Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39192099›Full record

ArticleSocial psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology2025

Post-COVID social engagement and depression among Chinese older adults: exploring rural/urban and gender differences.

Keqing Zhang, Wei Zhang

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In one paragraph

Article in Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Keqing ZhangSchool of English and International Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing, China.
Wei ZhangDepartment of Sociology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, USA. weizhang@hawaii.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study investigates the impact of post-COVID social engagement on depression levels among Chinese older adults, with a focus on rural/urban and gender differences.

methodsUsing the year 2018 and year 2020 data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), this study analyzed pre- and post-COVID depression levels and social engagement indicators, including going-out, activities and networking among Chinese older adults (N = 8,793).

resultsResults showed a significant increase in depression levels across all demographic groups post-COVID, with rural females exhibiting the highest levels of depression. Reduced social engagement was associated with increased depression, particularly among rural males and females. Subgroup analyses highlighted nuanced patterns: rural males suffered from decreased intense activities and online contacts, while urban males experienced heightened depression with reduced visiting and light activities. Rural females reported increased depression with decreased moderate activities and dancing outdoors but decreased levels with reduced online contacts. Conversely, urban females experience decreased depression with reduced social engagements, suggesting areevaluation of priorities amidst pandemic challenges.

conclusionThis study has underscored the importance of considering individual, cultural, and contextual factors in understanding mental health outcomes among Chinese older adults. Findings inform targeted interventions aimed at promoting psychological well-being and resilience among Chinese older adults in the post-COVID era, including community-based programs and mental health screenings, to foster social connection and emotional support.

Indexed as

COVID-19DepressionRural PopulationSocial ParticipationUrban PopulationAgedAged, 80 and overChinaEast Asian PeopleFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedSARS-CoV-2Sex FactorsCHARLSDepressionGender differencesPost-COVIDRural/urban differencesSocial engagement

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.