Objectives: Participation in various social organizations, including community organizations, has become an important part of later year. The current study examined the effects of community participation on subjective wellbeing (SWB) and mediating mechanisms among retired residents. Specifically, this study attempts to explain the link between community participation and SWB from the perspective of basic psychological needs (BPN).Methods: A total of 1,458 community-dwelling retirees aged ≥50years in China participated in this study. A self-developed questionnaire measured the general levels of community participation. BPN were assessed with the BPN Scale. SWB was represented by life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect.Results: Community participation positively predicted one’s SWB. Specifically, retirees with a higher levels of community participation often indicated higher life satisfaction and positive affect, and lower negative affect. Three BPN, which consist of needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, mediated the effect of community participation on SWB, respectively, after controlling for some main demographic and socioeconomic factors.Conclusion: The BPN perspective provides a comprehensive explanation for understanding the link between community participation and SWB. Policymakers should consider the role of community participation when developing measures to improve retirees’ quality of life.

ObjectivesThis study examined the mutual effects of social participation and depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older Chinese adults from offline and online perspectives. Reciprocal relationships between depressive symptoms and the four subtypes of offline participation were also examined.MethodsBased on China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study data (CHARLS), this study conducted ID matching for three waves of data from 2013, 2015, and 2018. One thousand nine hundred ninety-nine samples for individuals over 50 were obtained. A series of cross-lagged analyses were conducted to examine the mutual influence of social participation and depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the short version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10). The social participation questionnaire included nine items referring to offline participation (eight items) and online participation (one item). Several demographic variables were adjusted when conducting the cross-lagged analyses.ResultsSocial and offline participation had significant two-way associations with depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms had greater impacts on social and offline participation than in the opposite direction. Online participation has a significant one-way impact on depressive symptoms. The relationship between specific types of offline participation and depressive symptoms varied in existence and direction.DiscussionOverall, there was significant bidirectional causality between social participation and depressive symptoms. Social participation, both offline and online, played a positive role in alleviating depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms also affected the level of social participation to some extent among middle-aged and older Chinese adults over time.

Participation in community affairs and activities is beneficial to the mental health of older adults. The current study attempted to confirm the mediating role of sense of community (SoC) between community participation (CP) and subjective well-being (SWB), and the moderating role of neuroticism between CP and SoC. A total of 465 older adults aged ≥65 years from China participated in both two-wave online surveys. The self-developed Community Participation questionnaire, the SoC scale, and the Neuroticism subscale were used to assess CP, SoC, and neuroticism, respectively. The four indicators of SWB were assessed by the Satisfaction with Life Scale, Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale. The results revealed that CP was associated with three indicators of SWB including life satisfaction, positive affect, and depressive symptoms, SoC mediated the above associations, and neuroticism negatively moderated the association between CP and SoC, after controlling for age, sex, education, spouse status, monthly income, and physical health. CP enhances older adults’ SWB through increasing their SoC. When compared to those older adults with a higher score of neuroticism, the enhancing effect of CP on SoC is stronger for those with lower scores of neuroticism.