How older adults self-manage distress – does the internet have a role? A qualitative study

Abstract

BackgroundAnxiety and depression are common in older adults, but often under-recognised by GPs. Rather than perceiving themselves as suffering from anxiety or depression, older adults are more likely to self-identify as experiencing low mood, stress or distress. Older people may also feel responsible for managing their own mood problems. The Internet has the potential to support the self-management of distress through accessing health information or social support.MethodsThis study was approved by Keele University’s ethical review panel. Older adults who self-identified as experiencing distress were recruited from community groups in the West Midlands, England. To generate data, ‘think-aloud’ methods (including storyboards and an extract from an online forum) were embedded within semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis, incorporating constant comparison methods, were used for data analysis.ResultsData saturation was achieved after 18 interviews. All participants reported having access to the Internet, but only a few described using the Internet to obtain general information or to conduct online purchases. Most participants described barriers to Internet use which included: a lack of interest, knowledge and confidence, a fear of technology and no trust in social media sites. Facilitators of Internet use included family encouragement and attending community groups which taught computer use. Female participants reported valuing the social contact provided by attending such groups. The Internet was seen as a source of health information once a GP had diagnosed a physical problem, but was not considered a source of information about distress or mood problems. Participants did not use the Internet to access social support and described a preference for face-to-face communication.ConclusionsGPs need to understand how an individual patient utilises the Internet. GPs should explore the self-management strategies already employed by older adults experiencing distress and understand that directing these older people to online support might not be acceptable. Encouraging distressed older adults to attend computer group classes might be useful as this permits face-to-face social contact, and may help to facilitate Internet use in the future.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12875-018-0874-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Social and Demographic Patterns of Health-Related Internet Use Among Adults in the United States: A Secondary Data Analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey

“…Lastly, we observed that older adults were less likely to use social media or online groups for seeking and sharing health information as well as for social support. Although fewer studies have been published exploring disparities in social media engagement using nationally representative samples [ 29 , 51 , 52 ], additional studies have identified barriers to social media use among older adults including lack of trust, frustration with accessing technology, and preferences towards in-person interactions [ 26 , 53 ].…”

“…Additional studies examining potential explanations for lower rates of eHealth use among particular demographic groups have documented lower rates of trust in health information from internet sources among older adults, racial and ethnic minorities, smokers, and men [ 20 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Studies focused on internet use among older adults have observed higher levels of frustration in identifying trustworthy sources of health information and visual inaccessibility of information on internet sites [ 15 , 23 , 26 , 27 ].…”

In-Home Technology Training Among Socially Isolated Older Adults: Findings From the Tech Allies Program

“…Older adults face numerous barriers to technology use (French et al, 2019), including low self-confidence (Czaja et al, 2006; Jung et al, 2010; Siren & Knudsen, 2017), lack of access to affordable devices and broadband (K. Chen & Chan, 2013; Vaportzis et al, 2017), and lack of ongoing (as opposed to one-time) training (Moult et al, 2018; Peek et al, 2016). Social support plays a key role in facilitating older adults’ technology adoption; thus, it may be particularly challenging for older adults with low social support to overcome barriers to technology use (Tsai et al, 2017).…”

The Effects of Social Media Use on the Health of Older Adults: An Empirical Analysis Based on 2017 Chinese General Social Survey

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