Social health is a core pillar of healthy aging, yet existing literature often relies on unidimensional measures or cross-sectional data, failing to distinguish stable individual traits from time-varying states. This study leverages longitudinal data from China to investigate the multidimensional typology and dynamic trajectories of social health among older adults using Random Intercept Latent Transition Analysis (RI-LTA). Data were derived from three waves of the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) conducted in 2018, 2020, and 2023 (N = 5428). Social health was modeled using three indicators: social participation, social adaptation, and social connection. The RI-LTA model was employed to identify latent profiles, estimate transition probabilities, and examine the predictive effects of sociodemographic and health characteristics on profile membership and transitions. Two latent profiles were identified: a “Passive Group” (74%–88%), characterized by extremely low social participation but moderate social adaptation and connection, and an “Active Group” (12%–26%), characterized by relatively high social participation with slightly higher or comparable adaptation and connection. The RI-LTA model demonstrated superior fit compared to standard LTA. Longitudinal analysis revealed asymmetric stability: the Passive Group exhibited high inertia (> 95% maintenance probability), whereas the Active Group showed fragility, with a high risk of regressing to the Passive Group (transition probability reached 42.0% from T1 to T2). Chronic disease burden was the primary risk factor for baseline membership in the Passive Group. Conversely, advanced age and lower education were key drivers hindering the maintenance of the Active state. Additionally, urban residence showed a significant protective effect specifically between 2020 and 2023. Social health among Chinese older adults presents a multidimensional pattern of “restrained adaptation”, wherein severe behavioral withdrawal coexists with moderate psychological resilience. Physical health capacity acts primarily as the fundamental entry threshold for the Active Group, whereas sociodemographic advantages (particularly education) function as a core mechanism of dynamic resilience. Future interventions should shift from generic approaches to targeted, state-specific strategies tailored to latent subgroups.
Li et al. (Mon,) studied this question.