School of Sociology and Political Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
Center for Applied Social and Economic Research (CASER), NYU Shanghai, Shanghai 200126, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 27;20(3):2267. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20032267.
Internet use may reduce the impact of the neighborhood on residents' well-being by helping people utilize resources beyond their immediate neighborhoods or strengthen neighborhood influences by widening the digital divide across neighborhoods. This study investigates how internet use moderates neighborhood effects on mental health among older adults in Shanghai. Using data from the Shanghai Urban Neighborhood Survey (SUNS) and population census, hierarchical linear models reveal that older adults who more frequently use the internet report lower levels of mental distress. Internet use attenuates the negative effects of living in low-socioeconomic status (SES) neighborhoods. We also examine the roles of three types of internet use: social networking, leisure, and information seeking. The results show that only social networking and leisure internet use are significantly associated with improved mental health among older adults. The results suggest that social programs are needed to increase internet literacy among older adults to promote active aging, and priority should be given to relatively disadvantaged neighborhoods.
互联网的使用可能会通过帮助人们利用其所在社区以外的资源，或者通过扩大邻里之间的数字鸿沟来增强邻里影响，从而减少邻里对居民幸福感的影响。本研究调查了互联网的使用如何调节上海老年人的心理健康的邻里效应。利用来自上海城市邻里调查（SUNS）和人口普查的数据，分层线性模型显示，经常上网的老年人报告的精神困扰程度较低。互联网的使用减轻了居住在低社会经济地位（SES）社区的负面影响。我们还考察了三种类型的互联网使用方式：社交网络、休闲和信息搜索的作用。研究结果表明，只有社交网络和休闲互联网的使用与老年人的心理健康改善显著相关。研究结果表明，需要开展社会项目来提高老年人的互联网素养，以促进积极老龄化，并且应优先考虑相对处于不利地位的社区。
