More Frequent Internet Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic Associates with Enhanced Quality of Life and Lower Depression Scores in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Wallinheimo, Anna-Stiina; Evans, Susan E.

doi:10.3390/healthcare9040393

Cited by 63 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…While social isolation and loneliness worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic ( 29 ), one study shows that frequent internet use during the pandemic buffered older adults against depression and declines in quality of life ( 30 ), suggesting that ICT training programs can address social isolation and loneliness in older adults both during and beyond the pandemic. The versatility of technology is a significant benefit of these interventions, as they have great potential for tailoring to individuals' specific needs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Technology Training Program to Alleviate Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Homebound Older Adults: A Community Case Study

Jiménez

Brazier

Davoodi

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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Despite substantial evidence of the negative health consequences of social isolation and loneliness and the outsized impact on older adults, evidence on which interventions are most effective in alleviating social isolation and loneliness is inconclusive. Further complicating the translation of evidence into practice is the lack of studies assessing implementation and scalability considerations for socialization programs delivered by community-based organizations (CBOs). Our primary objective was to describe the implementation barriers, facilitators, and lessons learned from an information and communication technology (ICT) training program aimed at reducing social isolation and loneliness for homebound older adults in a home-delivered meals program. Participants received in-home, one-on-one ICT training lessons delivered by volunteers over a 14-week period with the goal of increasing social technology use. To assess implementation facilitators and barriers, 23 interviews were conducted with program staff (n = 2), volunteers (n = 3), and participants (n = 18). Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Aspects that facilitated implementation included the organization's existing relationship with clientele, an established infrastructure to deliver community-based interventions, alignment of intervention goals with broader organizational aims, and funding to support dedicated program staff. Challenges to implementation included significant program staff time and resources, coordinating data sharing efforts across multiple project partners, participant and volunteer recruitment, and interruptions due to COVID-19. Implications of these facilitators and barriers for scalability of community-based ICT training interventions for older adults are described. Lessons learned include identifying successful participant and volunteer recruitment strategies based on organizational capacity and existing recruitment avenues; using a targeted approach to identify potential participants; incorporating flexibility into intervention design when working with the homebound older adult population; and monitoring the participant-volunteer relationship through volunteer-completed reports to mitigate issues. Findings from this formative evaluation provide insight on strategies CBOs can employ to overcome challenges associated with implementing technology training programs to reduce social isolation and loneliness for older adults, and thus improve overall well-being for homebound older adults. Recommendations can be integrated into program design to facilitate implementation of ICT programs in the community setting.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Technology Training Program to Alleviate Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Homebound Older Adults: A Community Case Study

Jiménez

Brazier

Davoodi

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…People tried to get social support and be connected to their families and friends using smartphones; at the same time people obtain information about the COVID-19 by searching the internet by means of their smartphones. Research emphasizes that the purpose of Internet use is related to mental health ( Wallinheimo & Evans, 2021 ). It would also be conceivable that smartphone use for different purposes have a link with level of worry.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the relationship between problematic mobile phone use and mental health problems mediated by fear of missing out and escapism?

Akyol

Ergin

Krettmann³

et al. 2021

Addictive Behaviors Reports

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Highlights Higher level of problematic mobile phone use was associated with higher level of mental health problems, Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and escapism. Higher level of mental health problems was associated with higher level of FoMO. Higher level of FoMO and worry was associated with higher level of escapism. The association between problematic mobile phone use and mental health problems was not mediated by FoMO and escapism.

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“…While social media use was previously most common among teens ( Anderson and Jiang, 2018 ), usage has been growing among adults under ( Drouin et al, 2020 ; Perrin and Anderson, 2019 ) and over 65 years of age ( Nimrod, 2020 ), especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, to address anxiety, loneliness, and other mental health concerns. Given the current events around the world, increased social media use has been linked to enhanced quality of life among older adults ( Wallinheimo and Evans, 2021 ). This increased usage combined with the motivation for using social media among older adults ( Jung and Sundar, 2020 ) highlights the opportunity to expand intervention research into this particular age group.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic review of the engagement with social media–delivered interventions for improving health outcomes among sexual and gender minorities

Escobar-Viera

Melcher

Miller

et al. 2021

Internet Interventions

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Background Sexual and gender minority (SGM) persons face a number of physical and mental health disparities closely linked to discrimination, social stigma, and victimization. Despite the acceptability and increasing number of digital health interventions focused on improving health outcomes among SGM people, there is a lack of reviews summarizing whether and how researchers assess engagement with social media–delivered health interventions for this group. Objective The objective of this systematic review was to synthesize and critique the evidence on evaluation of engagement with social media–delivered interventions for improving health outcomes among SGM persons. Methods We conducted a literature search for studies published between January 2003 and June 2020 using 4 electronic databases. Articles were included if they were peer-reviewed, in English language, assessed engagement with a social media–delivered health intervention for improving health outcomes among sexual and gender minorities. A minimum of two authors independently extracted data from each study using an a priori developed abstraction form. We assessed quality of data reporting using the CONSORT extension for pilot and feasibility studies and CONSORT statement parallel group randomized trials. Results We included 18 articles in the review; 15 were feasibility studies and 3 were efficacy or effectiveness randomized trials. The quality of data reporting varied considerably. The vast majority of articles focused on improving HIV-related outcomes among men who have sex with men. Only three studies recruited cisgender women and/or transgender persons. We found heterogeneity in how engagement was defined and assessed. Intervention usage from social media data was the most frequently used engagement measure. Conclusion In addition to the heterogeneity in defining and assessing engagement, we found that the focus of assessment was often on measures of intervention usage only. More purposeful recruitment is needed to learn about whether, how, and why different SGM groups engage with social media-interventions. This leaves significant room for future research to expand evaluation criteria for cognitive and emotional aspects of intervention engagement in order to develop effective and tailored social media-delivered interventions for SGM people. Our findings also support the need for developing and testing social media-delivered interventions that focus on improving mental health and outcomes related to chronic health conditions among SGM persons.

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More Frequent Internet Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic Associates with Enhanced Quality of Life and Lower Depression Scores in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Cited by 63 publications

References 27 publications

A Technology Training Program to Alleviate Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Homebound Older Adults: A Community Case Study

A Technology Training Program to Alleviate Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Homebound Older Adults: A Community Case Study

Is the relationship between problematic mobile phone use and mental health problems mediated by fear of missing out and escapism?

A systematic review of the engagement with social media–delivered interventions for improving health outcomes among sexual and gender minorities

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