This study investigates the bidirectional relationship between social isolation and cognitive function among older adults in China, utilizing data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). The baseline survey, which commenced in 2008, tracked 1,662 participants over four waves of data collection spanning a decade. We employed Cross-Lagged Panel Models (CLPM) and Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models (RI-CLPM) to analyze these relationships at both the between-person and within-person levels. CLPM results indicated significant cross-lagged effects between social isolation (β = − 0.119, p < 0.001; β = − 0.162, p < 0.001) and cognitive function (β = − 0.073, p < 0.001; β = − 0.091, p < 0.001) at the between-person level over the last three waves. Specifically, higher prior levels of social isolation were associated with a significant decline in subsequent cognitive function, and vice versa. Furthermore, RI-CLPM results showed that, after controlling for random intercepts and covariates, only social isolation had a significant negative impact on cognitive function across all waves (β = − 0.051, p < 0.05; β = − 0.047, p < 0.05; β = − 0.028, p < 0.05). Overall, this study demonstrates that, when considering both between-person and within-person effects, social isolation exerts a stronger lag effect on cognitive function among older adults in China. This suggests that, over a specific timeframe, reducing social isolation is crucial for promoting healthy aging in this population.

Background: Wellbeing of healthcare workers is crucial for the effective functioning of primary health systems. This study aimed to examine the association between occupational stress and subclinical depression among primary healthcare workers, and to establish the foundation for future preventive strategies.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Tai’an City, Shandong Province, China. Data were collected from 832 medical staff in primary health institutions using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The participants completed the Challenge and Hindrance-Related Self-Reported Stress (C-HSS) Scale and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between occupational stress and subclinical depression among primary healthcare workers.Results: The prevalence of subclinical depression among primary healthcare workers was 11.66%. Participants with subclinical depression have a significant higher level of occupational stress (including challenge-stress and hindrance-stress). Regression analysis result indicated that higher level of occupational stress was significantly associated with more severe subclinical depression, and the risk of subclinical depression remained after adjusting other covariates (OR = 4.57, 95%CI, 3.14–6.63). The association between challenge-stress and subclinical depression was not statistically significant when controlling for hindrance-stress. Subgroup analysis showed that male healthcare workers who perceived higher level of challenge stress were more likely to develop subclinical depression than female healthcare workers.Conclusion: The level of subclinical depression among Chinese primary healthcare workers was high, and occupational stress especially hindrance stress may contribute to subclinical depression. Findings were also robust in subgroup analysis after adjusting for other covariates. These findings emphasize the importance of occupational stress psychosocial interventions to decrease the risk of developing depression among the primary healthcare workers.

Objective: This study aims to elucidate the heterogeneous cognitive trajectories among older adults in China through a comprehensive, nationally representative longitudinal study. Furthermore, it seeks to investigate the impact of multidimensional social isolation on heterogeneous cognitive trajectories among older adults in China.Methods: Utilizing data from three successive waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) spanning 2016 to 2020, this investigation quantified baseline social isolation across three dimensions—family isolation, friend isolation, and subjective isolation—alongside cognitive function scores of older adults, measured across all three waves. Through latent class growth models, heterogeneous cognitive trajectories were delineated. The influence of family isolation, friend isolation, and subjective isolation on these cognitive trajectories was examined employing multinomial logistic regression analysis.Results: The study included 6,378 participants aged 60 and above, revealing three primary cognitive trajectories: High baseline stable group (68.8%), High baseline but declining group (21.7%), and Low baseline deteriorating group (9.5%). Adjusting for variables such as personal physical characteristics, social networks, living and working conditions, and the surrounding policy environment, the findings indicated that family isolation did not significantly affect cognitive function’s high-level decline or low-level deterioration. Conversely, friend isolation markedly increased the risk of high-level cognitive decline (OR = 1.289) and low-level cognitive deterioration (OR = 1.592). Similarly, subjective isolation significantly heightened the risk for both high-level decline (OR = 1.254) and low-level deterioration (OR = 1.29) in cognitive function.Conclusion: Mitigating friend and subjective isolation among older adults appears to be a more effective strategy in preventing or delaying cognitive decline, potentially reducing the strain on healthcare and social welfare systems.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of social isolation on the utilization of primary health services among older adults in China.Methods: Data from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) conducted in 2018 were utilized. A binary logistic regression model was established, and propensity score matching (PSM) was employed for analysis.Results: The results of the binary logistic regression showed that family isolation within social isolation had a significant negative impact on the utilization of primary health services for older adults. In contrast, there was no significant association between friend isolation, community isolation, and the utilization of primary health services. Furthermore, the PSM results, using three matching methods (nearest neighbor matching, radius matching, and kernel matching), confirmed that family isolation significantly reduced older adults’ utilization of primary health services, consistent with the baseline regression findings.Conclusion: Reducing the occurrence of family isolation among older adults may be a cost-effective intervention measure. Efforts should be directed toward improving family support for older adults, promoting the utilization of primary health services, and strengthening disease prevention.

Methods: We selected 5,172 microdata on individuals from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2018. The binary logit model, the ordered logit model, and the stepwise regression were employed to compare the effects of air pollution on self-rated health (SRH) and activities of daily living (ADL) in an elderly population. The effects on health shocks were explored in different age groups, different gender groups, different regions and different sources of pollutants, respectively.Results: We found that air pollution significantly increased the risk of health shocks in the elderly population, especially in the 60–69 year age group, and the eastern/central region, where NO₂ and O₃ were important pollutant sources.Conclusion: Targeted management of the environment is necessary to improve the health status of China's elderly population. In addition, paying attention to the health status of vulnerable populations is needed to achieve social equity.

This study, grounded in the theoretical frameworks of social comparison and institutional trust, employs a multiple mediation model to elucidate the mediating mechanisms of social justice and social trust in the relationship between relative deprivation and mental health. Using data from 3777middle-aged and older adults in the Chinese General Social Survey, we conducted OLS regression and bootstrap analyses. The results demonstrate that relative deprivation among middle-aged and older adults not only is negatively correlated with mental health, but is also indirectly associated with mental health through two mediating variables: social justice and social trust. Furthermore, bootstrap analysis reveals a significant serial mediation pathway from relative deprivation through social justice to social trust, with an effect size of −0.002. These findings suggest that interventions targeting reduced relative deprivation, enhanced perceptions of social justice, and strengthened social trust may effectively improve mental health outcomes in this population.