{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:29:12Z","timestamp":1787027352257,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":59,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,10]],"date-time":"2026-04-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775779200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Chinese older adults face dual challenges of digital exclusion and mental health burdens. This study examines whether educational attainment mediates the relationship between digital engagement and depression, and whether there is urban\u2013rural heterogeneity in this mediating effect.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Using nationally representative data from 3,206 adults aged \u226560, we conducted chi-square tests and used Hayes\u2019 PROCESS macro (Model 4 for mediation, Model 7 for moderated mediation), adjusting for covariates.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      In total, 36.9% (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      =\u202f1,182 of 3,206) of Chinese older adults reported using the internet. Digital engagement was positively associated with education (\n                      <jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.609,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.001) and indirectly associated with lower depression through education (indirect\n                      <jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.049,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.001), accounting for 27.8% of the total effect. A direct association with lower depression remained (\n                      <jats:italic>\u03b2<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.078,\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.01). The education-mediated pathway showed significant urban\u2013rural heterogeneity, being 29% stronger in urban areas (B\u202f=\u202f0.102, 95% CI: 0.077\u20130.127) than rural areas (B\u202f=\u202f0.079, 95% CI: 0.058\u20130.101; Index of Moderated Mediation\u202f=\u202f\u22120.023).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Digital engagement is associated with significant protection against depression among older Chinese adults, and the education-mediated pathway shows substantial urban\u2013rural heterogeneity. To potentially realize the full mental health potential of digitalization, policymakers must implement synergistic strategies to reduce digital infrastructural inequities and address disparities in the translation of education into health benefits.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1685505","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,10]],"date-time":"2026-04-10T04:27:57Z","timestamp":1775795277000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Urban\u2013rural disparities in education\u2019s mediating role between digital engagement and depression among Chinese older adults"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Guangwen","family":"Gong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Management, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine","place":["Wuhan, Hubei, China"]},{"name":"Research Center for the Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of Hubei Province","place":["Wuhan, Hubei, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haomiao","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Political Science and Public Administration, Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, Hubei, China"]},{"name":"Research Center of Health Governance, Wuhan University","place":["Wuhan, Hubei, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuanhang","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Management, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine","place":["Wuhan, Hubei, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yingchun","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine and Health Management, Huazhong University of Sciences & Technology","place":["Wuhan, Hubei, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"900","DOI":"10.1002\/gps.2821","article-title":"The prevalence of depressive symptoms among the older in China: a meta-analysis","volume":"27","author":"Ling","year":"2012","journal-title":"Int J Geriatr Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref2","volume-title":"The 53rd Statistical Report on the Development of Internet in China","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e15683","DOI":"10.2196\/15683","article-title":"Exploring the relationship between internet use and mental health among older adults in England: longitudinal observational study","volume":"22","author":"Lam","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1471","DOI":"10.1177\/0733464815595509","article-title":"Psychosocial links between internet 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