The present study suggests that promoting social participation might help mitigate the disease burden associated with hypertension in China, particularly among women. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 1093-1099.
In rural Fujian, China, social capital seemed to be an important determinant of psychological health. While living in a community with active social interaction may benefit the residents psychologically, social interaction in the form of strongly bonded relationships may be a source of psychological stress at the individual level due to the potential demands and obligations that may be associated with such connections.
Objectives
In contrast to the health of migrants, which has been extensively studied, little attention has been paid to the health of adults left behind by family members who out‐migrated to other locations. This study was performed to investigate the association between being left behind and the Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) antibody titer, which is an indicator of cellular immune functioning previously shown to be associated with psychological stress.
Methods
A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in rural communities in Fujian, China, in 2015. Questionnaire data and dried blood spot samples were collected from 748 adults. A mixed effect regression analysis was conducted to investigate the association.
Results
Results indicated that the EBV antibody titers were higher among people who had been left behind compared with those who had not.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that, in rural Fujian, China, family separation following the out‐migration of family members is an important determinant of psychological stress.
This study investigated the role of childhood parental deprivation in the association between quality of life (QOL) and the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) antibody titer, a marker of cellular immune functioning, using data from 734 adults living in seven communities in rural Fujian, China. Parental deprivation was defined if either of their parents had died, divorced, or left them for migratory work for more than 1 year before they turned (a) 16 years of age (childhood and adolescence), or (b) 3 years of age (early childhood). A mixed‐effects regression analysis with a random effects model revealed that parental deprivation during early childhood was positively associated with the EBV antibody titer (coefficient = 0.33, p = 0.007), whereas parental deprivation during the first 16 years was not. Further analysis incorporating an interaction term between QOL and parental deprivation revealed a significant interaction between QOL and parental deprivation during early childhood; a significant association between QOL and the EBV antibody titer was found only among those who reported parental deprivation during early childhood. This study suggests that parental deprivation during the period of immune system development may be linked with physiological responses to stressors later in life.
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