Introduction: With the continuous development of the global aging trend, the mental health of older adults has been a concern by the world. The living space of older adults is limited due to the decline of their activity function. Neighborhood environment, especially the neighborhood social environment, has become an important factor affecting the mental health of older adults. Therefore, this study explores the mechanism that influences the social environment of the neighborhood and the mental health of older adults, the mediating effect of subjective well-being (SWB), and the moderating effect of green space.Methods: Based on the 2018 China Labor Dynamics Survey, this study used the structural equation model to explore the mediating effect of neighborhood social environment (neighborhood ties, social trust, community security) on the mental health of older adults through SWB and the moderating effect of green space.Results: Social trust and community security are both directly and positively associated with older adults’ mental health. At the same time, neighborhood ties, social trust, and community security can promote the mental health of older adults by positively affecting SWB, while green space has an enhanced moderating effect between neighborhood ties and mental health.Discussion: This study enriches the empirical research on neighborhood social environment and mental health. First of all, older adults living in communities with good safety conditions and high social trust are less affected by negative emotions and tend to have good mental health. Second, deeper neighborhood ties, higher social trust, and safer community environments help older adults to be less disturbed by negative situations, have a positive effect on their SWB, and indirectly promote mental health. At the same time, green space can provide a place for older adults to socialize, enhance the positive impact of neighborhood ties on SWB, and further promote the mental health of older adults. Finally, this study suggests that the government and community managers pay attention to the construction of neighborhood social environment and green space, and provide support for “healthy community” and “healthy aging” planning.

Background: Mental health accounts for a significant proportion of holistic health and affects women more significantly than men. Livelihood capital, defined as an indicator of these sources available for individuals or households to survive and develop, is a cost-effective field for ameliorating women’s mental health. However, the impact of these multiple factors of livelihood capital on mental health still requires further research Therefore, this study evaluates women’s mental health and investigates the correlation between livelihood capital (including human capital, physical capital, social capital, and financial capital) and women’s mental health.Methods: Based on the 2018 China Labor-force Dynamics Survey, this study explores the relationship and pathways between livelihood capital and women’s mental health, with the structural equation model. It also aimed to examine the impact of relative deprivation under the influence of livelihood capital on women’s mental health, focusing on urban–rural differences.Results: The results of this study are as follows: (1) Human capital, social capital and physical capital were positively correlated with women’s mental health, while financial capital showed a negative correlation; (2) Relative deprivation mediates the impact of livelihood capital on women’s mental health; (3) The impact of livelihood capital on women’s mental health is different between urban and rural regions. Urban women were more likely to be influenced by financial capital, whereas human capital, social capital and physical capital were key factors affecting rural women’s mental health. (4) Relative deprivation mediates the impact of livelihood capital on mental health in the rural sample, but not in the urban sample.Discussion: This study shows a complex relationship among livelihood capital, relative deprivation, and women’s mental health, with notable urban—rural differences. In rural areas, human, social, and physical capital positively affect women’s mental well—being. For example, better education reduces relative deprivation. Social support and improved housing also help. Conversely, financial capital has a negative link with mental health, more so in urban areas, likely due to urban pressure and the wealth—mental health relationship. Based on the findings, several actions are warranted. In social welfare, allocate more resources to rural areas for stronger women’s livelihood capital. Public services should improve rural housing and community integration. Expand and enhance mental health education for rural women. These steps can ease rural women’s mental health challenges and promote fairness in mental health outcomes.

Housing prices are a topic of significant social concern, and public services are a crucial factor influencing migrants’ return intentions. Based on the China Labour Force Dynamics Survey and China Real Estate Index database from 2012 to 2018, this study adopts probit model to explore the influence mechanism of housing prices on migrants’ return intentions and the moderating effect of public services. The results indicate that housing prices have a significant positive impact on migrants’ return intentions, and the level of public services negatively moderates the relationship between housing prices and migrants’ return intentions. Moreover, employing an instrumental variable approach to address the endogeneity of housing prices, the modeling results provide robust evidence of the significant and heterogenous impact of housing prices on return intentions among migrants. In particular, the positive impact of housing prices is mainly concentrated among single urban migrants without housing. Additionally, public services negatively moderate the positive impact of housing prices on return intentions among single rural migrants without housing. By elucidating the correlation between housing prices, public services, and return intentions among migrants, this study offers recommendations for policymakers regarding migration issues in urban development.

With accelerated population aging, the importance of older adults’ self-rated health is constantly increasing. Self-rated health is influenced by complex relationships between the built environment and psychosocial factors. Therefore, this study constructs a pathway framework of “material (housing quality and environmental pollution)–psychological (depression and social capital)–self-rated health” elements to explore the influencing mechanism of older adults’ self-rated health. This study utilized the 2018 China Labor Force Dynamics Survey Database to explore the relationship between built environment factors (housing quality and environmental pollution), depression, social capital, and older adults’ self-rated health, using structural equation modeling. The heterogeneity between urban and rural areas is also analyzed. Better housing quality and less environmental pollution were found to be related to higher levels of self-rated health. Depression and social capital were important mediators in the relationship between housing quality, environmental pollution, and self-rated health. Regarding urban–rural heterogeneity, the direct impact of environmental pollution on self-rated health was only significant among urban older adults. Secondly, the multiple mediating roles of social capital were only reflected among rural older adults. The government and relevant entities should promote improvements in housing quality and reduce environmental pollution to achieve a healthy and livable environment.