Hao Haijun, Li Ruonan
School of Public Administration (School of Philanthropy), Shandong Technology and Business University, Yantai, China.
Department of Social Welfare, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
Front Public Health. 2025 Jul 29;13:1621954. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1621954. eCollection 2025.
This study investigates the impact of functional abilities on depression among rural older adults in China, with a focus on the moderating role of caregiving for grandchildren.
Using data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), 4,366 valid responses were analyzed. Hierarchical regression was employed to examine the relationships between IADL, caregiving, and depression.
The findings indicate that higher functional ability is associated with lower depression levels ( = -0.402, < 0.001), and caregiving for grandchildren significantly moderates this relationship ( = -0.203, < 0.001). Specifically, older adults with higher functional ability who care for grandchildren experience greater reductions in depression.
The study concludes that caregiving for grandchildren buffers the negative effects of functional abilities decline on depression, highlighting the mental health benefits of intergenerational caregiving in rural China.
本研究调查了中国农村老年人功能能力对抑郁的影响，重点关注照顾孙辈的调节作用。
使用2018年中国健康与养老追踪调查（CHARLS）的数据，对4366份有效回复进行了分析。采用分层回归来检验日常生活活动能力（IADL）、照顾孙辈与抑郁之间的关系。
研究结果表明，较高的功能能力与较低的抑郁水平相关（β = -0.402，p < 0.001），照顾孙辈显著调节了这种关系（β = -0.203，p < 0.001）。具体而言，功能能力较高且照顾孙辈的老年人抑郁程度降低得更多。
该研究得出结论，照顾孙辈缓冲了功能能力下降对抑郁的负面影响，凸显了中国农村代际照顾对心理健康的益处。
