The impact of long-term care insurance pilot on the mental health of older adults: Quasi-experimental evidence from China

IF 3.6 2区医学 Q1 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Ssm-Population Health Pub Date : 2024-02-16 DOI:10.1016/j.ssmph.2024.101632

Lianjie Wang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The Chinese government launched pilot programs for a long-term care insurance system in response to the ongoing increase in the aging population. This study uses the difference-in-differences (DID) model to analyze the impact of long-term care insurance on older adults' mental health based on China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) four-period panel data from 2011 to 2018. This study found that long-term care insurance reduced Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) scores among older adults by 1.059 points. Moreover, there was an improvement of 0.181 and 0.870 points in mental status and scenario memory scores, respectively. The impact of the long-term care insurance pilot program on improving the mental health of older adults was more pronounced, especially for those with chronic diseases or disabilities as well as those living in rural and western regions. This study also revealed that long-term care insurance enhances mental health by reducing medical expenses and increasing daily companionship and social interaction. Therefore, a pilot study of long-term care insurance showed a significant improvement in the mental health of older adults. To provide a comprehensive care service system for older adults, the government should expand the scope of the pilot program and increase the accessibility of mental health services for older adults.

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长期护理保险试点对老年人心理健康的影响：来自中国的准实验证据

为应对人口老龄化的不断加剧，中国政府启动了长期护理保险制度试点项目。本研究基于中国健康与退休纵向研究（CHARLS）2011-2018年四期面板数据，采用差分（DID）模型分析了长期护理保险对老年人心理健康的影响。该研究发现，长期护理保险使老年人的流行病学研究中心抑郁量表（CES-D）得分降低了 1.059 分。此外，精神状态和情景记忆得分分别提高了 0.181 分和 0.870 分。长期护理保险试点项目对改善老年人心理健康的影响更为明显，尤其是对患有慢性病或残疾的老年人以及居住在农村和西部地区的老年人。这项研究还显示，长期护理保险通过减少医疗费用、增加日常陪伴和社会交往来提高心理健康水平。因此，长期护理保险的试点研究显示，老年人的心理健康得到了显著改善。为了给老年人提供一个全面的护理服务体系，政府应该扩大试点项目的范围，增加老年人心理健康服务的可及性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Ssm-Population Health PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

6.50

自引率

2.10%

发文量

298

审稿时长

101 days

期刊介绍： SSM - Population Health. The new online only, open access, peer reviewed journal in all areas relating Social Science research to population health. SSM - Population Health shares the same Editors-in Chief and general approach to manuscripts as its sister journal, Social Science & Medicine. The journal takes a broad approach to the field especially welcoming interdisciplinary papers from across the Social Sciences and allied areas. SSM - Population Health offers an alternative outlet for work which might not be considered, or is classed as ''out of scope'' elsewhere, and prioritizes fast peer review and publication to the benefit of authors and readers. The journal welcomes all types of paper from traditional primary research articles, replication studies, short communications, methodological studies, instrument validation, opinion pieces, literature reviews, etc. SSM - Population Health also offers the opportunity to publish special issues or sections to reflect current interest and research in topical or developing areas. The journal fully supports authors wanting to present their research in an innovative fashion though the use of multimedia formats.