Loneliness Shapes the Relationship between Information and Communications Technology Use and Psychological Adjustment among Older Adults

Gerontology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Fang ◽  
Anson K.C. Chau ◽  
Helene H. Fung ◽  
Jean Woo
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Psychological Adjustment ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Communications Technology ◽  
The Relationship

Log on and Prosper? Little Evidence for Codevelopment Between Psychological Adjustment and Technology Use in Older Adulthood

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-77
Author(s):  
Ted Schwaba ◽  
Wiebke Bleidorn
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Psychological Adjustment ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Intervention Research ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Longitudinal Methods ◽  
Ict Use ◽  
Demographic Covariates

Abstract Objectives Researchers have hypothesized that using Information and Communications Technology (ICT), such as e-mail and social media, may buffer older adults from normative age-graded declines in psychological adjustment. However, past intervention research has been unable to conclusively evaluate this proposition, and no studies to date have examined this topic using naturalistic large-scale longitudinal methods. Method In this preregistered study, we examined the codevelopment between three aspects of psychological adjustment (loneliness, satisfaction with life [SWL], and depressiveness) and three factor-analytically derived clusters of ICT use (instrumental, social, and media) using a longitudinal representative sample of 2,922 Dutch adults aged 65 and older that contributed data annually from 2012 to 2017. Results Latent growth curve analyses indicated that ICT use was largely unrelated to psychological adjustment, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Of 36 associations tested, three were significant, and only one remained significant after including health and demographic covariates. Specifically, higher levels of media ICT use at baseline predicted steeper declines in SWL across the study period. Furthermore, results of random-intercept cross-lagged analyses indicated that change in ICT use did not predict future change in psychological adjustment, and vice versa. Discussion Results of this study help clarify the mixed results of past intervention research, indicating that effects of ICT use on psychological adjustment tend to be either null or much smaller than can be detected using typical intervention sample sizes. Overall, these results suggest that the association between technology use and psychological adjustment is negligible in older adults.

Log on and prosper: Co-development between technology use and psychological adjustment in older adulthood

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ted Schwaba ◽  
Wiebke Bleidorn
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Psychological Adjustment ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Intervention Research ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Longitudinal Methods ◽  
Ict Use ◽  
Demographic Covariates

Objectives: Researchers have hypothesized that using Information and Communications Technology (ICT), such as email and social media, may buffer older adults from normative age-graded declines in psychological adjustment. However, past intervention research has been unable to conclusively evaluate this proposition, and no studies to date have examined this topic using naturalistic large-scale longitudinal methods. Methods: In this pre-registered study, we examined the co-development between three aspects of psychological adjustment (loneliness, satisfaction with life, and depressiveness) and three factor-analytically derived clusters of ICT use (instrumental, social, and media) using a longitudinal representative sample of 2,922 Dutch adults aged 65 and older that contributed data annually from 2012 to 2017. Results: Latent growth curve analyses indicated that ICT use was largely unrelated to psychological adjustment, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Of 36 associations tested, three were significant, and only one remained significant after including health and demographic covariates. Specifically, higher levels of media ICT use at baseline predicted steeper declines in satisfaction with life across the study period. Furthermore, results of random-intercept cross-lagged analyses indicated that change in ICT use did not predict future change in psychological adjustment, and vice-versa. Discussion: Results of this study help clarify the mixed results of past intervention research, indicating that effects of ICT use on psychological adjustment tend to be either null or much smaller than can be detected using typical intervention sample sizes. Overall, these results suggest that the association between technology use and psychological adjustment is negligible in older adults.

scholarly journals Examining Rural and Racial Disparities in the Relationship Between Loneliness and Social Technology Use Among Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaileigh A. Byrne ◽  
Reza Ghaiumy Anaraky ◽  
Cheryl Dye ◽  
Lesley A. Ross ◽  
Kapil Chalil Madathil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Primary Study ◽  
Social Technology ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Rural Older Adults

Loneliness, the subjective negative experience derived from a lack of meaningful companionship, is associated with heightened vulnerability to adverse health outcomes among older adults. Social technology affords an opportunity to cultivate social connectedness and mitigate loneliness. However, research examining potential inequalities in loneliness is limited. This study investigates racial and rural-urban differences in the relationship between social technology use and loneliness in adults aged 50 and older using data from the 2016 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 4,315). Social technology use was operationalized as the self-reported frequency of communication through Skype, Facebook, or other social media with family and friends. Loneliness was assessed using the UCLA Loneliness scale, and rural-urban differences were based on Beale rural-urban continuum codes. Examinations of race focused on differences between Black/African-American and White/Caucasian groups. A path model analysis was performed to assess whether race and rurality moderated the relationship between social technology use and loneliness, adjusting for living arrangements, age, general computer usage. Social engagement and frequency of social contact with family and friends were included as mediators. The primary study results demonstrated that the association between social technology use and loneliness differed by rurality, but not race. Rural older adults who use social technology less frequently experience greater loneliness than urban older adults. This relationship between social technology and loneliness was mediated by social engagement and frequency of social contact. Furthermore, racial and rural-urban differences in social technology use demonstrated that social technology use is less prevalent among rural older adults than urban and suburban-dwelling older adults; no such racial differences were observed. However, Black older adults report greater levels of perceived social negativity in their relationships compared to White older adults. Interventions seeking to address loneliness using social technology should consider rural and racial disparities.

The Value of Information Systems to Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

2011 ◽  
pp. 1639-1666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan J. Winter ◽  
Connie Marie Gaglio ◽  
Hari K. Rajagopalan
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Purchase Decisions ◽  
Communications Technology ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Role Of Information ◽  
Customers Perspective

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face more serious challenges to their survival than do larger firms. To succeed, SMEs must establish and maintain credibility in the marketplace to attract the resources required for survival. Most co-opt legitimacy by mimicking the cues that signal credibility to convince potential stakeholders that something stands behind their promises. This research examines the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in legitimacy-building from the perspective of both SME founders and customers. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted in a variety of industries to determine whether the ICT-related legitimacy schema from the customers’ perspective differs substantially from that of firm founders. Results indicate that customers compare the ICT information provided in SME’s sales pitches to pre-existing ICT expectations about the nature of desirable sales transactions. We describe the relationship between violations of ICT expectations, legitimacy, and purchase decisions. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Exploring the relationship between technology use, hearing help-seeking, and hearing aid outcomes in older adults

2014 ◽  
Vol 53 (sup1) ◽  
pp. S38-S42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Stieglitz Ham ◽  
Paul Bunn ◽  
Carly Meyer ◽  
Asad Khan ◽  
Louise Hickson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
The Relationship
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