Psychological factors that affect the acceptance and need for ICT services for older adults with chronic diseases

Abstract

Background: To encourage older adults with chronic disease to use information and communications technology (ICT) services effectively, it is necessary to identify users' needs and factors affecting acceptance. Objective: To identify the psychological factors affecting the acceptance of ICT services, and the service-related preferences/priorities in home-dwelling South Korean older adults. Method: We conducted focus group interviews with 2 groups of older adults (6 males and 6 females, age = 65-75 years) with chronic diseases in June 2019. To identify which services they prioritized, we made 20 service show cards, scored on a 5-point Likert scale. Additionally, we utilized a self-developed semi-structured interview guide based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 3 model (UTAUT3) to comprehensively identify how the factors affect older adults' acceptance. Results: Most participants prioritized their autonomy and worried about being dependent on ICT services. They were also reluctant to learn about and use new technology; feared the social stigma related to "being old"; and were anxious that the use of ICT services could result in deepened isolation. There was ambivalence regarding the impact of ICT services on connection with family/acquaintances. The prioritized services were emergency assistance (e.g., notifying family in case of emergencies), diet and exercise-related information, and medication reminders. Service needs and psychological factors affecting the acceptance differed by gender. Conclusion:The ICT services offered to the elderly should be developed in a way that guarantees autonomy and supports self-reliance. Services must also ensure the enhancement of social networks and maintenance of connectedness with family. Older people have a fear of learning new services; so, personal guidance and tailored education need to be offered. Further, service development must reflect the diverse needs of each user.

Toward Sustaining Web-Based Senior Center Programming Accessibility With and for Older Adult Immigrants: Community-Based Participatory Research Cross-Sectional Study

“…This may be owing to not knowing what is available, not knowing how to use the device, or the degree of comfort with use. Our findings differ from those of a study that focused on South Koreans, where researchers identified themes that included a reluctance to learn about and use new technology and ambivalence regarding using technology-enabled services for connection with family or acquaintances [10]. In our study, for written and audio or video communication apps, most older Chinese participants (65/85, 77%; 57/84, 68%, respectively) used WeChat, most Korean participants (49/54, 91%; 49/54, 91%, respectively) used KakaoTalk (this app was exclusively used by the Korean group), and most Vietnamese participants used Facebook Messenger for written communication (32/50, 64%) and Apple Face Time or Facebook Messenger for audio or video communication (33/50, 66%; 31/50, 62%, respectively).…”

“…Older adult users in the general population increasingly integrate technology and mobile devices into their daily lives [9], but this is not necessarily true for older Asian Americans. A study including older White Canadians showed that they were primarily concerned with avoiding the virus and with health care efficiencies [1] that web-based services can address, whereas older Korean immigrants were primarily worried about autonomy, technology dependence, and the burden of learning a new technology for engaging in social and health services [10]. Such worries, along with more broadly reported concerns by older adults about needing to be technology savvy and wanting in-person physical health exams [11] are not easily mitigated with web-based services.…”

Strategies to Help Elderly Learning Technology in Malaysia: A Focus Group Study

“…Many past studies that were conducted to identify factors that could affect the elderly's' acceptance of technology found that some of the factors include experiences of using a technological device, self-efficacy and self-confidence, willingness, and social bonds are what effects the acceptance and motivation of learning technology among the elderly (Hasan & Linger, 2016;Hur, 2016;Reis et al, 2016;Jo & Hwang, 2021). Besides the aforementioned, motivation is also an important aspect of the learning process of the elderly (Mulenga & Liang, 2008;Pintrich & Schunk;Lin, 2011).…”

Older Adults’ Attitudes toward Digital Technology and Perceptions of Its Usefulness: Example of the City of Osijek, Croatia

“…In Croatia, for instance, only 28.0% of population aged between 65-74 used computers and 35.0% used the internet in 2019 (Croatian Bureau of Statistics, 2019). Several models and theories, such as Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975), Technology Acceptance Model -TAM (Davis et al 1989) or Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology -UTAUT (Venkatesh et al 2003) provide possible frameworks for the investigation of technology acceptance processes among older adults and indicate that acceptance of digital need and usefuln -related changes such as vision and hearing loss and fine motor difficulties, educational limitations, limited access to technology (Yazdani-Darki et al, 2020;Gitlow, 2014), fear of losing privacy, safety, increased isolation (especially in relation to the connection with family or acquaintances), or social stigma (Jo & Hwang, 2021;Vassli & Farshchian, 2017). A large percentage of senior citizens lacks awareness of the perceived benefits of digital technology, which is coupled with deep-seeded gness to purchase, invest time in and gain mastery over its use (Vroman et al, 2015).…”

“…Several models and theories, such as Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975), Technology Acceptance Model ‐ TAM (Davis et al 1989) or Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology ‐ UTAUT (Venkatesh et al 2003) provide possible frameworks for the investigation of technology acceptance processes among older adults and indicate that acceptance of digital technology is affected by various psychological factors such as individual's beliefs about technology, perceived need and usefulness of the technology for individual's purposes. Researchers report the following barriers to older adults’ digital technology adoption: lack of knowledge, negative attitudes, age‐related changes such as vision and hearing loss and fine motor difficulties, educational limitations, limited access to technology (Yazdani‐Darki et al, 2020; Gitlow, 2014), fear of losing privacy, safety, increased isolation (especially in relation to the connection with family or acquaintances), or social stigma (Jo & Hwang, 2021; Vassli & Farshchian, 2017). A large percentage of senior citizens lacks awareness of the perceived benefits of digital technology, which is coupled with deep‐seeded hesitations about its social value.…”