School of Public Administration, Dongbei University of Finance & Economics, Dalian, 116025, China.
School of Political Science and Public Administration, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, 102249, China.
Sci Rep. 2024 Sep 27;14(1):22294. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-73298-8.
This empirical study examines the impact of internet usage on the life satisfaction of spousal caregivers responsible for elderly individuals with disabilities. Utilizing data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), released in November 2023, we analyzed the health status and life satisfaction of these caregivers in the context of the recent rapid development of the internet. A stratified Proportionate to Size Sampling (PPS) approach was employed in this investigation. We assessed whether the life satisfaction of spousal caregivers is associated with internet use and whether internet adoption can moderate intergenerational relationships, interpersonal interactions, and political engagement among these caregivers. The study analyzed a sample of 760 individuals, with an average age of 60.31 years, and rural households comprising 77.14% of the sample. Our findings indicate a positive correlation between internet usage and the life satisfaction of spousal caregivers. This result enhances our understanding of the relationship between internet usage and life satisfaction in this context. Furthermore, this study supports the advancement of internet access for the aging population, assists elderly individuals in bridging the digital divide, and provides a theoretical foundation for the development of targeted, elderly-friendly internet policies by the government.
本实证研究考察了互联网使用对照顾残疾老年人的配偶照料者生活满意度的影响。本研究利用中国健康与养老追踪调查（CHARLS）于 2023 年 11 月发布的数据，分析了在互联网快速发展的背景下这些照料者的健康状况和生活满意度。本研究采用分层比例概率抽样（PPS）方法。我们评估了配偶照料者的生活满意度是否与互联网使用有关，以及互联网的采用是否可以调节这些照料者的代际关系、人际互动和政治参与。该研究分析了一个由 760 人组成的样本，平均年龄为 60.31 岁，样本中 77.14%来自农村家庭。我们的研究结果表明，互联网使用与配偶照料者的生活满意度之间存在正相关关系。这一结果增强了我们对这一背景下互联网使用与生活满意度之间关系的理解。此外，本研究支持为老年人口提供互联网接入，帮助老年人缩小数字鸿沟，并为政府制定针对老年人的友好型互联网政策提供理论基础。
