Population ageing is accelerating in rural Indonesia, yet the mental health of older adults remains critically under-researched. This study examines demographic-structural, social, and health correlates of psychological distress among adults aged 60 and over, using data from the 2016 Ageing in Rural Indonesia Study (ARIS; N = 2,389). Negative binomial regression was applied across four nested models. Probable distress (K6 >= 13) was observed in 2.47 per cent of respondents. Demographic-structural was the dominant risk domain: inability to access community health services for older adults (poslansia; IRR 1.56), poor financial condition (IRR 1.61), residence outside Java (IRR 1.49), and not being married (IRR 1.36) were independently associated with higher distress. Poor self-rated health and functional limitation were the strongest health correlates. These findings reveal how geography, poverty, and institutional exclusion converge to shape mental health vulnerability in later life, pointing to equitable poslansia expansion and place-sensitive mental health policy as priority.
This study explores factors that contribute to female labour participation in Lao PDR and argues that ethnicity is the primary determinant of female labour force participation, conditioning how all other socioeconomic and demographic factors operate within the country's diverse population. While existing literature emphasises sociodemographic factors that affect female labour outcomes in developing countries, evidence remains scarce for ethnically diverse contexts such as Lao PDR. Using the 2022 Labour Force Survey and a Probit estimation method applied to 13,519 working-age females above the age of 15, we demonstrate that the effects of access to public utilities, urban residence, and household size on female labour participation are neither uniform nor independent in that they are fundamentally mediated by ethnic identity. Specifically, we show that distinct cultural systems embedded within ethnic groups, such as matrilocal versus patrilocal norms, determine the degree to which education, infrastructure, and geography translate into labour market engagement. Educational attainment, public utility access, and urban residence show positive effects on participation overall, while larger household size exerts negative effects, but the magnitude and direction of these relationships vary significantly between ethnic groups. These results suggest that ethnicity is an organising lens through which female labour market outcomes must be understood.
This paper enriches the literature on the debate regarding the relationship between maternal employment and child malnutrition. Some argue that maternal employment is associated with an increase in child malnutrition, while others contend that it leads to a decrease in child malnutrition. The debate centers on the trade-off between time spent working versus caring for children (substitution effect) and the income gained from employment (income effect). The substitution and income effects have opposite impacts on child malnutrition. The substitution effect may increase child malnutrition, while the income effect may reduce it. This paper contributes new empirical evidence of the association between maternal employment and child malnutrition, measured with stunting and wasting in Indonesia, where child malnutrition remains one of the challenges in development. It addresses potential endogeneity concerns through the use of the IV-2SLS approach and utilizes data from the 2021 'Indonesian Nutrition Status Study' data, a nationally representative survey noteworthy for its anthropometric data. It concludes that maternal employment is related to lower malnutrition indicating that the income effect is greater than the substitution effect. Policymakers can therefore focus on improvements in infrastructure, including healthcare facilities and community education, as they are essential and needed to increase women's income.
