Productive activity profiles and depressive symptoms of urban Chinese elderly : evidences from a national survey

Abstract

Background Engaging in productive activities has been suggested as crucial for the maintenance of well-being during the later life. In urban China, engaging older adults in a variety of productive activities has been increasingly recognized as a workable way in supporting senior citizens to age fruitfully and healthily. However, few attempts have been made on developing the individual-based categorization of later-life productivity, as well as to utilize this categorization to differentiate the psychological well-being outcomes of subgroups of elders.

Objectives The purpose of this study is to identify definite profiles of productive activity engagement amongst urban Chinese elders by considering multiple productive activities simultaneously. Once distinct profiles were identified, we further assess whether these identified profiles of productive activity engagement would predict depressive symptoms amongst older adults in urban China two years later.

Methods The data used in Study 1 was driven from the 2011 baseline survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Using a sample of urban residents aged 60 or over (N= 3,019), we employed a latent class cluster analysis (LCA) approach to empirically investigate whether meaningful latent classes would emerge from the analytical sample, according to six observational indicators of productive activities (formal volunteering, grandchild care provision, parental care provision, spouse care provision, informal help, and paid working,). Multinomial logistic analysis was used to assess how an array of selected factors were related to individuals’ locations to these classes. Study 2 used both the CHARLS baseline and follow-up survey (2013) data. Based on a sample containing urban older adults (aged 60 or over in 2011) who completed both the 2011 and 2013 follow-up survey interviews (N = 2,398), a LCA was first conducted to confirm the existence of four distinct profiles of productive activity engagement. Then, a Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) approach was employed to examine whether and how these identified profiles contributed to differentiate elders in terms of their level of two-year later depressive symptoms.

Results Our use of LCA determined four distinct profiles of later-life productivity existed amongst a representative sample of urban senior residents: Super helper, Work-Care Engager, Civic Contributor, and Spousal Caregiver. After adjusting the effects of selected variables measured at baseline, all of the other three profiles significantly differed from Spousal Caregiver in that exhibiting lower levels of depressive symptoms after two years. The protective effects of locating in Civic Contributor and Super helper against two-year later depressive symptoms were more pronounced than that of Work-Care Engager.

Conclusions This study advanced our understanding of later-life productivity amongst older adults by capturing the patterned ways various productive activities may intersect that correspond to later-life stages. Our established individual-based categorization of later-life productive engagement served well in differentiating well-being outcomes amongst older adults. The findings of this study underscored the value of later-life productivity in promoting mental health amongst senior residents in urban China, and show implications for designing and implementing more effective programs that facilitate later-life productive engagement.