Migration Status, Internet Use, and Social Participation among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China: Consequences for Depression

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the underlying relationship between migration status and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults in China. Data were derived from three waves of panel data (2011, 2013, and 2015) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Two-level regression models and generalized structural equation modeling were run to fit the data. The results showed that migration status of the respondents could ameliorate their depression (β = −0.02, p < 0.01), so did internet use (β = −0.02, p < 0.001), and social participation (β = −0.06, p < 0.001). The indirect effects of migration status on depression through internet use and of internet use on depression through social participation existed. The effects of migration status, internet use, and social participation in decreasing depression were discussed. Provided the associations among migration status, internet use, social participation, and depression, attention should be paid on increasing protective aspects of migration among middle-aged and older adults, such as internet use and social participation, to enhance their mental health.

The Relationship between Internet Use and Health among Older Adults in China: The Mediating Role of Social Capital

“…Research conducted by Ahn et al suggested that Internet games indirectly affected the mental health of older adults in Korea, and this influence worked through the perception of self-control [ 9 ]. Moreover, Liu et al’s study revealed that Internet use could reduce respondents’ depression via social participation [ 15 ]. Similarly, Cotton et al also found that Internet use had a positive contribution to the mental well-being of the retired older adults in the United States [ 10 ].…”

“…Although existing studies have analyzed the health effects of Internet use [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ], there haven’t been enough discussions focusing on the relationship between Internet use and health among older adults in China, and the conclusions of existing studies are still controversial [ 17 , 18 ]. If Internet use has an impact on the health of older adults, how does this impact happen?…”

Health Consequences of Online Social Capital among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China

“…One mechanism thinks that Internet use promotes health by increasing personal social interaction, leisure and entertainment, while the other believes Internet use helps users acquire health related information and resources to improve their health (Lu & Wang, 2020 ; Yang & He, 2020 ). Evidence from China suggests that Internet use can help improve both physical and mental health of the middle-aged and older adults (L. Wang, 2018 ; Wang et al, 2019a , b ; Zhao & Liu, 2020 ), because Internet use largely increases their learning behavior (Zhao & Liu, 2020 ), leisure and entertainment (L. Wang, 2018 ) and stock of social capital (Liu et al, 2020 ; Lyu & Sun, 2021 ). Evidence from other countries also shows that Internet use improves older adults’ mental health mainly by increasing their online social connections and access to health information (Cotten et al, 2012 ; Szabo et al, 2019 ).…”

Less Social Participation Is Associated With a Higher Risk of Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Older Adults: A Community-Based Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study

“…The dependent variables were depressive symptoms measured using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10) (36). This scale is a widely used survey tool to measure depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults, with good validity and reliability (8,27,(37)(38)(39)(40). All items are rated on a four-point scale, from "rarely" to "on some days" (1-2 days), "occasionally" (3-4 days), or "most of the time" (5-7 days).…”