<p>Descriptive analysis.</p>

This study adopts the theoretical framework of “digital access divide—digital use divide—digital utility divide” to systematically investigate the differential impacts of different levels of the digital divide on the mental health of rural residents in China and its influencing mechanisms. Based on panel data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) during 2020–2022, the study analyzes the internet access, usage, and perceived importance of rural residents in China, i.e., the situations of digital access divide, digital use divide, and digital utility divide they encounter, to examine the effects of these three levels of the digital divide on the mental health of rural residents.The findings are as follows: First, the digital access divide directly leads to a decline in mental health levels, and the digital use divide and digital utility divide, characterized by insufficient usage capabilities and improper usage behaviors, further exacerbate psychological damage. Second, different social groups exhibit heterogeneous results under the influence of the digital divide, with factors such as educational level and regional differences moderating the intensity of the digital divide’s impact. Third, there are hierarchical differences in the mechanisms of influence: The digital access divide reduces the mental health level of farmers by lowering their self-assessed sense of fairness. The digital use divide reduces the mental health level of farmers by lowering their self-assessed social class. The impact of the digital utility divide on the mental health of rural residents is achieved by reducing both self-assessed social class and self-assessed economic status. This study provides a new analytical perspective for understanding the mental health issues of rural residents in the context of digital technology popularization and has reference value for formulating precise digital inclusion policies.本研究采用“数字接入鸿沟—数字使用鸿沟—数字效用鸿沟”的理论框架，系统考察不同层级的数字鸿沟对中国农村居民心理健康的差异化影响及其作用机制。本研究基于2020—2022年中国家庭追踪调查（China Family Panel Studies, CFPS）的面板数据，针对中国农村居民的互联网接入、使用情况与感知重要性，即其面临的数字接入鸿沟、数字使用鸿沟与数字效用鸿沟现状展开分析，以检验这三类数字鸿沟对农村居民心理健康的影响效应。研究结果如下：其一，数字接入鸿沟直接导致心理健康水平下降，而以使用能力不足、使用行为失当为特征的数字使用鸿沟与数字效用鸿沟，会进一步加剧心理损伤。其二，不同社会群体在数字鸿沟影响下呈现异质性结果，受教育程度、区域差异等因素会调节数字鸿沟的影响强度。其三，作用机制存在层级差异：数字接入鸿沟通过降低农民的自我感知公平感，损害其心理健康水平；数字使用鸿沟通过降低农民的自我感知社会阶层，损害其心理健康水平；数字效用鸿沟则通过同时降低农民的自我感知社会阶层与自我感知经济状况，对农村居民心理健康产生影响。本研究为理解数字技术普及背景下的农村居民心理健康问题提供了全新分析视角，对制定精准化的数字包容政策具有参考价值。