Social Media and Subjective Well-Being in Older Adults: The Role of Social Support, Self-Efficacy, and Depressive Symptoms

Purpose To explore how social media affects older adults' subjective well-being (SWB) through underlying mechanisms. Method Path analysis was performed with 106 Chinese older adults to examine the effects of social media's interactive communication, information acquisition, and leisure and entertainment on SWB via social support, self-efficacy, and depressive symptoms. Results The model fit well (χ 2 / df = 5.28, goodness of fit index = 0.86). Social support mediated the positive relationship between interactive communication and SWB, and self-efficacy mediated the positive relationship between information acquisition and SWB. Leisure and entertainment activities on social media showed no significant association with SWB. Conclusion Social media addresses social support deficits from physical limitations and enhances self-efficacy through information retrieval, thus improving SWB. Findings elucidate how social media influences SWB in older adults, offering theoretical guidance for interventions to enhance their well-being. [ Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 51 (4), 47–56.]