# Digital risk perception among middle-aged and older adults in China: a perspective from mobile phone dependence within the I-PACE model

## TL;DR

This study explores how mobile phone dependence and loneliness affect digital risk perception in middle-aged and older Chinese adults, using the I-PACE model.

## Contribution

It identifies a novel interplay between psychological factors like loneliness and behavioral traits like mobile phone dependence in shaping digital risk perception.

## Key findings

- Mobile phone dependence is strongly negatively linked to digital risk perception.
- Loneliness and fear of missing out are key drivers of mobile phone dependence.
- Loneliness is the strongest correlate of low digital risk perception.

## Abstract

The digital inclusion of middle-aged and older adults, while socially beneficial, exposes this population with relatively lower digital literacy to increased cybersecurity risks. However, the current understanding of the psychosocial mechanisms that undermine their digital risk perception (DRP) remains fragmented.

Grounded in the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model, this study explored the interrelations among key psychological and behavioral factors associated with DRP. Data from 356 Chinese middle-aged and older adults aged 45 years and above in Chongqing were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) combined with regression-based SHAP analysis.

Mobile phone dependence (MPD) was negatively associated with DRP (b = -0.253, p < 0.001). Loneliness and low perceived social support were correlated with greater fear of missing out (FoMO) and higher MPD, which were in turn linked to lower DRP. The findings also revealed a correlational pattern suggesting bidirectional tendencies between MPD and FoMO. The SHAP interpretation indicated that loneliness was the strongest correlate of DRP, followed by MPD and FoMO.

The identified pattern aligns with the process logic of the I-PACE framework. Overall, the study delineates an integrated pattern of psychological and behavioral factors influencing DRP and provides a conceptual basis for strengthening digital safety awareness and literacy among middle-aged and older adults.