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Sleep quality and mental health of the elderly in China: evidence from longitudinal data

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Abstract

Against a macro backdrop of accelerating population aging, the mental health and sleep quality of China’s elderly have become subjects of interest because these factors are both closely linked to seniors’ quality of life. Based on multi-period tracking data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), this study uses a fixed-effects model to examine the correlation between the sleep quality and mental health of China’s elderly and found that: (1) the elderly in China generally had good sleep quality and mental health; (2) better sleep quality has a positive effect on the mental health of the elderly, while better mental health also positively boosts sleep quality of the elderly; and (3) there may be a causal relationship between the sleep quality and mental health of the elderly.

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Funding

This study is funded by the National Strategic Research on the Active Response to Population Ageing (20ZDA32), a major project planned by Bei**g Municipal Social Science Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, PKU Center for Sociological Research and Development Studies of China, Peking University, Bei**g, China

    Jiehua Lu

  2. Chengdu Civil Affairs Bureau, Chengdu, China

    Keqi Liu

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  1. Jiehua Lu
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  2. Keqi Liu
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Correspondence to Keqi Liu.

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Lu, J., Liu, K. Sleep quality and mental health of the elderly in China: evidence from longitudinal data. China popul. dev. stud. 5, 378–393 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42379-021-00096-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42379-021-00096-4

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