Digital village construction and the mental health of rural older adults: Evidence from China
Minhui Xing, Yuxin Han, Hang ZhangObjective
This study aims to investigate the relationship between digital village construction and the mental health of rural older adults. The findings provide a foundation for developing a health-oriented approach to building a digital society.
Methods
Based on data from the 2020 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) and the Digital Rural County Index (DRCI), this study employed an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model to empirically examine the link between digital village construction and the mental health of rural older adults, measured by life satisfaction and depressive symptoms.
Results
The findings indicated that digital village construction was significantly associated with better mental health among rural older adults. Heterogeneity analysis indicated that digital village construction was associated with the alleviation of the detrimental effects of the digital divide among rural older adults. This association is more pronounced among vulnerable groups, such as the oldest-old and those with lower levels of education, which highlights the inclusiveness of China’s digital village construction. Moreover, mechanism testing revealed that three key factors, namely income levels, social networks, and attitudes toward aging, acted as mediating variables in the connection between digital village construction and the mental health of rural older adults.
Conclusions
The paper advocates for the extensive promotion of digital village construction. Concurrently, it is essential to identify key mechanisms that influenced the effectiveness of digital village construction, as these factors impacted the mental health of rural older adults by increasing income, expanding social networks, and improving attitudes toward aging. The findings from this study offer actionable recommendations to refine digital village strategies in developing nations.