A study of the relationship between mutual aid and the mental health of older people

BMC Public Health. 2025 Oct 31;25(1):3718. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-24947-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Focusing on the mental health of older people is of great significance to the implementation of a healthy China.

METHODS: Based on individual-level tracking data from China (CHARLS) in 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2020, a quantitative study was conducted on the implementation of the mutual aid for older people policy and the mental health of older people using the DID double difference model.

RESULTS: The study demonstrated that the implementation of mutual aid for older people care policies is significantly positively correlated with improvements in older people depression and mental health levels (p <0.01), with an estimated effect size of approximately 3.87%. Heterogeneity analysis revealed that this positive association varied across different groups: the strength of the correlation was higher among older people with disabilities than among healthy older people, and the association was stronger among males than among females.

CONCLUSIONS: The government should strengthen the top-level design of mutual aid-based older people care; At the social level, diverse resources should be connected to build a mutual aid platform for older people care; Community organizations should innovate service models and improve space creation; Family unit should strengthen internal support and improve emotional communication.

PMID:41174550 | DOI:10.1186/s12889-025-24947-8