Health Outcomes of Social Pension Expansion: A Quasi-Experiment Among Older Adults in Hong Kong

Journal of Applied Gerontology, Ahead of Print.
A social pension, regarded as a reliable source of income, has the potential to significantly influence the overall wellbeing of vulnerable older adults. This study aimed to extend the understanding of the effects of social pension expansion beyond its economic impacts to encompass recipients’ health status. Using three-wave data from a representative sample of older adults, we employed a quasi-experimental assessment model to evaluate the impact of a recent social pension expansion in Hong Kong on health-related consumption and health outcomes among older adults. The results of the triple difference estimations revealed that an increased social pension significantly enhanced older people’s engagement in entertainment activities, utilization of healthcare services, and expenditures on preventive health products. Furthermore, the increased social pension was found to have a significant positive effect on mitigating poor self-rated health and poor sleep quality. However, it did not have a significant impact on the prevalence of depression. These findings suggest that social pension expansion should be coordinated with other policy initiatives to comprehensively improve the physical and mental health of older adults.

Coping, Racial Discrimination, and Psychological Distress Among Asian American Parents

The Counseling Psychologist, Ahead of Print.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-Asian racism and hate crimes surged in the United States, placing Asian Americans (AAs) at increased risk for psychological distress (i.e., anxiety and depression symptoms). We examined how coping styles (i.e., direct and indirect) moderated the association between racial discrimination, fear of discrimination, and psychological distress in a sample of 229 AA parents. Results indicated that indirect coping styles significantly moderated the relationship between racial discrimination and anxiety symptoms, and fear of discrimination and anxiety symptoms. Simple slopes revealed that racial discrimination was associated with greater anxiety symptoms among parents with high levels of indirect coping, but not with low levels. Direct coping was not a significant moderator. Our findings highlight the need for the development of coping-focused interventions that are aimed specifically at buffering the adverse psychological outcomes among AAs experiencing racial discrimination.