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Childhood adversities, urbanisation and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults: evidence from a national survey in China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2015

FAN YANG  and
VIVIAN W. Q. LOU
FAN YANG
Affiliation:
Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, China.
VIVIAN W. Q. LOU*
Affiliation:
Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, China. Sau Po Center on Ageing, The University of Hong Kong.
*
Address for correspondence: Vivian W. Q. Lou, Department of Social Work & Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong E-mail: wlou@hku.hk
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Abstract

The trajectory of modern China, namely from dire poverty and communist fever to economic boom and marketisation under an authoritarian regime, makes the country a unique social laboratory for examining how social environment affects human development of individuals. This study investigated the correlation between childhood adversity and depressive symptoms of Chinese middle-aged and older adults, as well as how urbanisation moderates the correlation. A sub-sample (N = 14,681) of the baseline of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study was analysed. Seven variables were used in the latent class analysis to establish a childhood adversity typology. Three urbanisation statuses were identified according to the Hukou (household registration system) status and neighbourhood type: non-urbanised, semi-urbanised and fully urbanised. The correlation between childhood adversity and depressive symptoms and the moderation of urbanization on the correlation were assessed with factorial analysis of covariance. Three latent classes for childhood adversities were identified: ‘normal childhood class', ‘low childhood socio-economic status and health class' and ‘traumatic childhood class'. The class membership was significantly correlated with depressive symptoms (p = 0.015), and the urbanisation status, also significantly affecting depressive symptoms (p = 0.05), had significant moderating effect on the correlation (p = 0.002). It is suggested that more social inclusive policies need to be adopted in order to guarantee the equal distribution of wellbeing led by urbanisation.

Keywords

ageingurbanisationchildhood adversitiesdepressive symptomsChina Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 36 , Issue 5 , May 2016 , pp. 1031 - 1051
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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