Community Co-Governance, Welfare Policy, and Geriatric Depression in China: A Positioning Theory Approach

As populations age, a paradox persists: despite growing emphasis on “active aging,” geriatric depression remains widespread. This study explores how symbolic positioning across community, policy, and family domains is associated with depressive symptoms among older adults in China. Drawing on positioning theory and symbolic interactionism, we introduce soulful nurturing—a symbolic-affective process through which older adults interpret care, participation, and recognition as emotionally sustaining or wounding. Using data from the 2018 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey, we employ two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression to account for potential endogeneity in community participation. Results suggest that participation in community co-governance tends to be associated with fewer depressive symptoms, particularly when senior welfare policies are present. Among individuals reporting familial neglect or abuse, however, this association weakens, indicating that symbolic coherence across social domains may matter. These findings imply that participation alone may not be sufficient to promote emotional well-being; rather, its potential benefits appear conditional on the symbolic legitimacy of older adults’ roles and the integrity of their relational environments. We propose that late-life depression may reflect not only social isolation, but also symbolic misalignment. Policy implications include designing eldercare frameworks that integrate material support with symbolic recognition.