ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1621954
This article is part of the Research TopicUnveiling the Mental Health Impact of Physical Decline in Older Adults: A Holistic ApproachView all 5 articles
The Moderating Role of Caring for Grandchildren in the Relationship Between Functional Abilities and Depression of Aged Parents in Rural China
Provisionally accepted
Haijun Hao1*
Ruonan LI2- 1School of Public Administration, Shandong Technology and Business University, Yantai, China
- 2Department of Social Welfare, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju-si, Republic of Korea
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This study investigates the impact of functional abilities on depression among rural older adults in China, with a focus on the moderating role of caregiving for grandchildren. Using data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), 4,366 valid responses were analyzed. Hierarchical regression was employed to examine the relationships between IADL, caregiving, and depression. The findings indicate that higher functional ability is associated with lower depression levels(β=-.402, p<.001), and caregiving for grandchildren significantly moderates this relationship( β =-.203, p<.001). Specifically, older adults with higher functional ability who care for grandchildren experience greater reductions in depression.The study concludes that caregiving for grandchildren buffers the negative effects of functional abilities decline on depression, highlighting the mental health benefits of intergenerational caregiving in rural China.
Keywords: Functional abilities, Depression, Aged parents, caring for grandchildren, Rural China
Received: 02 May 2025; Accepted: 14 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hao and LI. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Haijun Hao, School of Public Administration, Shandong Technology and Business University, Yantai, China
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