The impact of the three-level digital divide on the mental health of rural residents: A study from China.

The digital access divide directly leads to a decline in mental health levels among rural residents in China.

• Study used panel data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) during 2020-2022.
• The digital access divide was operationalized as internet access availability among rural residents.
• The mechanism through which the digital access divide reduces mental health is by lowering residents' self-assessed sense of fairness.
• The sample consisted of rural residents in China across the study period.

The digital use divide, characterized by insufficient usage capabilities and improper usage behaviors, further exacerbates psychological damage beyond the access divide.

• The digital use divide was operationalized as internet usage patterns and capabilities among rural residents.
• The mechanism through which the digital use divide reduces mental health is by lowering residents' self-assessed social class.
• This represents a second-level divide beyond mere access to digital technology.
• The finding suggests that access alone is insufficient to protect mental health if usage capabilities are inadequate.

The digital utility divide reduces mental health of rural residents through a dual mechanism involving both self-assessed social class and self-assessed economic status.

• The digital utility divide was operationalized as the perceived importance of internet use among rural residents.
• Unlike the other two divides, the utility divide operates through two simultaneous pathways: reduced self-assessed social class and reduced self-assessed economic status.
• This represents the third and most complex level of the digital divide framework.
• The dual-pathway mechanism distinguishes the utility divide's impact from that of the access and use divides.

Different social groups exhibit heterogeneous responses to the digital divide's impact on mental health, with educational level and regional differences acting as moderating factors.

• Educational level was identified as a moderating variable affecting the intensity of the digital divide's impact on mental health.
• Regional differences also moderated the relationship between the digital divide and mental health outcomes.
• The heterogeneous results suggest that the digital divide does not uniformly affect all rural residents.
• These moderating factors imply that more educated rural residents and those in certain regions may experience differential mental health impacts.

The study adopts a three-level theoretical framework of digital access divide, digital use divide, and digital utility divide to analyze mental health impacts.

• The framework systematically distinguishes between lack of internet access (access divide), insufficient or improper use of internet (use divide), and low perceived importance of internet (utility divide).
• Panel data from CFPS covering 2020-2022 were used for the analysis.
• The three-level framework is presented as a new analytical perspective for understanding mental health issues in the context of digital technology popularization.
• The hierarchical nature of the framework captures escalating levels of digital exclusion beyond simple access.