Abstract: Under the challenge of "urbanization of physical space" and "atomization of social relations" caused by relocation for poverty alleviation,addressing the issues of social adaptation and integration among elderly individuals is urgent.Data from a four-year follow-up study on 271 relocated elderly individuals inXiangxi Autonomous Prefecture and empirical testing results reveal several key findings:(1) Social adaptation among relocated elderly individuals exhibits a time-accumulated effect,with overall social adaptation levels improving over time,particularly in dimensions of living conditions,economic status,and psychological well-being.(2) There are notable differences in social adaptation across various dimensions and indicators.Psychological adaptation shows the highest level,followed by living adaptation,while economic adaptation,although initially the weakest,demonstrates the fastest growth rate.Elderly individuals in resettlement areas located in county towns or economically prosperous towns exhibit stronger living and economic adaptation.In contrast,those in central villages or nearby towns experience easier psychological adaptation due to spatial resource endowments,leading to distinct adaptation pathways.(3) Different stages of social adaptation display varying characteristics.Early on,neither living nor economic adaptation significantly influences psychological adaptation.However,over time,these influences become positively significant.Notably,living adaptation consistently shows a strong positive impact on psychological adaptation,demonstrating a "stepwise progression-feedback reinforcement" characteristic.Therefore,relevant departments should continuously monitor and evaluate the social adaptability of relocated elderly individuals,establish a system for monitoring relapse into poverty,adhere to the laws of social adaptation for the elderly,enhance assistance effectiveness through living adaptation,respect the labor intentions of relocated elderly individuals by creating employment opportunities,help them rebuild social networks to improve psychological adaptation,and actively organize social work interventions tailored to local conditions and individual needs.

Key words: relocation for poverty alleviation, elderly individuals, social adaptation, targeted poverty alleviation