Changes in Generalized and Particularized Trust and Their Link to Depressive Symptoms: Exploring the Roles of Changes in Self-Rated Health, Family Support and Life Satisfaction Among Chinese Older Adults

Abstract

This study aimed to examine whether changes in generalized trust (GT) and particularized trust (PT) predict changes in depressive symptoms (CES-D 8), and whether changes in self-rated health (SRH), family support (FS), and life satisfaction (LS) mediate the relationship between changes in the two types of trust and depressive symptoms in Chinese older adults. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze two-wave data on 3770 participants aged 65 and over. Our results showed that in a context where GT was low and PT was high, an increase in GT was associated with more depressive symptoms, while an increase in PT was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. As such, GT cannot be viewed as protective against depression in older adults in a given context. LS partially mediated the relationship between changes in PT and depressive symptoms. The findings support psychosocial processes rather than health-problem and support pathways.