Computer Use by Seniors May Help Their Mental Health
Seniors who become adept at and use a computer appear to
have fewer depressive symptoms than those older adults who
aren't so technologically connected.
That's the finding of a research study,
Depression and
Social Support Among Older Adult Computer Users, presented
August 18 at the 113th Annual Convention of the American
Psychological Association.
The data regarding computer use and depressive symptoms was
collected as part of the latest wave of an ongoing
longitudinal study that is designed to determine the changes
over time in physical health, mental health and social
activity of older adults living in lower Manhattan.
Called VOICES (Villagers Over 65 Independent Living
Challenges and Expectations), the research is being
sponsored by Village Care of New York, a not-for-profit
long-term care provider. “Villagers” refers to persons
living in Manhattan's Greenwich Village and environs,
representing the core group of individuals being followed
over the course of the study, which began in 1998.
The computer use study was conducted by Edward Cisek, PhD,
and Kathleen Triche, DSW, CSW.
Triche, who presented the study's findings at the conference
in Washington, D.C., said that the researchers decided to
look into the impact of the growing use of computers by
seniors on the hypothesis that those using computers would
report fewer depressive symptoms than non-users.
Through observations at one of Village Care's senior
information centers in New York City, which Triche directs,
computer use there seemed to give older adults a greater
connection with the world around them.
“Given the social and informational nature of older adults'
computer practices - e-mail, chat rooms and health
information gathering, for example, it seemed likely that
this would be beneficial to an individual's overall mental
health,” Triche said.
In the computer study, it was determined, after controlling
for a number of background characteristics, that seniors who
were computer users reported significantly fewer depressive
symptoms than their counterparts who do not use the
computer.
Researchers also found that computer users tended to be
among the younger members of the study group and have higher
annual household incomes, while also reporting higher
functioning in activities of daily living than the rest of
the seniors in the study group.
“Clearly, those older adults in this study who use computers
report fewer depressive symptoms, regardless of how many
hours per week they use the computers,” Triche said,
cautioning, however that these findings are among a
generally highly educated group residing in a limited
geographic area.
Future research in this area should include more diverse
populations and use other measures of social connectiveness.
Participants in the survey included an urban community
sample of 206 adults over the age of 65 (with a mean age of
80) that was randomly selected from three zip codes in lower
Manhattan.
|
