Effects of Altruistic Behaviors of Rural Elderly on Mental Health

Abstract

Based on data from the China Health and Pension Tracking Survey (CHARLS) 2013, we explored the impact of altruistic behaviors on rural residents' mental health. In order to more effectively estimate the impact of altruistic behaviors on the mental health of the elderly, the instrumental variable method is used for model estimation. The results show that after solving endogenous problems, the altruistic behavior of rural elderly has a significant positive effect on their own mental health. However, the promotion effect of the elderly in different working states is different. Specifically, the good behavior of the elderly without work can significantly affect their mental health, and the results of the elderly with work are not significant. In addition, factors such as gender and marital status also affect the mental health of the elderly. Finally, it is proposed to encourage the elderly to participate in other altruistic activities such as voluntary activities to promote their own mental health.