Associations Between Information and Communication Technology Use and Depression in Community-Dwelling Older Adults:...

Previous studies have reported associations between information and communication technology (ICT) use and depression among older adults, but these associations remain unclear. This study examined associations between different types of ICT use, social participation, and depression.

This study used data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study Round 13 (N = 6,722). Participants were categorized as non-users, CT users, IT users, or ICT users, and social participation was classified as formal or informal. Multiple parallel mediation analyses were conducted.

ICT use showed significant direct (B =  -0.397) and indirect associations with depression, observed in relation to both formal (B =  -0.117) and informal (B =  -0.144) social participation. CT use was indirectly associated with depression in models including formal (B =  -0.047) and informal (B =  -0.096) social participation, with no direct association observed. Similarly, IT use was indirectly associated with depression involving formal (B =  -0.026) and informal (B =  -0.047) social participation, whereas no direct association was found.

ICT use was associated with depression among older adults, with formal and informal social participation potentially being relevant factors, and associations varied by ICT use type.

Social participation may be an important consideration when examining the relationship between ICT use and mental health among older adults.