Northeast Asian Research Center, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
Northeast Asian Studies College, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jan 23;19(3):1255. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031255.
Population aging has become a common problem all over the world, and the process of China's population aging is developing rapidly. China has made active aging a national development strategy, giving full attention to the physical and mental health of the elderly. Bloodline and family continuity make the Chinese elderly attach great importance to the responsibility of caring for grandchildren. This study takes the elderly as the research center, and aims to investigate the relationship between caring for grandchildren and the mental health of the elderly in China, and whether participation in social activities mediates such an association. Adopting the data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a Chi-squared test and multiple regression results showed that caring for grandchildren significantly improved the mental health level of the elderly in China, and the results were still valid after the use of the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to solve the endogenous problems. Analysis of the mediating effects using the Structural Equation Model (SEM) showed that caring for grandchildren indirectly contributed to the reduction of depression by increasing the diversity and frequency of participation in social activities. The constant adjustment of China's fertility policy increases the possibility of the elderly caring for multiple grandchildren, and prolongs their time of caring for grandchildren. The elderly caring for grandchildren is a proactive choice, which continuously relieves the child-rearing stress, and highlights the family value and social value of the elderly. At the same time, raising and accompanying grandchildren makes the elderly's lives more fulfilling and positive, which in turn promotes participation in social activities, and the mental health of the elderly.
人口老龄化已成为全球普遍存在的问题，中国的人口老龄化进程正在迅速发展。中国已将积极老龄化作为国家发展战略，高度重视老年人的身心健康。血缘和家庭延续使中国老年人非常重视照顾孙辈的责任。本研究以老年人为研究中心，旨在探讨中国照顾孙辈与老年人心理健康之间的关系，以及参与社会活动是否对这种关联起到中介作用。本研究采用 2018 年中国健康与退休纵向研究（CHARLS）的数据，通过卡方检验和多元回归结果表明，照顾孙辈显著提高了中国老年人的心理健康水平，且在使用倾向评分匹配（PSM）解决内生性问题后，结果仍然有效。使用结构方程模型（SEM）分析中介效应的结果表明，照顾孙辈通过增加社会活动的多样性和频率，间接地有助于降低抑郁程度。中国生育政策的不断调整增加了老年人照顾多个孙辈的可能性，并延长了他们照顾孙辈的时间。老年人照顾孙辈是一种积极主动的选择，不断缓解育儿压力，凸显了老年人的家庭价值和社会价值。同时，抚养和陪伴孙辈使老年人的生活更加充实和积极，从而促进了他们参与社会活动和保持心理健康。
