The Impact of Subjective Poverty on the Mental Health of the Elderly in China: The Mediating Role of Social Capital

Yanghan Li, Tianyi Chen, Quan Li () and Linxiu Jiang
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Yanghan Li: School of Political Science and Public Administration, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Tianyi Chen: Institute of Quality Development Strategy, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Quan Li: School of Political Science and Public Administration, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Linxiu Jiang: School of Political Science and Public Administration, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 17, 1-18

Abstract: Reducing subjective poverty among the elderly is an important aspect of poverty governance and is a necessary part of implementing the healthy aging strategy in China. In both China and the majority of low- and middle-income countries, systematic research on the relationship between subjective poverty and the mental health of the elderly needs to be expanded. In this study, we aimed to examine how social capital, including bonding and bridging social capital, mediate the relationship between subjective poverty and mental health among the elderly in China. Relying on the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) data, we used ordered probit (oprobit) regression, propensity score matching (PSM), and instrumental variable (IV) regression to estimate the effects of subjective poverty on mental health. The results indicate that subjective poverty has a significant negative impact on the mental health of the elderly in China. More importantly, social capital, including bonding and bridging social capital, partially mediates the relationship between subjective poverty and mental health. We believe that, in the process of implementing the government’s healthy aging strategy in China, society and government should recognize the importance and value of subjective poverty governance for the elderly. In particular, the construction of a social relationship network that centers on bonding and bridging social capital could be instrumental in dealing with subjective poverty among the elderly and safeguarding their mental health and wellbeing.

Keywords: subjective poverty; mental health; social capital; the elderly; CLHLS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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