Conectar
by Jiangwei Hu, Chunyun Tan
BackgroundAs internet use rises among older adults, the internet has become a vital tool for maintaining social ties and enhancing life satisfaction. Prior research suggests that online engagement may be linked to subjective well-being (SWB) by offering emotional support and opportunities for participation. However, the psychological pathways underlying this association—such as psychological anxiety, social loneliness, and goal deficiency (reduced sense of purpose)—remain underexplored. To address this gap, this study examines how these psychological factors are associated with internet use and older adults’ SWB in a cross-sectional context.
MethodsDrawing on cross-sectional data from the 2021 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), this study analyzed a sample of 825 Chinese adults aged 60 years and above. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was used to examine the associations among internet use, three psychological variables (psychological anxiety, social loneliness, and goal deficiency), and SWB. Control variables included age, gender, education level, and place of residence.
ResultsThe direct association between internet use and SWB was non-significant. However, internet use was associated with lower psychological anxiety, lower social loneliness, and lower goal deficiency, and the overall indirect association with SWB was positive. Among the mediators, psychological anxiety accounted for the largest share of the indirect association, goal deficiency contributed modestly, and the loneliness pathway was not statistically significant. The total association between internet use and SWB remained positive when indirect paths were considered.
ConclusionThe evidence indicates that, among older adults, digital engagement is associated with SWB chiefly via mental-health pathways—particularly through its associations with lower anxiety and reduced goal deficiency—rather than through a direct association. These findings suggest that policy and practice may complement access and digital-literacy initiatives with supports that reduce anxiety and strengthen purpose and competence (e.g., step-by-step onboarding, simplified interfaces, peer mentoring) as well as goal-oriented uses such as health self-management and community participation. Since the loneliness-mediated route was not supported, programs should emphasize emotionally meaningful online connections and relationship quality rather than merely increasing contact volume.
Radiotherapy (RT) can cause a range of negative impacts in addition to the intended treatment impacts. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) may improve the physical and psychological conditions of patients with lung cancer receiving RT, but specific evidence is lacking. This review mapped the evidence on PR in patients with lung cancer receiving RT for intervention characteristics and outcome assessments.
PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Proquest, Web of Science, CNKI and WanFang were searched for studies from January 2003 to April 2025.
We included randomised controlled trials and non-randomised comparative intervention studies that included centre-based PR in patients ≥18 years with lung cancer who were receiving RT. PR was defined as any type of exercise, respiratory training, or both and/or at least one additional component (eg, psychological support). Studies were excluded if they were not available in English, were not full-text articles or were non-peer-reviewed.
Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts and full texts for inclusion and extracted data. PR components and the typology of outcome assessments used were mapped at the final data synthesis level.
Out of 3120 records, nine studies were investigated in the final data synthesis. In these studies, in addition to exercise or respiratory training, psychological support and disease education were the most common components of PR. Pulmonary function, quality of life, symptom assessment and exercise performance were commonly assessed outcomes in these included studies. Although the effectiveness of PR is difficult to synthesise, the evidence for improvements in exercise performance and symptoms of dyspnoea and anxiety/depression is promising.
Evidence on PR in patients with lung cancer receiving RT is sparse, and there is a heterogeneous understanding of PR. The development of standardised PR protocols and investigation of the capabilities of PR in this growing and under-represented patient population are essential.
FreshRSS 