Jilili Maitixirepu, Liu Linping, Abudoukelimu Tangnuer
School of public Administration, Xinjinag University of Finance and Economics, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Clin Gerontol. 2024 Oct 7:1-10. doi: 10.1080/07317115.2024.2413667.
The study aimed to investigate the influence mechanism underlying the relationship between Internet use and depressive symptoms in Chinese older adults.
Data were derived from the 2018 wave of China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted using Ordinary list squares (OLS) regression analysis. To address potential endogenous issues, we employed the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method to explore the association between Internet use and depressive symptoms.
Our findings indicate that Internet use can significantly reduce depressive symptoms and enhance mental health of older adults. Loneliness mediated the relationship between Internet use and depressive symptoms among older adults, while socioeconomic status (SES) moderated this relationship. Furthermore, the four purposes of Internet use, namely online chatting, information searching, recreational activities, consumption and investment, were negatively associated with loneliness and depressive symptoms among older adults.
The findings emphasize the positive effects of Internet use on the mental health outcomes of older adults.
The proper use of the Internet possesses considerable promise for clinical rehabilitation, targeting the enhancement of the mental health outcomes of older adults during their later life.
本研究旨在探讨中国老年人互联网使用与抑郁症状之间关系的潜在影响机制。
数据来源于2018年中国老年社会追踪调查。采用普通最小二乘法（OLS）回归分析进行中介和调节分析。为解决潜在的内生性问题，我们采用倾向得分匹配（PSM）方法来探究互联网使用与抑郁症状之间的关联。
我们的研究结果表明，互联网使用能够显著减轻老年人的抑郁症状并改善其心理健康。孤独感在老年人互联网使用与抑郁症状之间起中介作用，而社会经济地位（SES）调节了这种关系。此外，互联网使用的四个目的，即在线聊天、信息搜索、娱乐活动、消费和投资，与老年人的孤独感和抑郁症状呈负相关。
研究结果强调了互联网使用对老年人心理健康状况的积极影响。
合理使用互联网对于临床康复具有重要意义，旨在改善老年人晚年的心理健康状况。
