Loneliness or Sociability: The Impact of Social Participation on the Mental Health of the Elderly Living Alone

Background. China will inevitably enter a medium, severe, or deep aging society in the future, and the number of elderly people living alone is also increasing. Mental health is a major issue for older people living alone. With the deepening of aging, social participation has become an important way to promote mental health and improve the quality of life of the elderly. Methods. This study uses data from Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Based on the CLHLS data of 2018, this paper uses multiple ordered logistic models to measure the mental health level of elderly people living alone through two dimensions of depression and anxiety and carries out a heterogeneity analysis on the mental health level of elderly people living alone. Results. The analysis of 2477 elderly people living alone shows that the increase of social participation in simple communication can reduce the degree of depression and anxiety of elderly people living alone, and the decrease of social participation in self-recreation can reduce the degree of depression and anxiety of elderly people living alone. In addition, the heterogeneity analysis found that the heterogeneity of social participation was more significant among the elderly living alone with different genders, ages, places of residence, and self-care abilities. Limitations. This study has some limitations, and CES-D-10 is a screening tool and cannot fully determine the presence of depression in high-rise older adults living alone. Conclusions. In the future, primary healthcare-targeted interventions can be provided according to the different degrees of depression and anxiety of elderly people living alone.