Longitudinal Evidence for the Effects of Social Group Engagement on the Cognitive and Mental Health of Chinese Retirees

Ben C P Lam, Catherine Haslam, Niklas K Steffens, Jie Yang, S Alexander Haslam, Tegan Cruwys, Nancy A Pachana and Lynn Martire

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2020, vol. 75, issue 10, 2142-2151

Abstract: BackgroundResearch investigating the health benefits of social group participation in the retirement transition has provided little insight into the longitudinal effects on cognitive health and the generalizability of these relationships to non-Western samples. The present paper addresses these issues by examining the effects of social group engagement on the cognitive performance and depression symptoms of Chinese older adults followed over 4 years in their transition to retirement.MethodsUsing the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) data, a sample of 1,297 Chinese seniors transitioning to retirement were followed between 2011 and 2013, and then 2 years later (in 2015) after retirement. Group-based social engagement was used to predict retiree cognitive performance and depression symptoms across time.ResultsAfter controlling for established demographic covariates and close relationship factors at baseline, social group engagement at baseline positively predicted overall cognitive performance and depression symptoms. Moreover, positive change in group engagement was associated with reduced decline in cognitive performance over the 4-year retirement transition period.DiscussionThe current findings demonstrate the generalizability of the health benefits of social group engagement to cognitive health and to a non-Western (Chinese) sample of retirees.

Keywords: Cognitive health; Retirement adjustment; Social identity; Social group (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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