Social Capital, Long-Term Care Insurance, and Older Adults' Mental Health: Policy Spillovers and Implications for Gerontological Social Work in China.

Using 2015 and 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study data and a two-way fixed-effects difference-in-differences design, this study examines how China's Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI) affects the mental health of older adults who are not directly insured. Among 1,899 non-beneficiaries in pilot and non-pilot cities, LTCI improved health-related quality-of-life trajectories, with stronger spillovers for mental than physical health. Pilot-city residents reported greater vitality, social functioning, and fewer role-emotional limitations, suggesting mediation through structural, cognitive, and relational social capital. These findings highlight LTCI reforms as opportunities for gerontological social workers to strengthen community networks, outreach, and psychosocial support.