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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Environmental Health and Exposome
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1502020
This article is part of the Research Topic Multi-scale Urban Built Environment and Human Health View all 5 articles

Neighborhood social environment and mental health of older adults in China: The mediating role of subjective well-being and the moderating role of green space

Provisionally accepted
Taizhi Lin Taizhi Lin 1Wang Qianhui Wang Qianhui 2Zixuan Tan Zixuan Tan 2Wen Zuo Wen Zuo 2*RONG WU RONG WU 2
  • 1 Guangzhou Urban Planning and Design Company Limited, Guangzhou, China
  • 2 Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    With the continuous development of the global aging trend, the mental health of older adults has been a concern by the world. The living space of older adults is limited due to the decline of their activity function. Neighborhood environment, especially the neighborhood social environment, has become an important factor affecting the mental health of older adults. Therefore, this study explores the mechanism that influences the social environment of the neighborhood and the mental health of older adults, the mediating effect of subjective well-being (SWB), and the moderating effect of green space. Methods: Based on the 2018 China Labor Dynamics Survey, this study used the structural equation model to explore the mediating effect of neighborhood social environment (neighborhood ties, social trust, community security) on the mental health of older adults through SWB and the moderating effect of green space. Results: Social trust and community security are both directly and positively associated with older adults' mental health. At the same time, neighborhood ties, social trust, and community security can promote the mental health of older adults by positively affecting SWB, while green space has an enhanced moderating effect between neighborhood ties and mental health. Discussion: This study enriches the empirical research on neighborhood social environment and mental health. First of all, older adults living in communities with good safety conditions and high social trust are less affected by negative emotions and tend to have good mental health. Second, deeper neighborhood ties, higher social trust, and safer community environments help older adults to be less disturbed by negative situations, have a positive effect on their SWB, and indirectly promote mental health. At the same time, green space can provide a place for older adults to socialize, enhance the positive impact of neighborhood ties on SWB, and further promote the mental health of older adults. Finally, this study suggests that the government and community managers pay attention to the construction of neighborhood social environment and green space, and provide support for "healthy community" and "healthy aging" planning.

    Keywords: Mental Health, Neighborhood environment, Subjective well-being, Green space, older adults

    Received: 26 Sep 2024; Accepted: 19 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Lin, Qianhui, Tan, Zuo and WU. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Wen Zuo, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.