Associations of Depression/Anxiety with Technology Use, Discontinued Use, and Nonuse in Older Adults.
Clin Gerontol
; : 1-13, 2024 Feb 19.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38372144
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
To examine correlates of the changes in technology use among older adults and the associations of depression/anxiety symptoms with technology use changes.METHODS:
We used the 2019-2021 U.S. National Health and Aging Trends Study (N = 3,063; age 70+). We fitted multinomial logistic regression models to examine (1) correlates of never use and discontinued use versus use of email/texting and the internet during the 3-year study period; and (2) associations of past-month depression/anxiety symptoms in 2021 with use and discontinued use versus never use of email/texting and social network site (SNS).RESULTS:
The findings show age, socioeconomic, and health barriers to technology use. Email/texting and SNS use in 2021, compared to never use in all 3 years, was associated with a lower likelihood of moderate/severe depression/anxiety symptoms in 2021 (RRR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.37-0.81 for email/texting use; RRR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.33-0.97 for SNS use). Video calls with family/friends were not associated with depression/anxiety symptoms.CONCLUSIONS:
The findings expand the existing knowledge base regarding potential impact of technology use on mental health beyond the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS More concerted efforts are warranted to help older adults' technology uptake and continued use and to promote mental health benefits of technology use.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Clin Gerontol
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos