Does internet use promote mental health among middle-aged and older adults in China?

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Chong Zhang¹  Yan Wang²  Jing Wang³  Xin Liu² 

[1] Institute of Network Society Governance, School of Marxism, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China;School of Law and Sociology, XiHua University;Department of Pediatrics, The University of Melbourne

关键词: Internet use;    Middle-aged and older adults;    Mental Health;    Depression;    Cognition;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2022.999498

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

In recent years, China's Internet penetration rate has increased, and the scale of middle-aged and older adults’ netizen has continued to expand. However, the impact of internet use on mental health remains controversial. This paper analyzes 14,497 middle-aged and older adults’ valid respondents in the 2018 Chinese Family Panel Study (CFPS2018) to evaluate the impact of Internet use on the mental health of middle-aged and older adults and its intermediary mechanisms. The findings show that moderate use of the Internet can significantly reduce depression levels and boost cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults. But excessive internet use will also lead to increased levels of depression and decreased cognitive function. Different Internet use purposes will also lead to different psychological states. Online socializing, entertainment and business activities can significantly reduce depression levels and promote cognitive functions. Online studying and working only have positive effects on cognitive functions, which have no significant relationship to depression levels. In addition, analysis of the mediation effect found that life satisfaction is a path mechanism for Internet use and affect different dimensions of mental health.

【 授权许可】

CC BY