The Alleviating Effect of Digital Literacy on Depressive Symptoms Among Rural Older Adults

Against the backdrop of population aging and digital transformation, rural older adults face more severe digital exclusion and mental health challenges. Based on the 2022 data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study takes rural older adults aged 60 and above as research subjects, adopts a multidimensional digital literacy index and the CES-D depression scale, and uses ordinary least squares (OLS) regression to explore the direct association between digital literacy and depressive symptoms, controlling for covariates including gender, age group, marital status, education level, and region. The results show that digital literacy is significantly and negatively associated with depressive symptoms among rural older adults; that is, higher digital literacy corresponds to lower depression levels. From the perspective of Conservation of Resources Theory, this study interprets digital literacy as a potential emerging resource for the mental health of rural older adults and adds empirical evidence to the "resource-scarce context" in digital inequality research. The findings provide a policy basis for bridging the rural digital divide and promoting health equity, with recommendations covering tiered training, age-friendly optimization, and integrated intervention of digital inclusion and mental health.