The Association Between Childhood Neighborhood Environment and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Rural Older Adults: A Gender-Moderated Analysis from a Life Course Perspective

Life course theory links early-life experiences to late-life depression, yet research on childhood neighborhood effects among rural older adults-especially gendered differences-remains limited. Analyzing 2014-2018 CHARLS data of 8,034 rural older adults via structural equation modeling, we confirm a significant long-term association between childhood neighborhood environment and depressive symptoms. Multi-group analysis reveals stark gender heterogeneity: the association holds exclusively for rural older women, with no significant effect among men. These findings underscore women's lifelong vulnerability to early environmental exposures, calling for life course-informed childhood neighborhood assessments in gerontological social work.