Internet Use and Loneliness of Older Adults Over Time: the mediating effect of social contact

Author(s):  
Kexin Yu ◽  
Shinyi Wu ◽  
Iris Chi

Abstract Objectives The internet is increasingly commonly used by older adults. However, it remains controversial in the literature on whether older people are more or less lonely with internet adoption. The current paper aims to test the longitudinal association of internet use and loneliness and to theorize the relationship by examining the mediating effect of social contact. Method This study employed data from 2006, 2010, and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Loneliness was measured with the three-item UCLA loneliness scale, social contact was operationalized as contact frequency with family and friends, and internet use was measured using a self-assessed dichotomous item. Longitudinal associations and mediation effects were tested using hierarchical linear modeling. Results Internet use was associated with decreased loneliness over an 8-year period (b = −0.049, p < .001) and more social contact (b = 0.285, p < .001), which was related to lower perceived loneliness (b = -0.088, p < .001). On a scale ranges from 0 to 2 (0=never lonely, 2=often lonely), the total effect of internet use on loneliness was −0.060, and the mediated effect was −0.025. Discussion These findings imply that internet use may be an effective tool for reducing loneliness in older people by maintaining social contact.

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S194-S194
Author(s):  
Kexin Yu ◽  
Kexin Yu ◽  
Shinyi Wu ◽  
Iris Chi

Abstract Internet is increasingly popular among older adults and have changed interpersonal interactions. However, it remains controversial whether older people are more or less lonely with internet use. This paper tests the longitudinal association of internet use and loneliness among older people. One pathway that explains the association, the mediation effect of social contact, was examined. Data from the 2006, 2010 and 2014 waves of Health and Retirement Study was used. Hierarchical liner modeling results showed internet use was related to decreased loneliness over 12-year period of time (b=-0.044, p<.001). Internet use was associated with more social contact with family and friends overtime (b=0.261, p<.001), social contact was related to less perceived loneliness longitudinally (b=0.097, p<.001). The total effect of internet use on loneliness is -0.054 and the mediated effect is -0.025. The findings imply that online activities can be effective for reducing loneliness for older people through increased social contact.


Author(s):  
Lijuan Zhao ◽  
Lin Wu

Based on activity theory, this paper employed data from the 2013, 2015, and 2018 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey, and adopted Hierarchical Linear Modeling and longitudinal mediation analysis to explore the temporal variation characteristics of loneliness and the influence of social participation on loneliness in Chinese Older Adults, as well as the mechanism of them. The study found that loneliness among older adults overall was at a moderate level from 2013 to 2018 and increased over time, which may be related to decreasing social participation from year to year. Decreased social participation was associated with increased loneliness over time (β = −0.060, p < 0.001) and lower social support (β = 0.109, p < 0.001), which was associated with more loneliness (β = −0.098, p < 0.001). In addition, social support played a significant mediating role in the realization of social participation in alleviating loneliness. Social participation can not only directly reduce loneliness, but also reduce loneliness by increasing social support.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 612
Author(s):  
Matthew Herbert ◽  
Jennalee Wooldridge ◽  
Emily Paolillo ◽  
Colin Depp ◽  
Raeanne Moore

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 374-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger E. Mitchell ◽  
Sarah L. Ash ◽  
Jacquelyn W. McClelland

Nutritional well-being among older adults is critical for maintaining health, increasing longevity, and decreasingthe impactofchronicillness. However, few well-controlledstudies have examinednutritionalbehav ior change among low-income older adults. A prospective, controlled, randomized design examined a fivesession nutrition education module delivered to limited-resource older adults ( N = 703) in Congregate Nutrition sites by Cooperative Extensionagents. Experimentalgroupparticipantswere significantly more likely than con trol groupparticipants to increase multivitamin use, to increase calcium supplementuse, to read labels of dietary supplements, to carry a supplement and/or medication list, and to discuss such use with their health care profes sional. The study addresses weaknesses in the literature by using a theoretically derived education component, implementing the intervention within a setting regularly used by low-income older adults, employing random ized assignment to intervention and control conditions, and using hierarchical linear modeling to deal with “nested” data.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Zhan ◽  
Yun Liu

Purpose The topic of employees’ unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) has attracted more and more interest in both practice and academic fields. However, previous studies have mainly investigated the antecedents of UPB and little research has discussed the outcome variables. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effect mechanism of UPB on employee performance evaluation rated by a supervisor through a leader-member exchange (LMX) and the moderating role of supervisor bottom-line mentality (BLM). Design/methodology/approach This study used a sample consisting of 304 employees and 96 supervisors in several manufacturing firms in China. The authors used hierarchical linear modeling to test the hypotheses, as this was cross-level research. In addition, this paper also uses Mplus7.4 to test the moderating effects of supervisor BLM on the indirect effects between the UPB and performance evaluation by a moderated path analysis. Findings The results confirm that UPB is positively related to performance evaluation rated by supervisors. Additionally, the mediating effect of LMX in the relationship between UPB and performance evaluation is successfully demonstrated. Furthermore, supervisor BLM cross-levelly moderates the relationship between UPB and LMX, as well as moderates the mediation effect of LMX on the correlation between UPB and performance evaluation. Research limitations/implications The primary contribution of this research is building a cross-level model for the effect of UPB on followers’ performance evaluation scored by the supervisor and thereby extending the nomological networks of both UPB and performance evaluation literature. Another contribution the study makes to the literature is that it provides a new perspective to understand how UPB relates to followers’ performance evaluation. Originality/value This is the first study about how and when UPB predicts followers’ performance evaluation rated by the supervisor.


Author(s):  
Jit Hui Tan ◽  
Edimansyah Abdin ◽  
Shazana Shahwan ◽  
Yunjue Zhang ◽  
Rajeswari Sambasivam ◽  
...  

Background: Understanding the lower level of happiness among older adults with cognitive impairment has been a largely neglected issue. This study (1) reports on the level of happiness among older adults in Singapore and (2) examines the potential mediating roles of depression, disability, social contact frequency, and loneliness in the relationship between cognitive scores and happiness. Methods: Data for this study were extracted from the Well-being of the Singapore Elderly (WiSE) study: a cross-sectional; comprehensive single-phase survey conducted among Singapore citizens and permanent residents that were aged 60 years and above (n = 2565). The Geriatric Mental State examination (GMS) was administered to the participants. Questions pertaining to socio-demographic characteristics; happiness; loneliness; social contact; depression; and, disability were utilized in this study. Logistic regression analyses and mediation analyses were used to explore the correlates of happiness and potential mediating factors. Results: Overall, 96.2% of older adults in Singapore reported feeling either fairly happy or very happy. In the regression analysis, individuals of Malay descent, those who were married/cohabiting, or had higher education levels were more likely to report feeling happy. After controlling for socio-demographic factors, higher cognitive scores were associated with higher odds of reporting happiness. We found that the positive association between cognition and happiness was fully mediated by disability, depression, loneliness, and frequency of contact with friends. Conclusion: The majority of the older adult population reported feeling fairly or very happy. While cognitive impairment has shown limited reversibility in past studies, unhappiness among older adults with cognitive impairment might be potentially mitigated through interventions addressing accompanying issues of social isolation, disability, and depression


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunyu Zhang ◽  
Kyungmin Kim ◽  
Nina M Silverstein ◽  
Qian Song ◽  
Jeffrey A Burr

Abstract Background and Objectives Social media communication offers a medium for helping older people stay socially and emotionally connected with others. This study investigated the association between social media communication with close social ties and loneliness among community-dwelling older adults. The study also examined the mediating roles of social support and social contact. Research Design and Methods Four waves of data from the Health and Retirement Study (2010/2012 and 2014/2016) were used to address the research questions (N = 7,524). A path model was estimated to examine the association between social media communication and older adults’ loneliness. We also examined whether the association between social media communication and loneliness was mediated by perceived social support from close social ties (children, other family members, and friends) and frequency of contact with social network members (phone, in-person contact, and writing letters/email). Results The results showed that frequent social media communication was associated with lower levels of loneliness, adjusting for previous levels of loneliness. The relationship between social media communication and loneliness was mediated by perceived social support and social contact. Thus, social media communication was associated with higher levels of perceived social support and social contact, which were related to lower levels of loneliness among older adults. Discussion and Implications These findings suggested that social media communication may be considered an intervention to reduce loneliness among older people by increasing levels of social support and social contact.


2015 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 181-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Wen Wu ◽  
Nai-Wen Guo ◽  
Yeu-Sheng Hsieh ◽  
Kuang-Hui Yeh

Abstract. Two empirical studies were conducted to test the facilitating effect of need-supportive parenting (NSP) on Taiwanese adolescents’ individuating autonomy (IA) and relating autonomy (RA) as well as to investigate the mediating effect of IA and RA on the relationship between NSP and adaptation. Study 1 adopted a cross-sectional design and found that (1) NSP was positively related to adolescents’ IA and RA capacity; and (2) the positive effects of NSP on intrapersonal adaptation (i.e., self-esteem and happiness) and interpersonal adaptation (i.e., empathy and reciprocal filial piety) were superiorly mediated by IA and RA, respectively. Study 2 used a longitudinal design and added negative criteria (i.e., anxiety and depression for intrapersonal maladaptation, and hostility and delinquent behavior for interpersonal maladaptation). Hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated that (1) NSP not only positively contributed to Taiwanese adolescents’ IA and RA, but also facilitated the change rate of IA and RA; (2) the changes in IA and RA within individuals over time were related to the changes in intrapersonal and interpersonal criteria, respectively; and (3) IA primarily mediated the effects of NSP on both intrapersonal adaptation and maladaptation, while RA mediated the effects of NSP on both interpersonal adaptation and maladaptation. Limitations and future directions are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Lei ◽  
Qiang Zhou ◽  
Jifan Ren ◽  
Xiling Cui

Purpose This study aims to examine how job satisfaction (JS) affects two types of knowledge sharing (KS), in-role KS and extra-role KS. It also investigates the mediating effect of knowledge sharing self-efficacy (KSSE) and the moderating effect of team collaborative culture (TCC) between JS and two types of KS. Design/methodology/approach This study applies attribution theory to develop a cross-level model and validate it through paired data collected from 322 information technology professionals nested within 80 teams. Hierarchical linear modeling is used to test the hypotheses. Findings JS positively influences in-role and extra-role KS via KSSE and TCC positively moderates the relationship between JS and extra-role KS. Originality/value This study is one of the first to investigate the mechanism underlying the influence of JS on two types of KS. It also identifies the mediating and moderating effects of this mechanism.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1235-1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Hsuan Lee ◽  
Chan Hsiao ◽  
Yee-Chen Chen

Purpose This study aims to identify the driving forces of customer value co-creation (VCC) that occur through employee positive psychological capital (PPC), employee service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (SOOCB) and customer brand experience (BE). Design/methodology/approach In total, 493 valid samples were retrieved from 30 hotels in Taiwan. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to extensively and accurately examine customer VCC from a cross-level perspective. Findings The results showed that employee PPC was not positively related to customer VCC, that employee PPC affected customer VCC indirectly through the mediating effect of employee SOOCB and that the relationship between employee SOOCB and customer VCC was positively moderated by customer BE. Originality/value First, this study investigated the customer VCC driving forces through the role of the employee, and thus advances the customer VCC field. Second, it identified employee SOOCB as a key mediating mechanism that links the indirect relationship between employee PPC and customer VCC. Third, it identified customer BE as a key moderating mechanism in the relationship between employee SOOCB and customer VCC. Fourth, regarding methodology, few studies investigate VCC through a cross-level approach. The present study used hierarchical linear modeling to extensively and accurately examine customer VCC and its cross-level relationships, thus providing greater research value compared with single-level analysis. Finally, the result findings suggest that organizational leaders should enhance the PPC of employees in furtherance of encouraging the employees to perform extra-role SOOCB, which makes customer co-creation behavior, and ultimately, contributes to managerial practice.


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