ArticleFrontiers in public health2023
Internet use and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults: Two sides of internet use.
Article in Frontiers in public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Positive association between Internet use and mental health among adults aged ≥50 years in 23 countries.Nature human behaviour · 2025Pooled it
- The association between Internet use and successful aging among Chinese older adults: a propensity score matching study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- The impact of digital infrastructure construction on the depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults: evidence from China.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Research on the intervention mechanism and dynamic evolution of the digital divide's impact on the physical and mental health of older adults: a system dynamics perspective.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Beyond access: how heterogeneity of internet use differentially shapes cognitive function among Chinese older adults.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Platform-specific digital media use and psychological distress among Turkish adults: evidence from a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- The association between internet use and cognition in older adults: empirical analysis based on CLASS 2023.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- 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
- Digitization and Active Aging: How Digital Finance Shapes the Mental Health of Empty-Nest Older Individuals.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Relationship Between Short Video Addiction Tendency and Depression Among Rural Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Social Interaction as a vital factor in alleviating depressive symptoms among middle-aged and elderly adults: evidence from the CHARLS.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2025Article
- Association between chronic diseases and depressive inclinations among rural middle-aged and older adults.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Study on the relationship between indoor ventilation frequency and anxiety and depression symptoms in older persons: based on the data of 2018 CLHLS.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- The mediating role of internet use in the relationship between working hours and depressive symptoms: an analysis based on cross-lagged models.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Does Smartphone Use Affect Attitudes Toward Aging Among Older Adults in Rural Areas? An Empirical Analysis Using Data from the Chinese Longitudinal Aging Social Survey.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Medical service satisfaction and depression among middle-aged and older Chinese adults: moderating role of distinct Internet-using patterns.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Internet use and frailty in middle-aged and older adults: findings from developed and developing countries.Globalization and health · 2024Article
- Procrastination Mediates the Relationship between Problematic TikTok Use and Depression among Young Adults.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- The relationship between Internet use and loneliness of middle-aged and older adult people: the moderating effect of residence.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Association between Internet use and depression among older adults in China: the chain-mediating role of volunteer activity participation and friend network.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: To explore the relationship between internet use which includes time spent on the internet, internet skills, types of online activities, and depressive symptoms in older adults. Methods: We used 2020 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data with 3,171 older adults aged 60 years. Depression symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D), and internet use was measured by time spent on the internet, internet skills, and types of online activities. Multiple linear regression models were used to explore the relationship between internet use and depressive symptoms in older adults. Results: Longer time spent on the internet was associated with higher scores of depressive symptoms (β = 0.14). Higher internet skills were associated with lower scores of depressive symptoms (β = -0.42). Watching short-form videos (β = 1.34) was associated with higher depressive symptom scores, and the use of the WeChat function (β = -0.96) was associated with lower depressive symptom scores, while online games and online shopping were not significant. Conclusion: The effect of internet use on depressive symptoms in older adults is a double-edged sword. Controlling the time spent on the internet, improving internet skills, and guiding specific a type of online activities in older adults can improve depressive symptoms through rational use.
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