The correlation analysis of WeChat usage and depression among the middle-aged and elderly in China: the mediating role of social participation

Abstract Background We aimed to explore the association between WeChat usage and depression in the Chinese middle-aged and elderly and the role of social participation. Methods Data were obtained from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) of 2018. The dependent variable was depressive symptoms, measured with the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10). We used the propensity score matching (PSM) to match the WeChat users with the non-WeChat users. Correlations between WeChat usage and depressive symptoms were verified by using logistic regression and linear regression, and the mediating role of social participation was verified by using stepwise regression and KHB method. Results Four thousand five hundred forty-five samples were ultimately matched for analysis in this study. After including all control variables, results of logistic regression showed that WeChat usage was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of depression (aOR:0.701,95% CI: 0.605–0.812). And the results of linear regression showed that WeChat usage was associated with lower levels of depression which was significant (p