Mitigate or exacerbate? Assessing digital engagement's impact on mental health inequalities across gender and urban–rural divides

Yangyang Wang, Chen Li · 2025 · Digital Health

Summary. Digital engagement improves mental health outcomes for Chinese adults and reduces mental health inequalities across gender and urban-rural divides. The effect is stronger for urban-rural disparities than gender disparities. Digital engagement simultaneously enhances overall mental health while narrowing inequality gaps, suggesting that increasing digital access and use can address both mental health levels and equity concerns in China.

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Wang, Y., & Li, C.. (2025). Mitigate or exacerbate? Assessing digital engagement's impact on mental health inequalities across gender and urban–rural divides. Digital Health. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251326673

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  title   = {Mitigate or exacerbate? Assessing digital engagement's impact on mental health inequalities across gender and urban–rural divides},
  author  = {Yangyang Wang and Chen Li},
  journal = {Digital Health},
  year    = {2025},
  doi     = {10.1177/20552076251326673},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251326673}
}

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TI  - Mitigate or exacerbate? Assessing digital engagement's impact on mental health inequalities across gender and urban–rural divides
AU  - Yangyang Wang
AU  - Chen Li
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Details

DOI: 10.1177/20552076251326673
Countries: China
Regions: Asia
Categories: broadband-and-digital, rural-healthcare
Added: 2026-04-28