Since I went to college, my grandfather, who lives 3,000 kilometers away, has relied on the Internet to keep in touch with me. Like my grandfather, the video call or phone call became the most important way for part of older people to contact their family members, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such online communication and other online activities like online shopping, e-learning, social connections, and digital health, may help older people feel less lonely and be happier. However, existing evidence on Internet use and mental health in older populations is inconsistent and limited, while most previous studies has focused on single countries, ignoring the differences in Internet use levels and sociocultural contexts across countries.

Internet use and mental health

In our recent paper published in Nature Human Behaviour, we harmonized data from six aging cohorts and included 87,559 participants aged ≥50 years from 23 high- and middle-income countries. We observed that the prevalence of baseline Internet use ranged from 2.2% in China to 84.8% in Denmark. We then developed linear mixed models and performed meta-analyses to examine the associations between Internet use and mental health. Our results showed that Internet use was associated with fewer depressive symptoms, higher life satisfaction, and better self-reported health. Moreover, improved mental health was observed with increased frequency of Internet use.

Additionally, we found that the associations between Internet use and mental health varied among subpopulations with different demographic characteristics, socioeconomic positions, health behaviors, physical health status, and genetic risk. For example, the association of Internet use with depressive symptoms was more negative (i.e., more beneficial) in participants who contacted with other less frequently. We also observed that the association between Internet use and mental health outcomes was correlated with country-level factors, such as the Gini index and digital skills among active population.

Implications

Our findings suggest that Internet use could be an effective public health strategy for enhancing the mental health of middle-aged and older populations globally. Our study call for the need of Internet use-based mental health intervention tailored to individuals' genetic, sociodemographic, and behavioral characteristics in the future.

For more information:

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-02048-7