Individual stressors of depressive symptoms in old age are well identified, yet little is known about the neighborhood stressors of depressive symptoms. Guided by the ecological extension of the Pearlin’s Stress Process Model, this study explores the rural and urban differences in neighborhood stressors of depressive symptoms among older adults in China. Data came from two waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative survey. The study included 6,548 older adults ages 60 and above in 2011, with follow-up in 2013. Predictors (individual and neighborhood characteristics) were drawn from the 2011 baseline, and outcome, depressive symptoms, was extracted from the 2013 wave. Multilevel modeling results showed that after controlling for depressive symptoms at the baseline, symptoms decreased in neighborhoods where physical environment and social environment were better. Among rural respondents, neighborhood stressors stemmed mainly from the physical environment, whereas among urban residents, the stressors came from the social environment. This study demonstrated and discussed the role that neighborhoods may play in reducing depressive symptoms in later life. Community organizers and policy makers are encouraged to ameliorate community environments to improve mental health among older adults in China.

Background and Objectives: The health benefit of activity participation at older ages is documented in the current literature. Many studies, however, only explored the health benefits of engaging in a few activities and did not examine mechanisms connecting activity participation to health. We investigated the pathway between activity and health by testing the mediation role of the nature of engagement (physical, cognitive, and social) on physical, mental, and cognitive health of older adults.Research Design and Methods: We analyzed data of 6,044 older adults from the 2010 and 2012 Health and Retirement Study linked with 2011 Consumption and Activity Mail Survey. We used latent class analysis to identify the patterns of participating in 33 activities as well as patterns of nature of engagement, and examined how these patterns were associated with cognition, depressive symptoms, and self-rated health in later life.Results: Meaningful patterns of activity (high, medium, low, passive leisure, and working) and the nature of activity engagement (full, partial, and minimal) were identified. High and working groups, compared to the passive leisure group, showed better health and cognition outcomes. The nature of engagement mediated the relationship between activity patterns and health, especially for older adults who were either full or partially engaged.Discussion and Implications: The nature of engagement may play a more important role than the activity itself in relation to health. Identifying the heterogeneity in activity engagement in later life is critical for tailoring interventions and designing programs that can improve the health of older adults.

Although studies have documented the effects of grandparenting, little is known about grandparents’ long-term health outcomes in terms of optimal engagement with grandchildren, and whether age, gen...