The Relationship Between Internet Use and Depression Among Middle and Older Adults With Self-Reported Vision Impairment: Case-Control Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenbo He ◽  
Peiyi Li ◽  
Yinyan Gao ◽  
Jiuhong You ◽  
Xing Qu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviors ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

BACKGROUND The number of middle and older adults using the internet is increasing in China. Internet-based eHealth and mHealth technologies are also gradually changing people's lifestyles. In recent years, as visual impairment (VI) in the elderly has become increasingly prominent, we have focused our research on the relationship between internet use and depression in the middle and older adults with VI. OBJECTIVE This study examined (1) whether the rate of internet use and depression among middle and older adults with VI are different from the matched sample of peers without VI, and (2) associations among VI, internet use and depression. METHODS Data were obtained from the wave 4 of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2018. Middle and older adults (aged≥45 years) with self-reported VI were matched with middle and older adults without VI, in a 1:1 ratio, based on age, sex, health status, and number of chronic diseases (N=15,398). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship of internet use and depression among middle and older adults with self-reported VI. RESULTS A total of 7699 middle and older adults reported VI in this study, 47.6 % of them were male and 9.8% aged ≥75. Those with internet use were significantly more socioeconomically advantaged than those who do not, and those who with VI were less likely to use the internet (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.67, 95% CI 0.61- 0.74). People who have VI or blindness were associated with greater odds of depressive symptoms/depression (aOR 1.25, 95% CI 1.16 – 1.33, and aOR 1.48, 95% CI 1.22 – 1.80, respectively), and those who use the internet was associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms/depression (aOR 0.74, 95% CI 0.66 – 0.82). Some of the health seeking behaviors were also associated with higher odds of internet use and depressive symptoms or depression. CONCLUSIONS Compared with peers without VI, middle and older adults with VI are less likely to use the internet. Internet use may be an effective way to relieve depression, especially for VI groups, eHealth and mHealth can promote disease monitoring, diagnosis and treatment effectively. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the training and guidance of internet use for middle and older adults, especially for those with VI.

scholarly journals Internet Use and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua-lei Yang ◽  
Shuo Zhang ◽  
Si-qing Zhang ◽  
Lin Xie ◽  
Yuan-yang Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Commercial Activity ◽  
Frequency Of Contact

This study investigated the effect of using the Internet on depression symptoms of older Chinese, based on 7,801 adults aged over 60 years from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies. Results showed that the elderly who used the Internet reported lower depression scores, and the more frequent they use Internet, the lower their depression scores. Moreover, using the Internet for social contact and entertainment decreased the depression scores of the older adults, but when using Internet for learn, work, and commercial activity, the relief of depressive symptoms disappeared. Therelief of depression symptoms through Internet use were heterogeneous among different groups: the elderly aged 60–70, women, rural residents, and those with lower education attainment. Moreover, Internet use decreased the depression scores by increasing the frequency of contact with their children and increasing the importance of their enjoyment of life. According to the relief of depression by using Internet reasonably, policies should be designed to ensure that all ages could have easy access to the Internet.

scholarly journals DOES CHANGE IN INTERNET USE PREDICT PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG OLDER ADULTS?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S326-S326
Author(s):  
Ronald W Berkowsky
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Additional Control ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Previous work focusing on the relationship between Internet use and quality of life among older adults (aged 65+) has found evidence of various positive impacts. This project expands upon this work by examining the relationship between Internet use and measures of psychological well-being (PWB) including autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. The analytic sample is derived from two waves of data (Time 1 = 2004, Time 2 = 2011) taken from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study and includes a sample of older adults aged~65 at Time 1 (N = 4943). Participants were separated into four categories: those who did not use the Internet at Time 1 or 2, those who used the Internet at Time 1 only, those who used the Internet at Time 2 only, and those who used the Internet at both Time 1 and 2. Regression analyses were performed with the Time 2 PWB measures as the outcomes and the Internet use categories as the primary predictors. Results indicate that while continuous Internet users typically reported higher PWB scores compared to non-users, those who stopped use between Time 1 and 2 also reported higher scores and those who started use between Time 1 and 2 reported lower scores. These results generally held when introducing Time 1 PWB measures as controls, suggesting changes in Internet use may affect PWB but not necessarily in the predicted directions. Additional control variables, potential explanations, and implications for future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Exploring the Relationship Between Internet Use and Mental Health Among Older Adults in England: Longitudinal Observational Study

10.2196/15683 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. e15683
Author(s):  
Sabrina Sze Man Lam ◽  
Stephen Jivraj ◽  
Shaun Scholes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Occupational Class ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Background There is uncertainty about the impact of internet use on mental health in older adults. Moreover, there is very little known specifically about the impact of particular purposes of internet use. Objective This study aims to investigate the longitudinal relationship between two distinct concepts of mental health with the frequency of internet use among older adults: the moderating role of socioeconomic position (SEP) and the association between specific purposes of internet use. Methods Longitudinal fixed and random effects (27,507 person-years) models were fitted using waves 6-8 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to examine the relationship between different aspects of internet use (frequency and purpose) and two mental health outcomes (depression and life satisfaction). The potential moderating effect of SEP on these associations was tested using interaction terms. Results Infrequent internet use (monthly or less vs daily) was predictive of deteriorating life satisfaction (β=−0.512; P=.02) but not depression. Education and occupational class had a moderating effect on the association between frequency of internet use and mental health. The associations were stronger in the highest educational group in both depression (P=.09) and life satisfaction (P=.02), and in the highest occupational group in life satisfaction (P=.05) only. Using the internet for communication was associated with lower depression (β=−0.24; P=.002) and better life satisfaction (β=.97; P<.001), whereas those using the internet for information access had worse life satisfaction (β=−0.86; P<.001) compared with those who did not. Conclusions Policies to improve mental health in older adults should encourage internet use, especially as a tool to aid communication.

scholarly journals Internet use and self-rated health among Swedish 70-year-olds: a cross-sectional study

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Falk Erhag ◽  
Felicia Ahlner ◽  
Therese Rydberg Sterner ◽  
Ingmar Skoog ◽  
Annika Bergström
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Minor Importance ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Contacts ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Health Factors ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background The Internet is increasingly becoming an infrastructure for a number of services, both commercial, public (including health related) and personal. Using the internet have the potential to promote social interaction and social connectedness by upholding social networks and social contacts. However, Internet use is lower in older adults compared to other age groups. This digital divide is considered a risk to the health of older adults since it limits their participation in society, access and use of relevant health related information and services. This study focuses on whether there is an association between Internet use and self-rated health. Method A cross-sectional population-based sample of 70-year-olds from The Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort Study (n = 1136) was examined in 2014–16. All data was collected using structured interviews and questionnaires. Differences in proportions were tested with chi-square test and ordinary least square regression analysis was used to estimate the relationship between Internet use and self-rated health controlling for health factors, hearing and visual impairment, and social contacts. Results There is a relationship between more frequent Internet use and good self-rated health (unstandardized β 0.101 p < 0.001), and the effect remained after adjusting for all covariates (unstandardized β 0.082 p < 0.001). Our results also show that, in comparison to health factors, Internet use is of minor importance to the SRH of older adults, since adding these improved the explanatory power of the model by approximately 400% (from 0.04 to 0.18). Conclusion Although the direction of the relationship between more frequent interne use and better self-rated health is undetermined in the present study, it can be suggested that using the Internet informs and educates older adults, strengthening their position as active and engaged participants of society. It can also be suggested that those using the Internet report less loneliness and a possibility to establish new computer-mediated relationships within online communities. Further research needs to examine what aspects of Internet use, and in what contexts such positive perceptions arise.

scholarly journals Exploring the Relationship Between Internet Use and Mental Health Among Older Adults in England: Longitudinal Observational Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Sze Man Lam ◽  
Stephen Jivraj ◽  
Shaun Scholes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Occupational Class ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

BACKGROUND There is uncertainty about the impact of internet use on mental health in older adults. Moreover, there is very little known specifically about the impact of particular purposes of internet use. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the longitudinal relationship between two distinct concepts of mental health with the frequency of internet use among older adults: the moderating role of socioeconomic position (SEP) and the association between specific purposes of internet use. METHODS Longitudinal fixed and random effects (27,507 person-years) models were fitted using waves 6-8 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to examine the relationship between different aspects of internet use (frequency and purpose) and two mental health outcomes (depression and life satisfaction). The potential moderating effect of SEP on these associations was tested using interaction terms. RESULTS Infrequent internet use (monthly or less vs daily) was predictive of deteriorating life satisfaction (β=−0.512; <i>P</i>=.02) but not depression. Education and occupational class had a moderating effect on the association between frequency of internet use and mental health. The associations were stronger in the highest educational group in both depression (<i>P</i>=.09) and life satisfaction (<i>P</i>=.02), and in the highest occupational group in life satisfaction (<i>P</i>=.05) only. Using the internet for communication was associated with lower depression (β=−0.24; <i>P</i>=.002) and better life satisfaction (β=.97; <i>P</i>&lt;.001), whereas those using the internet for information access had worse life satisfaction (β=−0.86; <i>P</i>&lt;.001) compared with those who did not. CONCLUSIONS Policies to improve mental health in older adults should encourage internet use, especially as a tool to aid communication.

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