Internet use may improve mental health in middle-aged, older adults

Key takeaways:

• Internet use improved several measures of mental health in middle-aged and older adults.
• The findings may be due to the internet offering social interaction and health-related information.

Internet use could help improve mental health and well-being in adults aged 50 years or older, study results published in Nature Human Behavior suggested.

The findings have significant implications for public health policies and interventions aimed at the mental health needs of middle-aged and older adults, which “have been overlooked, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the researchers wrote.

The internet has continued to see its usage soar across all age groups. According to data from the Pew Research Center, 96% of adults and 98% of adults aged 50 to 64 years reported that they use the internet.

For older adults who may face activity and mobility issues, internet use “provides an important channel for social connections and online entertainment, all of which can positively impact their mental health,” Yan Luo, from the City University of Hong Kong in China, and colleagues wrote.

In their analysis, Luo and colleagues assessed the effects of internet usage on mental health by using data from 87,559 adults aged 50 years or older from 23 countries with a median follow-up of 6 years.

They defined internet use, which was self-reported, as receiving or sending emails, making travel reservations or purchases and searching for information.

Luo and colleagues found associations between internet use and

• fewer depression symptoms (pooled average marginal effect [AME] = 0.09; 95% CI, 0.12 to 0.07);
• higher life satisfaction (pooled AME = 0.07; 95% CI, 0.05-0.1); and
• better self-reported health (pooled AME = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.12-0.17).

However, these associations varied by country and subpopulation.

In the U.S. and England, internet use positively corresponded with depressive symptoms and self-reported health across three levels of genetic risk for mental health problems.

In the United States, England and China, those who used the internet less than weekly, weekly or daily showed fewer depressive symptoms vs. those who never used the internet.

Daily internet use also corresponded with higher life satisfaction in the United States, but this finding did not reach statistical significance.

In a sensitivity analysis, internet use corresponded with a reduced risk for incident depression (pooled HR = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.79-0.91).

Luo and colleagues highlighted several possible mechanisms behind the findings.

“By overcoming social and spatial barriers, internet use can facilitate connections with family and friends and expand social networks among middle-aged and older adults,” they wrote. “Promoting such social interaction can reduce their loneliness and social isolation as

well as enhance their sense of belonging and self-esteem, which may contribute to better mental health.”

They also pointed out that older adults can search for health-related information and engage in health management on the internet.

“This could strengthen their self-efficacy, motivate them to seek timely medical advice and treatments, and provide valuable emotional support, all of which may improve their mental health,” they wrote.

The researchers acknowledged they could not determine causality between internet use and mental health due to potential residual confounding and reverse causation.

The data ultimately showed that internet usage “could be an effective strategy to improve overall mental health in middle-aged and older populations,” but policymakers “need to recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for older people with different sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, physical health and genetic risk,” the researchers concluded.

References:

• Internet, broadband fact sheet. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/internet-broadband/. Accessed Nov. 13, 2024.
• Luo Y, et al. Nat Hum Behav. 2024;doi:10.1038/s41562-024-02048-7.