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

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