Internet Use and Problematic Use in Seniors: A Comparative Study in Switzerland and Poland

Abstract

Background: Seniors have been only little considered in studies examining problematic internet use and associated health issues, although they may present risk factors that make them particularly vulnerable for the development of problematic internet use.Objectives: (1) To compare Internet use and problematic use among seniors in Switzerland and Poland; (2) To examine the relationships between problematic internet use, impulsivity traits and well-being as previous studies showed that internet can be used to cope with negative emotions or life dissatisfaction.Methods: A cross-sectional survey conducted between June 2016 and April 2017 with 264 older internet users aged above 60 years old recruited in Switzerland (88) and Poland (176) assessing sociodemographic variables, online activities, problematic internet use, impulsivity traits and well-being.Results: The two groups differed in their reported online activities in that Polish participants reported more searching for information and buying, whereas Swiss participants reported significantly greater problematic internet use than Polish participants. Finally, a multiple linear regression analysis performed on the whole sample indicated that lower well-being and being a Swiss participant were both significantly associated with greater problematic internet use, after age, gender, level of education, impulsivity traits have been controlled for.Discussion: Swiss seniors showed a more problematic internet use than Polish participants who focused more in their online activities on utility use of internet. The relationships between problematic internet use and well-being suggest that older adults use internet mainly to cope with negative emotion or life dissatisfaction. Socio-cultural differences that could account for these group differences as well as difference with young adults are discussed.

Predictors of Gaming Disorder or Protective from It, in a French Sample: A Symptomatic Approach to Self-Regulation and Pursued Rewards, Providing Insights for Clinical Practice

“…Indeed, while GD is often associated with escapism, i.e., relief from dissatisfaction, here we found an association with the desire for a greater personal satisfaction. These findings align with those observed in older internet users (aged above 60 years old) regarding the correlation between life dissatisfaction and internet addiction, and dysfunctional engagement online being an intent to improve well-being and life satisfaction for them [ 28 ]. The need for greater personal satisfaction could as well be related to aspects of the narcissistic personality already mentioned in the literature as being predictive of GD.…”

“…On the other hand, GD is described to induce a social problem in real life which may increase this motivation by compensation [ 23 , 55 ]. Socialization could thus be a protective factor and the video game can create strong social bonds if players continue their friendships outside of online games, which improves socio-emotional well-being [ 28 , 29 ]. This positive aspect seems to be particularly true for players with significant motive to gain social capital and play as part of a team [ 26 , 27 ].…”

“…Some motivations to play, such as achievement and immersion , have been found to predict problematic engagement in MMORPGs [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ], while this was not the case for the recreation motive [ 25 ]. Some studies have indicated that video games can improve socio-emotional well-being [ 26 , 27 , 28 ], and thus the excessive engagement in MMORPG can be conceptualized in certain circumstances as a maladaptive coping strategy to overcome anxiety and negative affect [ 29 ]. Experienced benefits could play the role of negative reinforcing factors and can be conceptualized as expected internal positive reward and may in some cases be linked to problematic involvement in video gaming.…”

Technology anxiety and technology enthusiasm versus digital ageism

“…It has been noted that many older adults have late contact with the internet, due to not working with computers. Some countries today report that it is constantly moving toward leisure-oriented usage (Rochat et al, 2021). What seems to be taken into consideration in the last years is that AI do not take into account the use, interests, and values of older adults and has just reinforced and amplified disadvantages (Chu et al, 2022) and these reduce the quality of the products and services for the older adults.…”

A study on the impact and buffer path of the internet use gap on population health: Latent category analysis and mediating effect analysis

“…According to the different purposes of using Internet, Internet users can be divided into “researchers,” “consumers,” “expressers,” and “entertainers” ( 9 ). Different ways of using the Internet will produce different social benefits, and recreational and social use of the Internet have more significant effects on health, affecting life satisfaction and well-being ( 7 , 10 , 11 ). Internet use is affected by individual, cultural, technological and social factors such as gender, race, registered residence, geographical location and socio-economic status ( 12 ), which can directly affect health.…”