Open Access

ARTICLE

Unpacking the Associations between Traumatic Events and Depression among Chinese Elderly: Two Dimensions of Aging Attitudes as Mediators and Moderators

Chaoxin Jiang^*

Department of Social Welfare and Risk Management, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

* Corresponding Author: Chaoxin Jiang. Email:

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2021, 23(2), 231-242. https://doi.org/10.32604/IJMHP.2021.015253

Received 04 December 2020; Accepted 02 February 2021; Issue published 30 April 2021

Abstract

Traumatic events have been considered significant risk factors for older adults’ mental health, but the mediating mechanism and moderating effect of aging attitudes that underlie this relationship have yet been completely investigated. The attitudes of the elderly toward aging can be divided into two closely related but conceptually different dimensions, including positive and negative. Positive aging attitudes refer to optimistic feelings and experiences about aging, whereas negative attitudes toward aging are related to detrimental thoughts and sensations experienced about the increasing age. The purpose of this study is to explore the mediating and moderating roles of these two dimensions of aging attitudes between traumatic events and depression of the elderly in China. Data for this research come from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) of 2014. A nationally representative sample consisting of 11,511 Chinese older adults aged 60 and above was obtained through a stratified, multi-stage probability sampling method. The results revealed that the association between traumatic events and depression was mediated and moderated by positive and negative aging attitudes, controlling for gender, age, spouse, educational level, and ethnicity. Significance, implications, and limitations were discussed.

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