Relationship Between Internet Use Purposes and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Older Adults: A Cross-Lagged Panel...

There were debates in the results about the complex associations between Internet use purposes and depressive symptoms. A key limitation of prior research is its treatment of depressive symptoms as a unitary construct, which neglects the dynamic and specific interactions between different online activities and distinct depressive symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationships between Internet use purposes and depressive symptoms by cross-lagged panel network (CLPN) analysis.

Data comes from two waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS; 2018 and 2020). Internet use purposes were assessed by a single item. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The CLPN analysis was used to explore the dynamic network interactions between Internet use purposes and depressive symptoms.

We included a total of 9290 older adults. A higher level of "Watching news" (In2) can predict lower level of multiple depressive symptoms, such as "Everything was an effort" (De4) (β = -0.19), "Feeling hopeful about the future" (De5) (β = -0.16). "Chatting" (In1) predicted lower "Lack of happiness" (De8) (β = -0.09), and "Playing games" (In4) predicted lower "Everything was an effort" (De4) (β = -0.12). In contrast, "Watching videos" (In3) predicted higher "Everything was an effort" (De4) (β = 0.09), and "Financial management" (In5) predicted higher "Lack of happiness" (β = 0.14). In addition, "Lackness of happy" (De8) was had higher out expected-influence (Out-EI) and in expected-influence (In-EI) of the node.

This study indicated that different Internet use purposes had distinct and specific associations with specific depressive symptoms among older adults. These findings underscore the necessity for future interventions to move beyond general Internet use and instead digital strategies designed to address particular depressive symptoms.