Thesis advisor: Alyssa Goldman / As China encounters rapid aging transformation, information on the mental health of older adults is essential. This study examines the influence of social engagement and family support on depression levels among community-dwelling older adults in China. This study selects a sample of 5,187 respondents who participated in the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in order to investigate the relationships between these factors and mental health. The results show that both social engagement and family support are negatively associated with depression levels. Moreover, social engagement acts as a partial mediation effect between family support and depression levels. This demonstrates the role of an active social life in the prevention of mental health deterioration in older adults. The research findings contribute to the discussions about how social support such as social engagement and strong family tiese can alleviate depression in Chinese older adults. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2024. / Submitted to: Boston College. Morrissey School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology. / Discipline: Departmental Honors.

The problem of this study was to test the differences between adult children from alcoholic families with adult children from non-alcoholic families on levels of depression, self-esteem, and anxiety. The sample consisted of 203 volunteers, all from the Counselor Education Department, 150 females and 53 males, ages 19 and older. Volunteers who were noted as being adult children of alcoholic families numbered 60. Measures used were the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Coopersmith Adult Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI). Multivariate Analysis of Variance was used to test for differences between groups. In addition, a secondary analysis using a one-way MANOVA was used to test for differences between dysfunctional and functional family of origin status on the dependent variables of depression, self-esteem, and anxiety.