{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T19:07:23Z","timestamp":1754161643096,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,29]],"date-time":"2025-07-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753747200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study investigates the impact of functional abilities on depression among rural older adults in China, with a focus on the moderating role of caregiving for grandchildren.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Using data from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), 4,366 valid responses were analyzed. Hierarchical regression was employed to examine the relationships between IADL, caregiving, and depression.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>The findings indicate that higher functional ability is associated with lower depression levels (<jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f\u22120.402, <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.001), and caregiving for grandchildren significantly moderates this relationship (<jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f\u22120.203, <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.001). Specifically, older adults with higher functional ability who care for grandchildren experience greater reductions in depression.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title><jats:p>The study concludes that caregiving for grandchildren buffers the negative effects of functional abilities decline on depression, highlighting the mental health benefits of intergenerational caregiving in rural China.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1621954","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,29]],"date-time":"2025-07-29T06:07:09Z","timestamp":1753769229000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The moderating role of caring for grandchildren in the relationship between functional abilities and depression of aged parents in rural 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