Connectivity to computers and the Internet among patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

PurposeInformation and communication technologies have been developed for a variety of health care applications and user groups in the field of health care. This study examined the connectivity to computers and the Internet among patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs).Patients and methodsA cross-sectional survey design was used to study 311 adults with SSDs from the inpatient units of two psychiatric hospitals in Finland. The data collection lasted for 20 months and was done through patients’ medical records and a self-reported, structured questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive statistics.ResultsIn total, 297 patients were included in this study (response rate =96%). More than half of them (n=156; 55%) had a computer and less than half of them (n=127; 44%) had the Internet at home. Of those who generally had access to computers and the Internet, more than one-fourth (n=85; 29%) used computers daily, and >30% (n=96; 33%) never accessed the Internet. In total, approximately one-fourth of them (n=134; 25%) learned to use computers, and less than one-third of them (n=143; 31%) were known to use the Internet by themselves. Older people (aged 45–65 years) and those with less years of education (primary school) tended not to use the computers and the Internet at all (P<0.001), and younger people and those with higher education were associated with more active use.ConclusionPatients had quite good access to use computers and the Internet, and they mainly used the Internet to seek information. Social, occupational, and psychological functioning (which were evaluated with Global Assessment of Functioning) were not associated with access to and frequency of computer and the Internet use. The results support the use of computers and the Internet as part of clinical work in mental health care.

Habits and Attitudes of Video Gaming and Information Technology Use in People with Schizophrenia: Cross-Sectional Survey

“…The utilization of information technology was found to extend to almost the entire population of Hong Kong, which is a modern city [ 57 ]. We found that the frequency of internet use by most of our participants was higher than those reported in the United States [ 29 ] and Finland [ 30 ]. The high accessibility to the internet could be explained by the affordable and extensive coverage of the internet network [ 58 ].…”

“…The majority of these people spend more than 1 hour per day on a computer and a mobile phone, and the main purpose of use includes surfing the internet, social networking, and playing web-based games. One study in Finland revealed that only 55% of the people with schizophrenia had a computer and even fewer had access to internet connection [ 30 ]. A recent pilot study investigated the usage of mobile and computer devices among people with severe mental illness [ 31 ].…”

“…Despite up to 45% of them showing interest in using the devices to support recovery, the majority only used them for general purposes such as listening to music (60%), accessing the internet (59%), and for making calls (59%) [ 31 ]. Specifically, young people were more likely to possess a computer and have internet connection, and the main purpose of using the internet included seeking information, studying, web-based chatting, shopping, and gaming [ 6 , 30 ].…”

Adaptation of a Digital Health Innovation to Prevent Relapse and Support Recovery in Youth Receiving Services for First-Episode Psychosis: Results From the Horyzons-Canada Phase 1 Study

“…This may be due to the qualitative nature of our process, the elicitation of feedback from multiple stakeholder groups (ie, clinicians in addition to patients), the multiple opportunities given to reflect and contribute, the active engagement of participants in the adaptation process, and the factors related to context (eg, different characteristics of the employment and health sector). In addition, many of our patient participants had sociodemographic characteristics that may have facilitated receptivity to Horyzons, for example, several had high levels of education, which has been associated with active use of the internet [ 20 ], seeking medical information on the web [ 21 ], and the depth and breadth of engagement with web-based interventions [ 22 ] among those with psychosis and other psychotic disorders.…”

Early Psychosis Service User Views on Digital Technology: Qualitative Analysis

“…Along with facilitating direct contact between service users and clinicians [ 1 , 2 ] digital monitoring and health intervention tools have been recently applied in the treatment of psychosis with promising effects [ 3 - 8 ]. Given the inverse relationship between the age and use of digital health technology [ 9 ], computer literacy [ 10 , 11 ], and mobile phone ownership or use [ 12 - 14 ], mobile health (mHealth) systems may be particularly advantageous when applied to an early psychosis population vulnerable to relapse [ 15 ]. Levels of technology use in psychosis are similar to that in the general population [ 12 , 3 ], and people with psychosis express favorable attitudes toward digital health interventions (DHIs) and self-management systems [ 3 ].…”