Objective Aimed to examine the impact of home‐ and community‐based eldercare services on depression in the elderly. Methods Data were obtained from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020, the final sample comprised 33,437 observations. Leveraging a quasi‐natural experimental design based on China’s pilot programs for home‐ and community‐based eldercare services, a quasi‐experimental staggered difference‐in‐differences analysis compared changes in depressive symptoms between exposed and unexposed elderly. Results The pilot programs for home‐ and community‐based eldercare services significantly improved depressive symptoms among elderly individuals (Coef. = 0.962, 95% CI 0.299, 1.625, p = 0.005), and increased the probability of being nondepressed (Coef. = 0.120, 95% CI 0.032, 0.208, p = 0.008). Heterogeneity analyses indicated that the policy had a more pronounced impact on the elderly individuals characterized as urban, living with family, females, and those community engaged. Among the different service models, life care and psychological comfort services notably enhanced elderly mental health, while the effects of healthcare services were less effective. Conclusion Social support has a positive impact on the mental health of the elderly, and more comfort services are in demand, especially for rural and solitary older people.
Zhou et al. (2026) studied this question.