The Impact of Cultural Participation in Traditional Storytelling (Pinghua) on the Mental Health of Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Objective This study examines how cultural participation in traditional storytelling (Suzhou pinghua) affects the mental health of middle-aged and older adults. It investigates how pinghua engagement reduces anxiety, depressive symptoms, and emotional distress through cultural identity, emotional regulation, social support, and immersive experience, establishing a framework for understanding traditional narrative as a mental health intervention for aging populations. Subjects and Methods This study compares pinghua adaptations with original novel sources, drawing on reception psychology and emotion psychology. Mechanisms analyzed include: collective memory reducing existential anxiety; empathy facilitating emotional regulation and countering depressive rumination; immersive flow reducing stress; and social support through communal listening reducing isolation—a risk factor for depression in older adults. Results Pinghua engages therapeutic mechanisms: collective memory reduces existential anxiety; empathy counters rumination; immersion induces flow reducing stress; communal listening buffers depression. Four dimensions—interest, suspense, commentary, and immediacy—activate humor (reducing negative affect), cognitive engagement, meaning-making, and social connectedness. These mechanisms collectively reduce anxiety, alleviate depressive symptoms, and promote well-being. Conclusions Traditional storytelling functions as a culturally-embedded mental health intervention—reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms through cultural identity, emotional regulation, flow, and social support. Findings inform culturally-adapted psychosocial interventions, suggesting narrative engagement enhances well-being and buffers against late-life depression. Future research should examine dose-response relationships and develop community-based storytelling programs for older adult mental health promotion. Corresponding Author Dejun Ji, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.