Rapid economic growth has transformed social and family structure globally, including in China, over the past few decades. With women’s engagement in the workforce, the dual demand of paid and domestic work has become a major source of stress, particularly among mothers. Working mothers face unique challenges of family obligations blended with contemporary values of women’s career aspirations. Methods: This study recruited 189 participants. This study employed quantitative methods to investigate the relationship between parenting stress and mental health, and the moderating role of social capital, among working mothers in Zhaoqing, Guangdong province of China. Results: The findings suggested a high level of parenting stress among Chinese working mothers. Their stress is associated with depressive symptoms. What should be noted is that social capital acts as a moderator between their stress and depressive symptoms. Discussion: This study reveals the buffering effect of social capital against parenting stress and depression in Chinese working mothers, with an emphasis on the importance of workplace flexibility and social support systems in addressing work–family conflicts. The study enriches the study of the buffer effect of social capital on mental health. This knowledge can inform the development of targeted interventions and support systems to improve working mothers’ overall well-being.

In the context of the impact of the post-COVID-19 pandemic on families, this study explores the impact of individual social capital and psychological resilience on the mental health of family caregivers of kindergarten children in mainland China. This study included a sample of 331 family caregivers from Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province, and the researchers applied the Personal Social Capital Scale (PSCS-16), Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) to assess social capital, psychological resilience, and mental health. Findings indicate a positive relationship between bridging social capital and mental health, while psychological resilience is negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Psychological resilience is identified as a mediator between social capital and mental health outcomes in this study. These insights highlight the importance of enhancing social capital and psychological resilience to improve family caregivers’ mental health and the need for targeted interventions.

This study sought to explore the utilization of hospital services by widowed older adults and the influential factors in the Chinese context. The data utilized in this study was sourced from the 2020 wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS 2020), which included 1986 widowed older adults. A Zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression model was employed to examine the factors influencing the utilization of health services. The results showed that self-rated health, along with the number of chronic illnesses and depressive symptoms plays an important role in use of both inpatient and outpatient healthcare services. Furthermore, widowed older men and those who had experienced the loss of their spouse for a shorter period were more inclined to seek inpatient services. The significant results provide insights for practitioners and policymakers to provide intervention to older adults with of spousal bereavement experience.

Shame, a self-conscious emotion strongly shaped by face concern in collectivist cultures, can undermine essential psychological processes in second languag