Bidirectional Association Between Internet Use and Episodic Memory Among Older Adults: A Longitudinal Mediation Study.

Using nationally representative longitudinal data from three waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), we assessed whether social participation and mental health were channels through which internet use and episodic memory mutually influenced each other. Cross-lagged panel models with multiple mediators were employed for the mediation analysis. The results reveal that social participation and depressive symptoms were mechanisms underlying the internet-cognition interplay. Among men, an increased chance of contacting friends served as a pathway connecting internet use with better episodic memory. Conversely, men with better episodic memory were more likely to use the internet partially due to their higher chances of having contact with friends and engaging in group activities. Among women, engagement in group activities and depressive symptoms were two channels through which internet use and episodic memory positively influenced each other. Our findings provide practical implications for slowing cognitive aging and narrowing the digital divide.

Early-life interparental relationship quality and late-life depressive symptoms: A mediation analysis.

BACKGROUND: A growing body of literature has demonstrated that poor relationships between parents are associated with offspring's elevated depressive symptoms among children and adolescents. However, researchers have paid scant attention to whether marital discord during offspring's childhood casts a long shadow on their late-life depressive symptoms. This study examines the association between early exposure to a poor interparental relationship and offspring's late-life depressive symptoms among Chinese and identifies underlying mechanisms. METHODS: We employed path models to analyze data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The analytic sample consisted of 4107 respondents aged 60 and older in 2015. Depressive symptoms were assessed with a 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). RESULTS: Individuals who had experienced poor interparental relationships in childhood showed higher levels of and faster increases in depressive symptoms in late adulthood. The mediators were offspring's experiences of physical abuse by their parents in childhood and their poor relationships with spouses and children in adulthood. LIMITATIONS: Limitations include recall bias on childhood conditions, absence of personality traits, and limited measures of parenting practices. CONCLUSIONS: Early-life interparental relationships exert a long-term effect on offspring's mental health. Individuals who suffered from poor interparental relationships during childhood might be at relatively high risk of developing depressive symptoms in late adulthood. Possible measures to relieve these depressive symptoms include protecting offspring from physical abuse in childhood and improving their relationships with their spouses and children later in life.

"Gone with the land": Effects of land expropriation on health and subjective well-being in rural China.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have investigated the relationship between land expropriation and health and subjective well-being (SWB) in China. This study examines the impacts of land expropriation on health and SWB among Chinese farmers aged 16-85 years and explores whether these impacts vary with socioeconomic conditions. METHODS: We utilized longitudinal data from the China Family Panel Studies, a nationally representative survey. The analytic samples included over 10,000 individuals and over 30,000 person-year observations. Individual fixed-effects models were employed to eliminate the omitted-variable bias derived from time-constant unobserved confounders. RESULTS: Land expropriation was harmful to health and SWB. First-time land expropriation increased the risks of physical discomfort, chronic diseases, hospitalization, and perceived health decline; raised the frequency of feeling depressed; and decreased self-rated health, life satisfaction, subjective social status, and confidence about the future. Repeated land expropriation and past land expropriation increased the risks of chronic diseases, raised depressive symptom severity, and lowered self-rated health and life satisfaction. Repeated land expropriation also elevated the risk of perceived health decline. In addition, preexisting household income per capita and baseline county-level GDP per capita buffered the adverse impacts of first-time land expropriation. CONCLUSION: This study reveals the adverse impacts of land expropriation on health and SWB and highlights the importance of providing support to land-taken farmers to alleviate such detrimental effects.

The Bidirectional Association Between Physical and Cognitive Function Among Chinese Older Adults: A Mediation Analysis.

This study investigated the bidirectional association between physical and cognitive function in later life and examined the mechanisms underlying the interrelationship. We employed cross-lagged panel models to analyze a sample of 4232 unique participants aged 65 years and older from three waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Physical activity and social participation were tested as potential mediators between physical and cognitive function. Our findings revealed a reciprocal relationship between physical and cognitive function and a reciprocal relationship between physical and cognitive decline. Moreover, physical activity was confirmed to mediate the bidirectional association between physical and cognitive function, whereas social participation did not seem to be a mediator. A vicious cycle linking physical and cognitive decline may exist in Chinese older adults. However, leading a physically active lifestyle could be an effective intervention to slow physical and cognitive aging, thereby toning down the vicious cycle.