An emerging body of literature has implied that perceived social support is known as an upstream element of cognitive health. Various dimensions of perceived social support may have divergent influence on physical and cognitive health in later life. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of perceived social support on the relationship between physical disability and symptoms of depression in senior citizens of Pakistan. The data were collected from three metropolitan cities (Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan) in the Punjab province of Pakistan and 100 participants were approached from each city with a total sample size of 300. The results demonstrated that family support, friends’ support, and significant others’ support mediated the association between physical disability and symptoms of depression, with an indirect effect of 0.024, 0.058, and 0.034, respectively. The total direct and indirect effect was 0.493. Physical disability was directly associated with symptoms of depression and greater physical disability predicted a higher level of symptoms of depression. Perceived social support, including family support, friends’ support, and significant others’ support, showed an indirect association with symptoms of depression. Furthermore, family support and friends’ support were more significantly associated with symptoms of depression as compared to significant others’ support. The research discoveries have better implications for health care professionals, hospice care workers, and policy makers. A holistic approach is required to prevent senior citizens from late-life mental disorders.

Urban migration unlocks new employment opportunities for rural dwellers in a productive manner. This study assessed the quality of employment of migrant workers, and its effect on rural households’ welfare. To this end, we used primary data collected from the four major districts of Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Sialkot in Punjab, Pakistan. These data include 504 immigrant and non-immigrant families in rural areas, and 252 migrant workers in urban destinations. We use IV probit and two-step sequential estimation methods for the empirical analysis. The study provides new insights for migration in Pakistan. First, migrant workers are better off in their new urban settings in terms of improved incomes and living conditions, but their social protection status is still poor. Second, the results of the employment quality models show that migration is a successful strategy for rural households to improve the quality of their employment. In addition, the characteristics of migrants and native households affect the relative improvement in the quality of employment and migrants’ conditions. Third, the results of the propensity score matching technique suggest that migration has a positive impact on rural households’ income, and these impacts are more pronounced in large cities. Based on the findings, the study recommends that the government should invest in quality education in rural areas, and ensure that social security schemes are provided for migrant workers in urban areas.

Introduction: Previous studies have explored the impact of social media use on people’s subjective well-being, but there is a lack of discussion on the relationship between social media use, Internet addiction, and subjective well-being, and the research on the influence of digital skills on this relationship is not sufficient. This paper aims to fill these gaps. Based on the flow theory, this paper takes Chinese residents as the research object and uses CGSS 2017 data to analyze the impact of social media use on people’s subjective well-being.Methods: Our study used multiple linear regression models for analysis. To test the hypotheses and the moderated mediation model, we adopted PROCESS models with 5000 bias-corrected bootstrap samples and 95% confidence intervals. All analyses were conducted using SPSS 25.0.Results: The empirical analysis shows that social media use has a positive direct effect on subjective well-being, and Internet addiction plays a suppressing role in the relationship between social media use and subjective well-being. In addition, we found that digital skills moderated the positive effect of social media use on Internet addiction and the indirect effect of social media use on subjective well-being through Internet addiction.Discussion: The conclusion of this paper supports our previous hypothesis. Besides, the theoretical contribution, practical significance, and limitations of this study are discussed based on the results of previous studies.

Cognitive social capital is crucial for mental wellbeing and physical disability in order to avoid late-life depression. The objective of this study was to investigate the mediating effect of cognitive social capital (interpersonal trust and reciprocity) on the relationship between physical disability and depression in elderly people of rural Pakistan. For this purpose, 146 respondents aged 60 years or above and residents of rural areas of district Muzaffargarh (Punjab, Pakistan) were approached for data collection. The questionnaire includes socio-demographic variables (gender, age, education, marital status, family system, living status, household income, and number of chronic diseases); the geriatric depressive symptoms scale (GDS-15) was used to measure depression, physical disability was evaluated through ADL and IADL scales, and cognitive social capital, which includes interpersonal trust and reciprocity, was measured using single-item questions. It was found that interpersonal trust, reciprocity, depression, and physical disability were significantly correlated with each other and physical disability was directly associated with depression. In mediation analysis, reciprocity mediated the relationship between physical disability and depression. Our findings highlight the need to enhance cognitive social capital interventions and develop policies to promote mental and physical health of rural elderly.

Background: In recent years, the growing prevalence of digital technology has transformed every aspect of life, including mental health care and support. Digital integration—referring to both access to digital technology and the utilization of digital tools in daily life—has the potential to alleviate existing health inequalities, a phenomenon that has been labeled the ‘digital divide’. It is, therefore, imperative to gain an understanding of the mental health dynamics of vulnerable groups in the context of the digital age if we are to develop effective policies and interventions. Objectives: The present study aimed to expand the existing knowledge base on the impact of digital integration on the mental health of low-income populations, with a specific focus on its association with social participation and the contextual variations observed between urban and rural settings. Methods: A total of 930 Chinese urban and rural low-income residents (≥18 years old) were included in the study using data from the Comprehensive Social Survey of Urban and Rural Low-Income Populations in Hubei Province, China, 2022. Multiple linear regression, generalized propensity score matching, causal step regression, and bootstrap methods were adopted to assess the direct impact of digital integration on the mental health of low-income populations, as well as to test the mediating role of social participation. Results: Digital integration was positively associated with the mental health of low-income populations, particularly reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression among low-income individuals, which remains robust even after accounting for potential selective bias. Social participation played a significant mediating role in the relationship between digital integration and the mental health of low-income populations. Heterogeneity analyses indicated that while digital integration has been demonstrated to markedly enhance mental health outcomes among urban low-income groups, this effect has not been observed in rural low-income populations. Conclusions: The present study contributes to the growing understanding of digital integration as a pathway to reducing mental health inequalities. It is imperative that targeted interventions be implemented to enhance digital integration and, in turn, improve mental health outcomes in low-income communities, particularly in rural areas, where the impact is less discernible.

Against the backdrop of the deepening aging population in rural China and the impetus of government policies, it is necessary for social work to intervene in rural elderly care services. However, issues related to a lack of resources and sustainability exist both in the methods of intervention by social work organizations and in the operation of rural elderly care service sites. Based on a case study and in-depth interviews conducted at a social work-operated elderly care service center in Village N, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, this study analyzes how social workers can achieve sustained intervention in rural elderly care services and how to promote the sustainability of these services. The findings indicate that through the approach of rural integration, social workers embed themselves into the rural field across three dimensions: organizational structure, local culture, and practical action. In this process of integration, they construct the legitimacy for social workers to carry out services, stimulate the vitality of internal rural resources, enhance the capacity of internal rural resource stakeholders, and simultaneously attract and connect external resource stakeholders to supply resources for rural elderly care services, thereby effectively achieving the integration of internal and external resources. The study concludes that the approach of rural integration enables social workers to rapidly gain legitimacy and facilitates the subsequent delivery of services. Building upon this, effective resource integration can sustain the outcomes of rural elderly care service provision, compensate for resource deficiencies, and enhance the sustainability of rural elderly care services.