Work trajectory and depressive symptoms among older adults in rural China: a sequence analysis approach

Since the 1978 market transition, employment opportunities for rural residents in China have become significantly more diverse, calling for a re-evaluation of how holistic work trajectories influence mental health in later life. Using retrospective life course data from the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS), we focused on the longitudinal association between work trajectories and depressive symptoms among rural adults aged over 55. Sequence analysis identified seven distinct work trajectory clusters among rural men and five among rural women; these ranged from self-employed farmers to employees in governmental/public sectors, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), agricultural entrepreneurs and non-agricultural self-employment. Men exhibited a higher level of employment diversity than women. In later life, men employed in governmental sectors and women in non-agricultural self-employment consistently showed a lower risk of depressive symptoms compared to self-employed farmers, which supports the hypothesis of cumulative (dis)advantage. This research highlights the importance of work trajectories in understanding mental health disparities. The findings reinforce the assertion that lifelong occupation as a self-employed farmer is associated with long-term disadvantages in the context of rapid market expansion, which underscores the need for targeted policy interventions.