Wei Zhang1, Huashuai Chen2, Qiushi Feng3. 1. University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, USA weizhang@hawaii.edu. 2. Business School of Xiangtan University, Hunan, China Duke University, Durham, USA. 3. National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to examine whether and how education predicts distress for older Chinese and whether this association varies by age, gender, and rural/urban residence. METHOD: The random-effect panel model and Heckman selection model were used to analyze four waves of data with a total sample size of 54,405 from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. RESULTS: We found the following: (a) There is a persistent and negative association between education and distress among older Chinese; (b) education predicts lower levels of distress over time and this is particularly true for males, urban residents, and the young-old; and (c) the effect of education on distress is largely explained by physical health, economic conditions, and a three-dimensional framework of leisure-time activities. DISCUSSION: Our findings strengthen the external validity of the relationship between education and health and suggest the dynamic patterns on the subgroup variations within the association in China.
OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to examine whether and how education predicts distress for older Chinese and whether this association varies by age, gender, and rural/urban residence. METHOD: The random-effect panel model and Heckman selection model were used to analyze four waves of data with a total sample size of 54,405 from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. RESULTS: We found the following: (a) There is a persistent and negative association between education and distress among older Chinese; (b) education predicts lower levels of distress over time and this is particularly true for males, urban residents, and the young-old; and (c) the effect of education on distress is largely explained by physical health, economic conditions, and a three-dimensional framework of leisure-time activities. DISCUSSION: Our findings strengthen the external validity of the relationship between education and health and suggest the dynamic patterns on the subgroup variations within the association in China.