Relationship between digital media use, social connections, and depression in middle-aged and older adults
Baoling Chen, Yuyue Cao, Yinzhi Tang, Geyao Huang, Yuchen Zhong, Shihao Jiang, Falin Zhao, Dahui WangObjective
Depression is a prevalent mental health issue among middle-aged and older adults. This study aimed to explore the relationships between digital media use, social connections (structural, functional, and quality components), and depression in this population, and to examine the mediating effect of social connections.
Methods
From April to September 2025, a multi-stage stratified random sampling method was employed to select 1624 middle-aged and older adults from Zhejiang Province, China. Information on digital media use, social connections, and depressive symptoms was collected. Univariate analysis, binary logistic regression were performed, followed by exploratory mediation analysis using the PROCESS macro for SPSS. Clustered CR2 was used as a sensitivity analysis for small-sample inference.
Results
The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 15.58%. Marital status, personal monthly income, frequency of contact with children, living status, self-rated health, and life stress were significantly associated with depressive symptoms (
Conclusion
These findings indicate that digital media use and social connection components are associated with depression risk in the study sample. Usability competence, social network size, and loneliness showed the most robust associations. The observed associations suggest the potential research value of both online digital engagement and offline social connection factors in mental health. Future longitudinal or intervention studies are needed to further examine the temporal and dynamic relationships between these factors and depression.