strategy.

Household Wealth and Individuals' Mental Health: Evidence from the 2012-2018 China Family Panel Survey

Based on the data from the 2012-2018 China Family Panel Survey, this study examines the impact of household wealth on individuals' mental health using a two-way fixed effects model. The findings indicate that household wealth exerts a significant positive effect on individuals' mental health. Furthermore, this study shows that the impact of household wealth on individuals' mental health is nonlinear but inverted U-shaped. Considering the possible endogeneity problem, this study further examines the effect of household wealth on residents' mental health using two-stage least squares, and the conclusions remain robust. The results of the heterogeneity analysis indicate that household wealth has a greater impact on the mental health of residents in the low-education group and western region. Furthermore, the results of the mechanisms reveal that household wealth affects mental health by influencing insurance investment and individuals' labor supply. Moreover, this study finds that household wealth affects individuals' mental health not only in the short term but also in the medium and long terms. This study provides policy implications for the government toward improving individuals' mental health.

Association between changes in social capital and mental well-being among older people in China

Background

The mental well-being of older people has become social concern under aging times in China. Social capital has been linked to mental well-being. Our aims were to explore how social capital and the state of mental well-being of older people were changing and what the relationship between them was.

Methods

Data were from six waves of the China Family Panel Studies that were conducted between 2010 and 2020, and a total of 1,055 participants aged 60 and over were included in the analysis. The Generalized Estimated Equation model (GEE) was used to clarify the long-term relationship, and to use GEE we first defined how time points were related, in other words, an appropriate working correlation structure was supposed to choose. Therefore, correlation coefficient between measurements at two time points was calculated to choose the exchange structure. All the analyses were performed in the statistical software Stata 15.0.

Results

The mental well-being of older people has deteriorated over time, especially we found that between 2014 and 2016, the mental well-being of older people plummeted. In addition, cognitive social capital was positively correlated with mental well-being, while structural social capital was inverse.

Conclusions

Policymakers are supposed to take into account the long-term impact of cognitive and structural social capital on the mental well-being of older people and to provide them with projects aimed at increasing cognitive social capital and turning the pressure of structural social capital into a source of happiness in life.

Religiosity, Emotions and Health: The Role of Trust/Mistrust in God in People Affected by Cancer

Trust in God implies the conviction that God looks after a person’s own interests. The first evidence of a relationship between this construct and people’s psychological and emotional health dates back several centuries. However, the literature on this is limited, especially for people with physical health conditions, such as cancer. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to test the relationships between trust/mistrust in God, social support and emotions in people affected by cancer. The sample consisted of 177 women and men in Spain diagnosed with cancer. The instruments used were the Trust/Mistrust in God Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Correlation analysis and hierarchical regression analysis were performed to compare several explanatory models for the dependent variables: positive and negative emotions. The results show significant relationships between all variables. It was observed that, when trust/mistrust in God is included in the model, only mistrust in God predicts both types of emotions. In addition, both social support and some sociodemographic variables help to predict the dependent variables. This study shows that valuing the religiosity and spirituality of oncology patients in healthcare settings can have a significant positive impact on the health of these individuals. Moreover, it represents an important approach to the study of trust/mistrust in God in the context of a traditionally Catholic country.

Impact of Natural Disasters on Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on the 2014 China Family Panel Survey

Mental health problems are a leading cause of disability in both developed and developing countries, and the consequences of mental health disorders for individuals, families, and society as a whole could be severe and costly. To supplement relevant research and provide insightful policy suggestions to families, government and societies, this study investigates the nexus between natural disasters and mental health for middle-aged and older adults in rural China. Based on data of 8721 observations from the 2014 China Family Panel Studies, we estimate the effects of natural disasters on mental health using ordinary least squares and propensity score matching. Our findings suggest that natural disasters have a significant negative effect on middle-aged and older adults' mental health in the case of rural China. This effect is heterogeneous depending on individuals' education level and their agricultural production status. Finally, individuals' happiness and life satisfaction are shown to be the potential mechanism through which the effect of natural disasters on mental health operates.

The Relationship Between Digital Activity and Bedtime, Sleep Duration, and Sleep Quality in Chinese Working Youth

PURPOSE

The study aims to examine whether and how digital activities influence sleep issues among working Chinese youth.

METHODS

This study used data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) a Chinese population-based survey, and employed the multilevel ordinal logistic regression model (MOLRM) to test the associations between digital engagement (whether to engage in digital activity, frequency, and duration) and sleep issues (bedtime, sleep duration, and quality) among Chinese working youth. Additionally, the restricted cubic spline model (RCSM) was adopted to fit the MOLRM to evaluate the nonlinear relationship between digital activity duration and sleep quality, and thus determine the optimal range of digital activity duration.

RESULTS

The analysis included 7849 working young adults. The digital usage rate was 84.11%. Digital use was not significantly associated with average, workday, or free-day sleep duration, after controlling for all potential confounders. However, most digital activity indicators could significantly predict bedtime and sleep quality. Furthermore, the RCSM indicated a non-linear relationship pattern between digital activity duration and sleep quality, with a weekly peak point of 25 h. Age significantly moderated the relationship between digital activity, sleep duration and bedtime. Younger youth who used digital media more frequently and for a longer time tended to sleep later and had shorter sleep duration than older youth.

CONCLUSION

Digital usage significantly predicted later bedtime among Chinese working youth; however, it was not linked with sleep duration on workdays or free days. In parallel, a nonlinear correlation between digital activity duration and sleep quality indicated that appropriate digital activity duration (less than 25 h weekly) may contribute to good sleep quality.