Social Support, Social Participation, and Cognitive and Mental Health of Older Adults: A U.S.-China Comparison

• In Event: 30860 - Section on Aging and the Life Course Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 3. Cognition, Mental Health, and Education in Aging

Abstract

Social support and social participation are important social determinants of mental and cognitive health of older adults, yet less is known about the relationship between different social support sources, different social participation types, and various mental and cognitive outcomes. Furthermore, no study directly compares the U.S. and China to explore the relationship between social support, social participation, and mental and cognitive health, and the gender differences therein. This study draws on longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the U.S., and the China Health And Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in China, to show the relationship between received or perceived instrumental support from children, other family members, and formal sources, and the mental and cognitive health among older adults aged 65 and older across the U.S. and China, and between six forms of social participation (interacting with friends and family, attending clubs, attending organized group meetings, playing board games, volunteering, and caregiving) and mental and cognitive health. Findings suggest: 1) Social activities that require higher levels of cognitive and mental engagement are associated with the cognitive functions of older adults in both countries. Such activities include playing chess and card games, attending social and sports clubs, and caregiving; 2) Social activities that are more emotionally engaging and interpersonal predict the mental health outcomes of older adults across the U.S. and China. These include interacting with friends for U.S. older adults, and attending sports and social clubs, and caregiving in both countries; 3) Current or anticipated future instrumental support from children is associated with better cognitive functions of older adults in both the U.S. and China; 4) Children’s support also predicts better mental health outcomes, including less loneliness among Chinese, and lower CESD score in both countries. Gender differences are present, that instrumental support from children is robustly linked to mental and cognitive health among older U.S. and Chinese men and women except for U.S. women. Volunteering is associated with less loneliness among older men but not women in both countries.

Author

• Leping Wang, Vanderbilt University