Cognitive Social Capital in Community and Mental Health of the Elderly in China: The Moderating Effect of Age, Education, and Income

<b>Background:</b> With the increasingly severe trend of population aging, the well-being of the elderly is receiving growing attention. This study aimed to investigate the association between cognitive social capital in the community (familiarity with community members, trust in community members, and sense of security in the community where they live) and the mental health among older individuals in China and to examine how age, education, and income moderate this relationship. <b>Methods:</b> To achieve this, we utilized nationally representative data (<i>n</i> = 2301) from the China Labor-Force Dynamics Survey (CLDS) 2018, and we assessed whether older adults' mental health was associated with cognitive social capital in the community. Cognitive social capital includes familiarity with and trust in other members living in the same community together with the sense of security within the community where the older individuals reside. The marginal effect was applied to analyze how age, education, and income moderate the impact of community-based cognitive social capital on the mental health of older individuals. <b>Results:</b> Our findings indicate that the cognitive social capital within communities is significantly linked to the mental health of older adults. Additionally, age, education, and income serve as crucial moderators in this relationship. <b>Conclusions:</b> Strategies to enhance the cognitive social capital of older adults in the community are beneficial for their mental health, which deserves policymakers' further attention.