Cross-sectional analysis finds neighbourhood social capital protects against depressive symptoms in adults, highlighting the enduring value of physical community.
Key Points
To investigate how neighbourhood social capital and multidimensional digital engagement relate to depressive symptoms, and to evaluate variations across gender and marital status.
Analyzed survey data from 13,443 adults across the 2016 and 2020 waves of the China Family Panel Studies.
Estimated pooled cross-sectional ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models with wave controls, adjusting for socioeconomic factors and online activity types.
Performed subgroup analyses stratified by gender and marital status.
Higher neighbourhood social capital consistently correlated with reduced depressive symptoms, demonstrating the strongest protective association among married men.
Online communication with family and friends was linked to fewer depressive symptoms, whereas prolonged screen time and work-, business-, or entertainment-oriented internet use correlated with higher depressive symptoms.
Associations between specific internet uses and depressive symptoms were generally more pronounced in women, particularly married women.