| Description |
Building upon the existing theoretical framework and abundant empirical evidence supporting an association between socio-relational resources and health in the United States and other Western countries, this dissertation extended these analyses to the population of contemporary China, which is characterized with rapid economic development, a fast-growing population age 65 and above, epidemic rates of chronic diseases and conditions, and recent transformation of families' and communities' roles in providing long-term care for older adults. Individual level data from the 2010-2012 China Family Panel Studies and the 2007-2010 World Health Organization Study on Global Aging and Adult Health were utilized to empirically examine 1) whether different types of familial and extra familial socio-relational resources influence health behaviors, self-reported health status, and health care utilization among Chinese, as commonly observed in Western countries; 2) whether health behaviors and psychological pathways are contributory to the explanation of the association between socio-relational resources and health; and 3) whether socio-relational resources impact health differently across segments of the population. Mediation and moderation analysis, multilevel approach, and cross-lagged methods were performed to address these research questions. Results showed that social engagement, neighborhood social cohesion, social participation, and other types of socio-relational resources were protective against poor physical and mental health of adults and older adults, as previously observed in other cultures and contexts. Findings from mediation analyses also suggested that lifestyle and psychological wellbeing partially explained the main effects of social engagement on hypertension. Regarding health behaviors, results indicated that cigarette smoking and heavy alcohol consumption among middle aged and older Chinese men were regarded as social bonding activities, which resembles the "social smoking and drinking" phenomenon found in the existing literature. Moderation analyses also depicted the effects of stratification of socio-relational resources on health between men and women, and urban and rural residents. |
