ArticleFrontiers in psychology2022
Does internet use promote mental health among middle-aged and older adults in China?
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A meta-analysis of technology use and cognitive aging.Nature human behaviour · 2025Pooled it
- Positive association between Internet use and mental health among adults aged ≥50 years in 23 countries.Nature human behaviour · 2025Pooled it
- Smartphone use and cognitive performance in middle-aged and older adults: a cross-sectional study in China.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Heterogeneous Digital Technologies and the Limits of a Common Social Isolation Pathway: A Comment on Zhu and Zhou [Letter].Psychology research and behavior management · 2026Article
- The association between digital communication tool use and perceived mental health among older adults in Canada.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Beyond access: how heterogeneity of internet use differentially shapes cognitive function among Chinese older adults.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Internet Use, Subjective Age, and Mental Health Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China: Pressured Versus Voluntary Internet Use.Depression and anxiety · 2026Article
- Relationship Between Internet Use Purposes and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Older Adults: A Cross-Lagged Panel Network Analysis.Depression and anxiety · 2026Article
- Migration status and internet use: gender differences in mental health among rural older adults in China.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Relationships Among Mobile Internet Use, Social Support, and Depressive Symptoms: Prospective Cohort Study Among Community Residents.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Internet Usage, Social Participation, and Depression Symptoms Among Middle-Aged and Older Adult Chinese Individuals Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence From the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Observational Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Observational
- The Multi-Level Influencing Factors of Internet Use Among the Elderly Population and Its Association with Mental Health Promotion: Empirical Research Based on Mixed Cross-Sectional Data.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The Association Between Internet Use and Co-occurring Health Care Needs: Cross-Sectional Study in China.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Internet use patterns and their relationship with frailty in older Japanese adults.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Internet usage elevates elderly obesity: evidence from a difference-in-differences analysis of the broadband China policy.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025Article
- The double-edged sword of internet use in China's aging population: thresholds, mediation and digital health policy.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Mediating Role of Internet Use in Cognitive-Depressive Pathways: A Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Modeling Approach.International journal of public health · 2025Article
- The association between network literacy and subjective well-being among middle-aged and older adults.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- A study on the relationship between internet use and cognitive functioning of older adults under the perspective of smart aging.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Association Between Daily Internet Use and Intrinsic Capacity Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China: Large Prospective Cohort Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
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.
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