Does Participation in Local Non-agricultural Employment Improve the Mental Health of Elderly Adults in Rural Areas? Evidence From China

A rising rate of suicide among the elderly in rural China has been recognized to be triggered by mental health-associated factors. This study uses 3,397 sampled rural elderly adults from China Labor-force Dynamic Survey in 2016 to explore the response mechanism through which non-agricultural employm...

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Published inFrontiers in public health Vol. 9; p. 746580
Main Authors Jia, Peng, Zhuang, Jincai, Vaca Lucero, Andrea Maria, Osei, Charles Dwumfour, Li, Juan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Frontiers Media S.A 27.10.2021
Subjects
China
elderly adults
Health administration
mental health
non-agricultural employment
Public Health
rural areas
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Summary:A rising rate of suicide among the elderly in rural China has been recognized to be triggered by mental health-associated factors. This study uses 3,397 sampled rural elderly adults from China Labor-force Dynamic Survey in 2016 to explore the response mechanism through which non-agricultural employment participation by the elderly adults in rural China can influence their mental health. Utilizing the Multivariate Regression, Instrumental Variable and Propensity Score Matching methods, we find that, the rural elderly adults who participate in local non-agricultural employment significantly improve their mental health. Self-employment tends to have a greater positive contribution to the mental health of the elderly population than waged employment. Further, work income, need for belongingness and respect, and human capital development significantly mediates the influence of participation in local non-agricultural employment on the mental health of the elderly adults. Finally, we put forward relevant policy suggestions to improving the mental health of the elderly in the countryside.
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Edited by: Ashwani Kumar Mishra, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, India
Reviewed by: Vivek Verma, Assam University, India; Chi Wei Su, Qingdao University, China
This article was submitted to Public Mental Health, a section of the journal Frontiers in Public Health
ISSN:2296-2565
2296-2565
DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2021.746580