Prenatal stress, excitatory-inhibitory imbalance, and ADHD risk: a hypothesis-driven perspective on psilocybin-induced neuroplasticity.

Improving the health of older adults is a key issue in actively addressing population aging. However, a striking contrast has emerged: while medical advances have significantly improved the physical health of older adults—with life expectancy in China reaching 79.25 years in 2025, an average annual increase of 0.26 years—mental health problems among the elderly, particularly the prevalence of depression, have been increasing year by year. According to the Fifth Sampling Survey on the Living Conditions of the Urban and Rural Elderly in China, individuals aged 60 and older are classified as elderly, and the prevalence of depression among the elderly in China has reached 49%, with the rate in urban areas at 61%, 26 percentage points higher than in rural areas. This widening disparity reveals a structural decoupling in the development of elderly health: we have successfully extended physical lifespan, but have failed to simultaneously safeguard the mental health of older adults. How can we reduce depression levels among older adults? Existing research has explored this question from perspectives such as psychosocial factors, behavioral interventions, and environmental support. Most empirical analyses point to the positive role of social participation [, , , ]. However, within China’s unique social structure and institutional context, the relationship between social participation and depressive symptoms is far from a simple linear facilitation, and existing research remains inadequate in addressing this complexity. Specifically, first, there is the fragmentation of social participation typologies. The types of social participation among Chinese older adults are highly diverse, yet existing classification systems show significant divergence. Fragmented measurement and classification schemes across studies hamper precise assessment of the effects of social participation and severely impede dialogue between studies. Second, there is insufficient attention to family-oriented contributory activities. Chinese research has largely adopted classification frameworks derived from Western contexts [, , ], which fail to fully capture activities such as grandchild care and family caregiving that are commonly undertaken by Chinese older adults. Consequently, the impact of these activities on depression and mental health among Chinese seniors is often underestimated or misinterpreted. Third, there is inadequate explanation of the heterogeneous mechanisms underlying the effects of social participation. On the one hand, China’s flexible employment policies and delayed retirement reforms have promoted divergence in late-life trajectories [, ]. On the other hand, gender and urban–rural residence, as primary ascribed structural factors, fundamentally shape differences in values and accessibility of resources for social participation among older adults. However, there is a dearth of research examining how different types of social participation differentially affect depression across diverse older adult subgroups. Motivated by these concerns, this study integrates the core principles of “Active Aging” [] and “Productive Aging” [] to construct an innovative analytical framework tailored to the Chinese cultural context—the “Contributory–Developmental” Framework of Social Participation. This framework, while giving full attention to diversified social participation, emphasizes the dual logics of “outward contribution” and “inward development,” enabling a deeper understanding of the real-life experiences of Chinese older adults situated at the intersection of traditional family responsibilities and modern self-fulfillment. Building on this integrated framework, and using data from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS), this study addresses the following questions: How do contributory social participation and developmental social participation each affect depressive symptoms among older adults? Furthermore, do urban–rural residence and gender differences exacerbate or buffer these relationships, thereby shaping an “inequality pattern” in the health effects of social participation? By refining the typological logic of social participation and uncovering heterogeneous mechanisms within the Chinese context, this study aims to reveal the complex pathways through which social participation influences depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults. This paper provides a new analytical perspective for understanding disparities in mental health among the elderly in China and offers empirical evidence for promoting targeted and inclusive social participation policies for older adults.