Psychosocial Links Between Internet Use and Mental Health in Later Life: A Systematic Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (12) ◽  
pp. 1471-1518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna K. Forsman ◽  
Johanna Nordmyr
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Information And Communication

Research on the role of information and communication technology (ICT) use for active aging is limited. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the link between Internet use and mental health among older adults. The review was conducted based on searches in 9 electronic databases (2002-2014). A meta-synthesis approach was applied, examining quantitative (18) and qualitative (14) studies. The findings from the synthesis of quantitative statistical data indicate an overall positive association between Internet use and mental health and its psychosocial covariates in later life. The psychosocial links between Internet use and mental health identified from the qualitative data were (a) enhanced interpersonal interaction at individual level, (b) increased access to resources within the community, and (c) empowered social inclusion at society level. The results highlight the multi-level psychosocial links between Internet use and mental health, which may be applied in initiatives targeting healthy aging in various settings.

Participation in activities mediates the effect of Internet use on cognitive functioning in old age

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Stefan T. Kamin ◽  
Alexander Seifert ◽  
Frieder R. Lang
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Relationship

ABSTRACT Research indicates that Internet use positively influences cognitive functioning in later life, but we do not know the behavioral pathways that explain this association. This study explored the role of participation in activities as a potential mediator of the relationship between Internet use and cognitive functioning over a 4-year period. We analyzed representative data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The sample included 8353 European participants between 50 and 97 years of age. We used data from 2013 (T1), 2015 (T2), and 2017 (T3). Participants reported whether they participated in a diverse range of social and leisure activities. In addition, they provided information about their Internet use as well as cognitive functioning measures. Findings from cross-lagged panel analysis indicated a positive association between Internet use and change in cognition over the course of 4 years. This relationship was partly mediated by the number of reported activities. Internet use was positively associated with the change in activities after 2 years, which, in turn, positively predicted cognitive functioning 2 more years later. This is the first study that explores the temporal sequence of Internet use, participation in activities, and cognitive functioning. It sheds light on the mechanisms that account for the positive effects of Internet use on healthy aging.

The Evolution of the Role of U.S. School Nurses in Adolescent Mental Health at the Individual, Community, and Systems Level: An Integrative Review

2022 ◽  
pp. 105984052110681
Author(s):  
Ashwini R. Hoskote ◽  
Emily Croce ◽  
Karen E. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health ◽  
School Nurse ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
Integrative Review ◽  
School Nursing ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

School nurses are crucial to addressing adolescent mental health, yet evidence concerning their evolving role has not been synthesized to understand interventions across levels of practice (i.e., individual, community, systems). We conducted an integrative review of school nurse roles in mental health in the U.S. related to depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress. Only 18 articles were identified, published from 1970 to 2019, and primarily described school nurses practicing interventions at the individual level, yet it was unclear whether they were always evidence-based. Although mental health concerns have increased over the years, the dearth of rigorous studies made it difficult to determine the impact of school nurse interventions on student mental health outcomes and school nurses continue to feel unprepared and under supported in this area. More research is needed to establish best practices and systems to support school nursing practice in addressing mental health at all levels of practice.

scholarly journals Exploring the role of family ties on life satisfaction in later life in Europe

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2-2019) ◽  
pp. 180-198
Author(s):  
Aïda Solé-Auró ◽  
Clara Cortina
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Protection Factor ◽  
Family Ties ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Level Data

We analyzed the relationship between family ties and the life satisfaction of people between the ages of 50 and 85 years in 13 European countries. We aim at determining the effects of partnership (being currently in a partnership) and parenthood (having remained childless). We use individual-level data from the sixth wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The analyses are restricted to respondents who are partnered or who have ever been married. We apply a multivariate analysis to examine the association of life satisfaction with family ties for men and for women. We add controls for age groups and education level, and we pay special attention to the role of individuals’ network size. Our findings indicate that in all countries, having no partner has the strongest and most negative association with life satisfaction. However, there was no clear association between not having children and life satisfaction across countries. We also find an important role of some protector variables, such as having a strong network which, in most countries, significantly increase one’s life satisfaction. We find that there is a relationship between individuals’ family situation and life satisfaction, but it is restricted to being in a partnership. The protection factor of having a partner improves one’s life satisfaction at older ages much more than protection by having children. This finding can reduce the concern about the long run implications of increasing childlessness among younger cohorts as it is not necessarily associated to a higher risk of low life satisfaction.

scholarly journals What Drives Climate Action in Canada’s Provincial North? Exploring the Role of Connectedness to Nature, Climate Worry, and Talking with Friends and Family

Climate ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 146
Author(s):  
Lindsay P. Galway ◽  
Thomas Beery ◽  
Chris Buse ◽  
Maya K. Gislason
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Mediation Analyses ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Connectedness To Nature ◽  
Leverage Point ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
The Relationship

Despite widespread calls to action from the scientific community and beyond, a concerning climate action gap exists. This paper aims to enhance our understanding of the role of connectedness to nature in promoting individual-level climate action in a unique setting where climate research and action are lacking: Canada’s Provincial North. To begin to understand possible pathways, we also examined whether climate worry and talking about climate change with family and friends mediate the relationship between connectedness to nature and climate action. We used data collected via postal surveys in two Provincial North communities, Thunder Bay (Ontario), and Prince George (British Columbia) (n = 628). Results show that connectedness to nature has a direct positive association with individual-level climate action, controlling for gender and education. Results of parallel mediation analyses further show that connectedness to nature is indirectly associated with individual-level climate action, mediated by both climate worry and talking about climate change with family and friends. Finally, results suggest that climate worry and talking about climate change with family and friends serially mediate the relationship between connectedness to nature and with individual-level climate action. These findings are relevant for climate change engagement and action, especially across Canada’s Provincial North, but also in similar settings characterized by marginalization, heightened vulnerability to climate change, urban islands within vast rural and remote landscapes, and economies and social identities tied to resource extraction. Drawing on these findings, we argue that cultivating stronger connections with nature in the places where people live, learn, work, and play is an important and currently underutilized leverage point for promoting individual-level climate action. This study therefore adds to the current and increasingly relevant calls for (re-)connecting with nature that have been made by others across a range of disciplinary and sectoral divides.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and Everyday ICT Use: The Discursive Construction of Old Age in German Media

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Köttl ◽  
Verena C Tatzer ◽  
Liat Ayalon
Keyword(s):  
Discursive Construction ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Active Lifestyles ◽  
The Media ◽  
Media Discourses ◽  
Design And Methods ◽  
German Newspapers

Abstract Background and Objectives Media discourses have the power to construct and perpetuate positive and negative aging images and influence public and individuals’ attitudes. This study aims to critically examine the media portrayal of older persons’ everyday information and communication technology (EICT) usage during the first and second waves of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Research Design and Methods A total of 51 articles published in 3 leading German newspapers between March 2020 and November 2020 were identified from the LexisNexis Academic database. Data were analyzed employing critical discourse and thematic analysis. Results EICT use was associated with youthful, consumption-orientated, and active lifestyles, while nonuse was constructed as failures on the policy or individual level. The pandemic seemed to have acted as an amplifier, further exacerbating and perpetuating stereotypical, dichotomous, but also empowering aging images. Discussion and Implications Neoliberal rational and binary distinctions of active users and nonusers opened and encouraged critical discussions on positive aging trends, the concept of the third and fourth ages, and aging-and-innovation discourses. Moreover, the crucial educative role of the media in raising awareness about power imbalances and reducing EICT-related ageism is stressed.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health: The Role of Locus on Control and Internet Use

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (19) ◽  
pp. 6985
Author(s):  
Rannveig Sigurvinsdottir ◽  
Ingibjorg E. Thorisdottir ◽  
Haukur Freyr Gylfason
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Locus Of Control ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
The Impact

The true extent of the mental health implications of the COVID-19 pandemic are unclear, but early evidence suggests poorer mental health among those exposed to the pandemic. The Internet may have differential effects, by both connecting people with resources, or reinforce the constant checking of negative information. Moreover, locus of control becomes important in an uncontrollable pandemic. The current study aimed to examine whether exposure to COVID-19 would relate to greater symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, and to examine the role of internet use and locus of control. Adults in the United States and five European countries (N = 1723) answered an online survey through the website Mturk. Results show elevated psychological symptoms among those who have become infected with COVID-19 or perceive themselves to be at high risk if infected. Experience using the Internet relates to fewer symptoms, but information seeking is associated with more symptoms. Internet social capital relates to fewer symptoms of depression. Having an external locus of control relates to greater symptoms. These findings suggest that public health officials need to focus on the mental health effects of the pandemic, and that internet use and locus of control could be targets to improve mental health in the population.

Introduction

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Alisoun Milne
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Social Categories ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Life Itself ◽  
Life Course Analysis

Despite much emphasis on mental illness in later life, limited work has focused on mental health. This book aims to address this deficit by exploring, and explaining, mental health outcomes in later life through the lens of critical social gerontology and via the conduit of life course analysis. It adopts an approach underpinned by a commitment to understanding, and making visible, the role of lifecourse, and age related inequalities in creating or amplifying risks to mental health, as well as exploring those issues that afford protection. It aims to offer a critical review of existing discourse and disrupt the ‘taken for granted’ paradigm, including in the dementia arena. This approach not only recognises that mental health in later life is a complex multi-dimensional issue that cuts across time, cohort, social categories and individual experiences but that it is affected by a wide range of lifecourse and age related issues. It also encourages the development of understanding that adopts a wide lens of analysis and of policy and service related responses that reduce risks to mental health during the lifecourse and in later life itself. Further, it engages with the potential to learn from older people’s perspectives and lives.

scholarly journals Obesity and dental caries: systematic review

2013 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 799-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Emidio Ribeiro Silva ◽  
Ana Maria Baptista Menezes ◽  
Flavio Fernando Demarco ◽  
Fabiana Vargas-Ferreira ◽  
Marco Aurelio Peres
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Dental Caries ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Inverse Association

OBJECTIVE Identifying, through a systematic literature review, evidence of a possible association between obesity and dental caries. METHODS A search of articles published between 2005 and January 2012 was performed in the Medline/PubMed, LILACS and Web of Science databases. The quality of scientific evidence of the selected articles was assessed by the items proposed for observational studies in the Downs & Black instrument. RESULTS Initially, 537 references were found; after checking the titles and abstracts by two independent researchers, twenty-eight articles were selected for complete reading. Ten of them that assessed the primary and/or permanent dentition observed a positive association between obesity and dental caries and one study found an inverse association. According to the Downs & Black classification, thirteen articles with good scientific evidence were found. CONCLUSIONS The present review did not find sufficient evidence regarding the association between obesity and dental caries, and it did not clarify the possible role of diet and other possible effect modifiers on this association.

scholarly journals The role of psychiatrists in developing the skills of dementia care workers

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 372-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Mason ◽  
Adetokunbo Adeshina
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Antipsychotic Medication ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Core Features

SummaryA recommendation of the UK's National Dementia Strategy is to develop the skills of the care workers who provide day-to-day care for people with dementia. On the basis of a systematic review of the literature, we suggest evidence-based areas in which the skills of care workers can be developed to reduce the incidence of difficult behaviour and the use of antipsychotic medication in dementia. We discuss core features of carer training, education and practice. Psychiatrists involved in the training of carers can teach new skills to carers. Psychiatrists in community mental health teams can, through leadership and clinical liaison, reinforce and enable these skills in care homes, domiciliary services and in-patient settings serving people with dementia.

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