title: Patterns of productive activity engagement as a longitudinal predictor of depressive symptoms among older adults in urban China.
abstract: Using two waves of panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, this study prospectively assessed whether four distinct patterns of productive activity engagement would predict depressive symptoms among older adults in urban China two years later.
  
  
  
  A sample of urban residents aged 60 or above at Wave 1 and who were interviewed in both waves (N = 2398) was used. Latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted to identify distinct patterns of productive activity engagement that occurred within the Wave 1 data. Next, the generalized estimating equations were used to assess whether identified patterns predicted the levels of depressive symptoms measured at Wave 2.
  
  
  
  Our use of LCA confirmed the existence of four distinct patterns of productive activity engagement among the study sample: Informal Helper/Carer, Working-Caring Engager, Civic Contributor, and Low/Spousal Carer. All of these three patterns exhibited significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms than that of Low/Spousal Carer two years later.
  
  
  
  Our use of individual-based categorization of productive engagement better captured the reality of older adults performing various productive activities than summative scales of productive activities did and, therefore, provided a more valid clarification of differential well-being outcomes among older adults.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Social Work and Social Administration , The University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong , China.
authors.forename: Huiying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Social Work and Social Administration , The University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong , China.|b Sau Po Center on Ageing , The University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong , China.
authors.forename: Vivian W Q
authors.initials: VWQ
authors.lastname: Lou
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012179:Retirement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014937:Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Chinese urban older adults; Productive engagement; depressive symptoms; latent class analysis