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A multi-country study has linked internet use to a reduction in depressive symptoms. City University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong researchers found a positive association among adults 50 years and older across 23 countries.

Mental health problems among middle-aged and older adults have become a global public health concern. In 2019, approximately 14% of people aged 55 and older experienced mental disorders such as depression, accounting for an estimated 2.7% of disability-adjusted life-years globally, according to the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study.

Understanding the social aspects of mental health is an essential part of developing strategies to improve mental health among middle-aged and older adults worldwide.

In the study "Positive association between Internet use and mental health among adults aged ≥50 years in 23 countries," in Nature Human Behaviour, researchers used linear mixed models and meta-analyses to examine data from six aging cohorts across 23 high and middle-income countries.

A total of 87,559 participants with 298,199 observations and a median follow-up of six years were included in the analyses. The cohorts included the Health and Retirement Study (U.S.), the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (England), the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (Europe and Israel), the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (China), the Mexican Health and Aging Study (Mexico), and the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (Brazil).

Internet use was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and better self-reported health. Higher frequency of internet use was linked to better mental health outcomes. Specifically, participants who used the internet daily or weekly reported fewer depressive symptoms and better self-reported health compared to those who used it less frequently or not at all.

In the U.S. and England, where genetic data were available, positive associations between internet use and mental health were observed across three genetic risk categories. In the U.S., England, and China, a higher frequency of internet use was related to better mental health outcomes.

A negative association between internet use and depressive symptoms was observed in participants who were aged 65 years and older, were unmarried, had less frequent contact with others, had higher education, had lower wealth, were currently working, drank less than once a week, were physically inactive, experienced activities of daily living disability, or had chronic conditions.

Among various social determinants of mental health, internet use is becoming increasingly important due to its wide adoption by middle-aged and older populations worldwide, especially during the pandemic. Findings from the study may be relevant to public health policies and practices aimed at promoting mental health in later life through the internet.

Data collection for internet use exhibited significant disparities across the six aging cohorts involved in the study. In Europe and Israel's SHARE cohort, participants reported whether or not they used the internet within the past seven days, while China's CHARLS internet users were defined as interacting with the web in the past month.

Brazil's ELSI asked if users had been online in the past 12 months, and the U.S.'s HRS focused on regular internet activities such as emailing and online shopping. England's ELSA captured frequency through a seven-point scale ranging from daily use to never, whereas Mexico's MHAS evaluated internet access at the household level rather than individual usage.

These varied methodologies highlight inconsistencies in how internet use was measured, potentially affecting the comparability of mental health outcomes across different countries in any dose-dependent manner.

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