The relationships between perceived ICT convenience patterns, attitudes toward aging, and multidimensional health outcomes among older adults.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: In the digital era, research on the digital divide has largely focused on inequalities in access and skills, with less attention paid to differences in the benefits older adults derive from information and communication technology (ICT), the third-level digital divide. Nevertheless, how these heterogeneous patterns relate to health outcomes remains unclear.

METHODS: Based on the 2023 wave of the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS), this study employed person-centered latent class analysis (LCA) to identify potential classes of perceived convenience of ICT (PCICT) and further examined factors associated with these classes and these classes' associations with older adults' health, and explored the mediating role of attitudes toward aging (ATA).

RESULTS: Five latent classes of PCICT were identified: All-domains Beneficiaries (21.73%), Foundational-domains Beneficiaries (19.02%), Extended-domains Frustrated (12.76%), Compound Experience (31.71%), and Unaffected (14.77%). The distribution of these classes varied according to individual, family, and community characteristics. The All-domains Beneficiaries and Foundational-domains Beneficiaries classes were generally associated with more favorable health outcomes, whereas the Extended-domains Frustrated class was associated with more depressive symptoms. Furthermore, significant indirect associations through ATA were observed between PCICT classes and health outcomes.

CONCLUSION: This study reveals the heterogeneity of the third-level digital divide among older adults by identifying different classes of PCICT. These classes were differentially associated with multidimensional health outcomes. ATA partly accounted for these associations. Our evidence underscores the importance of paying attention to different benefits of ICT and fostering positive ATA among older adults.