Older Adults’ Mental Health in China: Examining the Relationship Between Income Inequality and Subjective Wellbeing Using Panel Data Analysis

Bakkeli, Nan Zou

doi:10.1007/s10902-019-00130-w

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 72 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Previous studies have reported that psychological stress may be a risk factor for chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes and cardiovascular diseases) [ 59 , 60 ]. As China is experiencing a fast transition in technology, economy, and lifestyle, older people may face more stress from these changes [ 61 , 62 ]. The impact of diet on psychological stress is relatively difficult to investigate, as the association is bidirectional [ 63 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary Diversity and Healthy Aging: A Prospective Study

Zhang

Zhao

2021

Nutrients

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Population aging is a global phenomenon. The present study determined the effects of dietary diversity score (DDS) and food consumption on healthy aging. A subset of the data of the China Health and Nutrition Survey was utilized in this study. DDSs were calculated using the dietary data collected in the years 2009 and 2011. A healthy aging score (HAS) was calculated by summing the standardized scores on physical functional limitation, comorbidity, cognitive function, and psychological stress based on the data collected in the year 2015, with a lower HAS indicating a healthier aging process. Life quality was self-reported in the year 2015. This study found that DDS was inversely associated with HAS (T3 vs. T1: β −0.16, 95%CI −0.20 to −0.11, p-trend <0.001). The consumption of meat and poultry, aquatic products, and fruits was inversely associated with HAS, and participants in the highest tertile of staple foods consumption had a higher HAS than those in the lowest tertile. HAS was inversely associated with good self-reported life quality and positively associated with bad life quality. In conclusion, food consumption may influence the aging process, and adherence to a diverse diet is associated with a healthier aging process in elderly people.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary Diversity and Healthy Aging: A Prospective Study

Zhang

Zhao

2021

Nutrients

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…People with higher levels of income also have better social capital than those with lower income. Research has, thus, established a strong relationship between income inequality and social capital inequality (Bakkeli, 2019;Lin, 2000). Considering that income inequality negatively affects the wellbeing of people in general, and older people in particular (Bakkeli, 2019;Ichhida et al, 2009), we expect that social capital inequality will also negatively affect the subjective wellbeing of older people.…”

Section: Why Might Social Capital Inequality Affect the Wellbeing Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to social comparison theories, people feel better about themselves when they compare themselves to people of lower resources. But people are unhappy when they compare themselves with people of higher resources, and this may lead to envy (Bakkeli, 2019;Boyce, Brown and Moore, 2010;Luttmer, 2005;Rutledge et al, 2016). In the case of social capital inequality, those with lower social capital may envy those with more social capital because the latter may have better social networks, enjoy more social support and receive better instrumental outcomes due to the quality of their social networks.…”

Section: Why Might Social Capital Inequality Affect the Wellbeing Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In our context, East Asian cultures are known to be more collectivist and communal. Individualism is frowned upon and not encouraged (Bakkeli, 2019;McKay, 2010;Yuki, 2003). Considering the homophily of social networks, people with more social capital may stand out from the rest of their network, inviting envy and social disapproval.…”

Section: Why Might Social Capital Inequality Affect the Wellbeing Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Considering the homophily of social networks, people with more social capital may stand out from the rest of their network, inviting envy and social disapproval. Particularly in the case of older people, who hold more traditional communal views (Bakkeli, 2019), social capital inequality may be a source of unhappiness and social discontent for both the person with higher social capital and other members of their network who have less social capital.…”

Section: Why Might Social Capital Inequality Affect the Wellbeing Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Social Capital Inequality and Subjective Wellbeing of Older Chinese

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Using longitudinal data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study provides insights on comparative wellbeing outcomes for older people who are institutionally segregated into clusters that produce uneven social capital. We present the first study that examines how institutionalized social capital inequality, measured by the social capital gap generated by hukou (household registration) status in China, affects the wellbeing of older people. Our results show that high levels of social capital inequality are associated with lower subjective wellbeing, measured by life satisfaction. This general conclusion is robust to a number of sensitivity checks including alternative ways of measuring subjective wellbeing and inequality. We also find that the negative relationship between social capital inequality and subjective wellbeing is strongest for people with a non-urban hukou living in urban areas. Our findings highlight the need for policies aimed at narrowing the social capital gap and the dismantling of institutional structures that hinder upward social capital mobility.

show abstract

Toward achieving sustainable development goal 3: Determinants, innovations, and reactions from 110 countries with different income levels

2021

Sustainable Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Well-being has a major impact on sustained development of economies worldwide; and unionized well-being-improving decisions are key to achieving SDG3, but research on such is rare. This article investigates the determinants of well-being using Life Ladder (LLD), log GDP per capita (LGDP), social support (SSP), and life expectancy at birth (HLE) for panels of 110 countries selected from World Happiness Report 2020, and grouped according to income levels. The empirical panel Granger causality results show that LGDP, SSP and HLE Granger causes LLD in the long-run for low, upper-middle, and high-income countries; but find no evidence of such for the Lower-Middle Income Countries and Global Panel. Evidence from the impulse response and variance decomposition analysis shows that majority of the innovations needed to promote well-being can be found within LLD itself. The policy implication is that though all countries plan to improve well-being, the determinants, innovations, and corresponding reactions vary across countries. K E Y W O R D Simpulse response and variance decomposition analysis, income-based grouping of countries, panel granger causality, sustainable development, unionized well-being-improving decision making, well-being 1 | BACKGROUND Countries around the globe are striving to build economies that are sustainable. This is clearly depicted by the drafting and adoption of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs; UN, 2020). The 17 integrated SDGs cover a wide spectrum from poverty reduction to decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation, and infrastructure to improve well-being (Diaz-Sarachaga et al., 2018). At the macroeconomic level, sustained increase in average income levels often proxied with growth in gross national income (GNI) per capita are likened to economic development and poverty reduction. Though significant increase in GNI per capita depicts economic growth, sustained improvement that advances and maximizes the well-being of the population is desirable. Thus, improving the well-being of people is key to building long-lasting development of countries globally (Deaton, 2007). The world has made significant improvement in well-being over the past decade. Facts from the World Happinness Report (2020) (WHR2020) puts Finland as the world's most happier country (with happiness score of 7.809 on a 10-point scale) and Afghanistan as the least happiest (happiness score of 2.567). It is worth noting that the variation in happiness rankings have close association with disparities in income. As the world gradually transition to an integrated whole, collaboration, and cooperating among countries can help improve well-being of people worldwide.Based on the undeniable linkage between well-being and income (Zhang & Awaworyi Churchill, 2020), the players in the collaborated network can be selected using income metrics.Facts from the WHR2020 and Helne and Hirvilammi (2015) suggest that when measuring well-being at the country level, most countries pay attention to happiness (proxied wi...

show abstract

Older Adults’ Mental Health in China: Examining the Relationship Between Income Inequality and Subjective Wellbeing Using Panel Data Analysis

Cited by 19 publications

References 72 publications

Dietary Diversity and Healthy Aging: A Prospective Study

Dietary Diversity and Healthy Aging: A Prospective Study

Social Capital Inequality and Subjective Wellbeing of Older Chinese

Toward achieving sustainable development goal 3: Determinants, innovations, and reactions from 110 countries with different income levels

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About