Social Media Use and Psychological Symptoms Among Older Adults: Sequential Indirect Associations Through Attitudes Toward Aging and Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction

With rapid population aging, older adults’ psychological symptoms are a growing public concern. This cross-sectional study examined associations among social media use, attitudes toward aging, basic psychological need satisfaction, and psychological symptoms in 325 older adults recruited by convenience sampling in Tianjin, China. Eligibility was restricted to older adults who used at least one social media platform. Participants completed self-report measures of the study variables. Social media use was positively associated with attitudes toward aging and basic psychological need satisfaction and negatively associated with psychological symptoms. In a cross-sectional indirect-effects model, the direct association between social media use and psychological symptoms was not significant after attitudes toward aging and basic psychological need satisfaction were included. The indirect association through basic psychological need satisfaction was statistically significant, whereas the indirect association through attitudes toward aging alone was not. The sequential indirect association involving attitudes toward aging and basic psychological need satisfaction was consistent with the hypothesized model, but the cross-sectional design precludes conclusions about temporal ordering or causality. These findings suggest potential psychosocial correlates linking social media use with psychological symptoms among older social media users and highlight directions for future longitudinal research on healthy aging in digital contexts.