Intergenerational Psychological Capital, Disability, and Depressive Symptoms in the Shadow of Functional Deprivation Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China.

BACKGROUND: Depression represents a major public health challenge worldwide, especially in middle-aged and older adult populations. Although intergenerational support plays an established role in promoting psychological well-being, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain inadequately understood. A crucial and frequently neglected element in this dynamic is functional deprivation-defined as the decline in the capacity to perform basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL/IADL). This loss substantially undermines autonomy and increases vulnerability to depression. The present study introduces the first-introduced construct of Intergenerational Psychological Capital (IPC) as a protective factor that may mitigate the detrimental mental health effects of functional deprivation.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the protective influence of Intergenerational Psychological Capital (IPC) on depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older adults. We test a moderated mediation model in which functional autonomy deprivation serves as a mediator, and disability operates as a moderator affecting the pathway between IPC functional autonomy deprivation and depression.

METHODS: We analyzed five waves of CHARLS data (2011-2020) comprising 33,369 valid observations using Stata 17.0. A moderated mediation analysis was conducted through hierarchical regression modeling, testing the relationships among intergenerational psychological capital, functional autonomy deprivation, disability, and depression with adjusted standard errors and sociodemographic controls.

RESULTS: IPC was significantly associated with reduced depressive symptoms (β=-0.088, p<0.001. Functional autonomy deprivation partially mediated this relationship (IPC →mediator: β =-0.019, p< 0.001; mediator →depression: β = 0.809, p< 0.001). Furthermore, disability significantly moderated this mediated pathway: the buffering effect of IPC on functional autonomy deprivation was more pronounced among adults with disabilities, though its overall protective effect on depression was partially attenuated in this group.

CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that IPC alleviates depression both directly and indirectly through reducing functional autonomy deprivation. However, the presence of disability constrains the full benefits of IPC, highlighting the need for inclusive mental health interventions that address both functional capacity and intergenerational psychological resources.