ArticleDigital health
The association between internet use and depression among older adults in China: The mediating role of social networks.
Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- The association between Internet use and successful aging among Chinese older adults: a propensity score matching study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- The association between internet use and cognition in older adults: empirical analysis based on CLASS 2023.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Urban-rural disparities in education's mediating role between digital engagement and depression among Chinese older adults.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Exploring the relationship between smartphone use diversity and depressive symptoms among older adults.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Relationships Among Mobile Internet Use, Social Support, and Depressive Symptoms: Prospective Cohort Study Among Community Residents.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Association between internet use and social isolation among nursing home residents: a chain mediation model.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Predictive model for mild cognitive impairment in older Chinese adults with depression.Neuropsychiatrie : Klinik, Diagnostik, Therapie und Rehabilitation : Organ der Gesellschaft Osterreichischer Nervenarzte und Psychiater · 2025Article
- Depressive symptoms and internet use among middle-aged and older adults pre- and post-COVID-19 outbreak: a network analysis.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Association Between Internet Use and Sleep Health Among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Individuals: Nationwide Longitudinal Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Association between chronic diseases and depressive inclinations among rural middle-aged and older adults.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The Impact of Post-Retirement Social Relationship Changes on Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Older Adults: The Mediating Role of Loneliness and Moderating Role of Social Networks.Psychology research and behavior management · 2025Article
- The association of internet use and cognition among older adults: mediating roles of social networks and depressive symptoms.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Bidirectional Association Between Internet Use and Depressive Symptoms Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China: A Cross-Lagged Model of Proactive Health Behavior as the Mediating Role.Depression and anxiety · 2025Article
- 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
- Enhancement or suppression: a double-edged sword? Differential association of digital literacy with subjective health of older adult-evidence from China.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- The Association Between Internet Use and Mental Health Among Empty-Nest Elderly: A Cross-Sectional Study.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingArticle
- Article
- The causal effect of Internet use on rural middle-aged and older adults' depression: A propensity score matching analysis.Digital healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: In the aging world, the depression of older adults has aroused great concern. It brings detrimental side effects to old adults and the sustainability of society. The information and communication technologies have reshaped how people live among which the Internet has gained much popularity in the senior community. This study aims to explore the association between Internet use and depression in older adults. Methods: This study applied a representative national dataset (China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey, CLASS 2018) to examine by conducting regression analysis. Inspired by the social capital theory, we further examined the mediating role of general social networks (as a general concept) and specific networks (family and friend networks) in reducing depression. All calculations and analyses were conducted by STATA. Results: (a) Internet use significantly reduces depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults; (b) internet use enhances social network support for Chinese older adults; and (c) social networks in general and family networks and friend networks in specific all play a mediating role between internet use and depression symptoms. Conclusion: This work proved that internet use could reduce depression levels in older adults in China, and social networks, including family networks and friend networks, have a mediation role in the relationship between internet use and depression in older adults in China. Combined with the Chinese social context, we explained that the existence of an empty-nest elderly community in Chinese society and the emphasis on kinship in Chinese tradition may be the reasons. Based on the main findings, tailor-made suggestions for addressing depression issues among older adults were discussed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.