Internet Use and Loneliness of Older Adults Over Time: The Mediating Effect of Social Contact

The relation between social network site usage and loneliness and mental health in community-dwelling older adults

Kexin Yu, Shinyi Wu, Iris Chi and Deborah Carr

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2021, vol. 76, issue 3, 541-550

Abstract: ObjectivesThe internet is increasingly commonly used by older adults. However, it remains controversial in the literature on whether older people are more or less lonely with internet adoption. The current paper aims to test the longitudinal association of internet use and loneliness and to theorize the relationship by examining the mediating effect of social contact.MethodThis study employed data from 2006, 2010, and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Loneliness was measured with the three-item UCLA loneliness scale, social contact was operationalized as contact frequency with family and friends, and internet use was measured using a self-assessed dichotomous item. Longitudinal associations and mediation effects were tested using hierarchical linear modeling.ResultsInternet use was associated with decreased loneliness over an 8-year period (b = −0.049, p

Keywords: Internet adoption; Loneliness; Longitudinal methods; Multilevel models; Social network (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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The Journals of Gerontology: Series B is currently edited by Psychological Sciences - S. Duke Han, PhD and Social Sciences - Jessica A Kelley, PhD, FGSA

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