Yin Liang Ge ¹ Zihan Ni ¹ Xiu Yuan Zhu ¹ xiaoyin Zhu ^1,2* Kan Tian ^1* Shiyu Xie ^1*

• ¹ Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
• ² Nossal Institute for Global Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Background：Volunteer services are increasingly recognized as beneficial for the elderly in China,enhancing life satisfaction through improved social interaction and psychological well-being.However, the specific mechanisms by which volunteer activities influence life satisfaction,particularly through social networks and depressive symptoms, remain unclear.This study aims to address these knowledge gaps and provide insights into how volunteer activities impact well-being in later life.Purpose:To examine the relationship between participation in volunteer activities by the elderly and their life satisfaction,focusing on the serial mediation effects of social networks and depressive symptoms.Methods:A cross-sectional design was utilized based on the 2020 Chinese Longitudinal Aging Social Survey(CLASS),involving a cohort of 9,828 individuals aged 60 years and over from across China.The study collected data on the participation of the elderly in volunteer service activities through a structured questionnaire.The social networks of the elderly were measured using the social network scale designed by Lubben.while depressive symptoms and life satisfaction were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale(CES-D) and a custom life satisfaction scale, respectively.The analysis employed serial mediation analysis through the bootstrapping method to explore the mediating effects of social networks and depressive symptoms on the relationship between participation in volunteer activities and life satisfaction.The study delineates a substantial positive correlation between elderly engagement in volunteer activities and their life satisfaction.This nexus is partially mediated through the augmentation of social networks,which in turn attenuates depressive symptoms,thereby elevating life satisfaction.The research accentuates the paramount importance of social participation and mental health in amplifying the well-being of the elderly demographic.The serial mediation model elucidates a significant linkage between volunteer service participation and life satisfaction,intricately mediated in sequence by social networks and depressive symptoms (total effect c=0.107,95% CI=0.071to0.143; direct effect c'=0.095,95% CI =0.060to0.130;total indirect effect ab=0.012,95% CI=0.003to0.021).This study extends the understanding of how volunteer activities enhance life satisfaction through the serial mediating roles of social networks and depressive symptoms.The scientific novelty lies in identifying these mediating mechanisms,contributing to the development of sociological science by emphasizing the importance of social participation and mental health in promoting elderly well-being.These findings provide crucial implications for promoting volunteerism among the elderly to improve their quality of life.