中老年人空巢状态、互联网使用与抑郁症状的纵向关系OA

Objective To examine the longitudinal associations between empty-nest status,internet use,and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults in China.Methods Four waves of data(2011-2018)from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were used Cox proportional hazards regression models were applied to assess the association between internet use and the risk of developing depressive symptoms.Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed to compare the cumulative incidence of depressive symptoms across groups.Subgroup analyses were further conducted to evaluate potential heterogeneity according to demographic characteristics.Results Internet use was associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older adults(HR=0.607,P=0.032).In contrast,empty-nest status was associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms(HR=1.214,P＜0.001).Kaplan-Meier analyses suggested that the protective association of internet use may be more pronounced among individuals with limited offline social support.Subgroup analyses further indicated heterogeneity in the association between internet use and depressive symptoms across sex,educational level,and place of residence.Conclusion Internet use was associated with a reduced risk of depressive symptoms,whereas empty-nest status was associated with an elevated risk among middle-aged and older adults.Promoting internet use among empty-nest older populations may represent a potential strategy for mitigating the risk of depressive symptoms.