Challenges faced by older adults caring for their parents and their relationship with depressive status: Examining internet use as a moderator

Amid accelerating population ageing, China has witnessed a growing number of caregivers aged 60 and over. Older adults caring for their parents may represent a notable family caregiving paradigm in the longevity era, yet their unique challenges and associated health impacts deserve more attention. Using two waves of data from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) in 2018 and 2020, this study explored caregiving challenges among older adults caring for their parents, analyzed associations between these challenges and depressive status, and finally examined the moderating role of internet use. Results showed that more than half of older caregivers experienced challenges such as physical strain, long distance and lack of time. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that caregiving challenges, especially physical strain, significantly exacerbated depressive status among older adults. Notably, internet use emerged as a significant moderator post-COVID-19 pandemic. This study calls for expanded research on this vulnerable yet crucial caregiving groups and highlights the urgency and accuracy of targeted policy interventions to address challenge-specific needs.