Aging, Mental Health, and Social Welfare

This book offers a comprehensive, justice-oriented examination of global population well-being by addressing the intertwined challenges of demographic aging, mental health, and social welfare. Adopting a life-span perspective that connects human development from adolescence to later life, it explores how individual well-being is shaped by broader socio-economic policies, institutional structures, and cultural contexts. Moving beyond traditional binaries of East vs. West, the book frames social policy as a matter of human choice, highlighting diverse national responses and innovative strategies designed to foster equitable and flourishing societies. Part I focuses on theoretical paradigms and research in aging, reorienting gerontology toward an "equitable aging" framework that emphasizes structural justice and universal entitlements over narrow or individualistic definitions of productivity, activity, and health. Chapters examine critical issues including pension disparities, neoliberal policy ambivalence, and personalization in the UK, as well as community-based care models in Hong Kong, digitally integrated home care systems in mainland China, and inclusive "queer care" frameworks for LGBTQ+ populations. Part II shifts focus to mental health and social welfare across the life course, applying a "Problem–GPP–ism" Triple Prism to examine public policy and mental health linkages. Contributions feature empirical studies on ritual reconstruction among bereaved parents (shidu families) in China, adolescent mental health in Thailand following shooting incidents, youth justice reform, poverty and inequality reduction in China and India, and reproductive health among indigenous women in Bangladesh. With contributions from international scholars spanning Asia, Europe, and North America, this volume bridges social work, gerontology, public policy, and sociocultural psychology. It is essential reading for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers committed to advancing equity, dignity, and sustainable social welfare futures in an aging world.