A study on the impact of Internet use on depression among Chinese older people under the perspective of social participation

Abstract

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the role of social participation in the relationship between internet use and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults and investigate how the internet use interact with social participation to reduce the risk of depressive symptoms. Methods Based on the survey from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2018, we identified 4645 subjects and used the Ordinary Least Square method (OLS) and Propensity Score Matching method (PSM) to identify the association between Internet use and depression of older people, and further test how social participation played a role in the relationship. Results The level of depression of older people was significantly reduced in those who using internet in China, and the effect was still robust under different identification methods. The mental health was improved when using internet because of the increase of social participation and social capital. Further, The positive effect was stronger especially in those who were female, living in rural areas, has low education attainments and were 70–79 years old. Conclusions The popularity of internet use has a positive effect on the depressive symptoms of Chinese older adults. Effective measures were encouraged to improve the friendliness of internet for older people and promote the popularization of the Internet and older group, achieving the spiritual well-being of them in the Internet society.

The Heterogeneous Impact of Internet Use on Older People’s Mental Health: An Instrumental Variable Quantile Regression Analysis

“…Our findings are consistent with previous studies from both China and other countries. Results from Yang and his colleagues ( 29 ) based on the CHALRS indicate that older adults using the Internet had 1.8 points lower scores of depression symptoms than non-users. Cotten et al ( 7 ) estimated a one-third reduction in the depression probability among older cyber users in the United State.…”

“…We control for a range of covariates including individual and household characteristics that may be correlated with Internet use and older people’s mental health ( 9 ). In light of previous studies, we selected gender (male = 1; female = 0), age, ethnicity (Han = 1; Minority = 0), educational attainment (illiteracy = 1; primary school = 2; middle school = 3; high school and above = 4), religiosity (yes = 1; no = 0), residence status (urban areas = 1; rural areas = 0), marital status (married = 1; others = 0), and coresidence with children (yes = 1; no = 0) ( 29 , 30 ).…”

Exploring trajectories of depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults: Effects of gender and social activity participation

“…Depressed mood can lead to cognitive decline, an increased prevalence of chronic diseases, and even potentially life‐threatening conditions in older adults (Cheng, Thorpe, Kabir, & Lim, 2021; Sivertsen, Bjørkløf, Engedal, Selbæk, & Helvik, 2015). However, depressive symptoms are often overlooked at the time of screening because they can amplify functional impairments caused by physical illness in older adults (Bone et al., 2022; Chiao, Weng, & Botticello, 2011; Grayson & Thomas, 2013; Mirkena, Reta, Haile, Nassir, & Sisay, 2018) and are easily assumed to be the result of natural aging (Yang et al., 2022; Yang, Cheng, Ma, & Jia, 2022).…”

“…Levels of social engagement and depression vary widely across regions. While cross-sectional studies of mainland Chinese older adults Yang, Zhang, et al, 2022;Zhang, Su, Chen, Tan, & Chen, 2022) have also provided valuable information, it was impossible to establish a genuine causal relationship between social engagement and depression (Guo, Bai, & Feng, 2018). Fortunately, Li et al (2020) examined the negative effect of social engagement on depression using a mixed panel logistic model based on longitudinal data; however, the study did not examine the effect of social activity engagement on depression trajectories.…”

Who are the Older Adults’ Users or Non-Users of the Internet before the Pandemic? Analysis of the Epifloripaageing Cohort Study (2009-2019)

“…While the pandemic may have had adverse effects on older adults without the Internet, studies with prepandemic data have shown that older adults who use the Internet may have better mental and cognitive health and social networking[26,27].An interesting study that discusses "When Going Digital Becomes a Necessity" indicated two crucial points: digitalization is insu cient in reaching older adults, and combining online and o ine strategies is invaluable in addressing the challenges older adults face[28].…”