Effect of technology on aging perception

Relationship between Internet use and offline leisure activities among Chinese older adult people: a moderated mediation model

Background

The process of aging in Chinese society is accompanied by the concurrent development of the Internet. In recent years, the influence of Internet use on the activities of older adults has attracted growing interest and is now a significant focus of both public health and gerontological research. Nevertheless, there is a need for further empirical research in this area.

Purpose

This study aimed to examine the mechanisms and interaction processes, as well as the relationship between Internet use and offline leisure activities among Chinese older adults. Theories of active aging and environmental gerontology guided the construction and assessment of the mediating role of self-perception of aging between Internet use and offline leisure activities. Additionally, the moderating role of community-based leisure places (CBLP) was examined.

Methods

A moderated mediation model was constructed using the SPSS 27 PROCESS Macro. This study employs the most recent China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS) 2020 cross-sectional data, and the valid sample comprises 8,180 Chinese older adult individuals aged 60 years or older.

Results

(1) Internet use and offline leisure activities among older adults exhibited a significant positive correlation. (2) Self-perception of aging played a significant positive mediating role between Internet use and offline leisure activities. (3) CBLP significantly and positively moderated the relationship between Internet use and offline leisure activities.

Conclusion

The Internet can be an effective tool for addressing the challenges of aging. Active Internet use may lead to more positive age perception and more active offline leisure activities, and efforts should be made to increase the digitization of the aging society. Positive self-perception of aging is an important psychological factor influencing the offline and online activities of older adults. It is imperative that the concept of active aging be vigorously promoted. Concurrently, community infrastructure serves as the foundation for the mutual promotion of online and offline activities. Attention should be given to the development of infrastructure for an age-friendly environment. These findings deepen the understanding of the consequences of interactions between online and offline activities, subjective mindsets, and objective environments for older adults.

Multiple Perspectives on the Adoption of SMART Technologies for Improving Care of Older People: Mixed Methods Study

BACKGROUND

Despite the ever-increasing offering of SMART technologies (ie, computer-controlled devices acting intelligently and capable of monitoring, analyzing or reporting), a wide gap exists between the development of new technological innovations and their adoption in everyday care for older adults.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to explore the barriers and concerns related to the adoption of SMART technologies among different groups of stakeholders.

METHODS

Data from 4 sources were used: semistructured in-person or internet-based interviews with professional caregivers (n=12), structured email interviews with experts in the area of aging (n=9), a web-based survey of older adults (>55 years) attending the Virtual University of the Third Age (n=369), and a case study on the adoption of new technology by an older adult care facility.

RESULTS

Although all stakeholders noted the potential of SMART technologies to improve older adult care, multiple barriers to their adoption were identified. Caregivers perceived older adults as disinterested or incompetent in using technology, reported preferring known strategies over new technologies, and noted own fears of using technology. Experts viewed technologies as essential but expressed concerns about cost, low digital competency of older adults, and lack of support or willingness to implement technologies in older adult care. Older adults reported few concerns overall, but among the mentioned concerns were lack of ability or interest, misuse of data, and limited usefulness (in specific subgroups or situations). In addition, older adults' ratings of the usefulness of different technologies correlated with their self-rating of digital competency (r=0.258; P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Older adults appeared to have more positive views of various technologies than professional caregivers; however, their concerns varied by the type of technology. Lack of competence and lack of support were among the common themes, suggesting that educationally oriented programs for both older adults and their caregivers should be pursued.

Associations Between Everyday ICT Usage and (Self-)Ageism: A Systematic Literature Review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Both rapid technological changes and (self-)ageism are pervasive challenges of the 21st century, potentially affecting older adults' everyday functioning, health, and well-being. This systematic literature review aimed to synthesize scholarly evidence to determine the associations between everyday information and communication technology (EICT) usage and (self-)ageism as well as potential moderators.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A systematic search was performed in 8 academic databases, covering the time frame from January 1995 to January 2021. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a total of 15 articles met the inclusion criteria and were involved in the analysis. The standardized National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's quality assessment tools were used for risk bias.

RESULTS

Several studies demonstrated significant associations between EICT usage and stereotype embodiment (n = 8), stereotype threat (n = 2), and age discrimination (n = 3). Age (group), gender, and motivation were examined as potential moderators.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

This review provides initial evidence on the associations between (self-)ageism and EICT usage. It highlights the importance of positive subjective aging perceptions for active EICT usage in older adults, but also emphasizes the detrimental consequences of ageism in EICT learning settings and technology design on older persons' willingness and ability to use EICT. Further ecologically valid and methodologically sound research is needed to better understand both the nature and direction of the association between EICT usage and (self-)ageism.

Reciprocal associations between social media use and self-perception of aging among older adults: Do men and women differ?

PURPOSE

Despite the positive impact of social media use in late adulthood, social media use is still low among older adults. Research in technology adoption and utilization indicates the importance of age-specific factors, such as self-perception of aging (SPA). As it is unclear whether SPA facilitates social media use or social media use promotes SPA, reverse causality has emerged as a major point of contention within this literature, with several studies reporting conflicting results. Thus, in this study, we aim to contribute unique insight by examining (1) whether positive and negative SPAs demonstrate unique associations with social media use and (2) whether these reciprocal associations differ by gender.

METHODS

Using two waves (2014 and 2018) from the Health and Retirement Study, 4101 older Americans (age ≥65 years) with normal baseline cognition were included in this study. Autoregressive cross-lagged analyses were conducted to assess reciprocal associations between SPA and social media use among the total sample and by gender subgroups.

RESULTS

Controlling for covariates, we found that more frequent social media use marginally predicted higher positive SPA four years later (B = 0.02, p = .07), and higher negative SPA marginally predicted less frequent social media use four years later (B = -0.07, p = .08). However, the by-gender analysis showed that the positive effect of social media use on positive SPA was only significant among older men (B = 0.04, p < .05), whereas the negative impact of negative SPA on social media use only existed among older women (B = -0.13, p < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

The reciprocal associations between SPA and social media use differ by the valence of SPA (positive/negative) and gender. Future interventions for SPA and digital technology use among older adults should be gender-tailored.

Self-Perceptions of Aging and Everyday ICT Engagement: A Test of Reciprocal Associations

OBJECTIVES

Everyday information and communication technologies (EICTs), involving digital services, such as online shopping, e-banking, and video calling, are perceived to be associated with youth and a modern lifestyle. On the other hand, older adults are often portrayed as technology-alienated, less willing, and incapable of using EICT. The internalization of potentially negative age stereotypes may compromise actual later life engagement and the ability to perform EICT. At the same time, low engagement in EICT may also contribute to negative self-perceptions of aging (SPA), for example, related to physical loss, social loss, and personal competence. This study was, hence, designed to evaluate the temporal reciprocal associations of SPA and older adults' EICT use.

METHODS

The article was based on 2 waves (2014 and 2017) from the German Ageing Survey (DEAS), a nationally representative survey of middle-aged and older individuals aged 40 and older. A cross-lagged model (N = 3,600) was estimated to examine the reciprocal associations of SPA and EICT.

RESULTS

The lagged effect of SPA on EICT engagement was nonsignificant, whereas the lagged effect of EICT engagement on SPA in the domain personal competence was significant, indicating that greater EICT engagement predicted more positive SPA related to personal competence 3 years later.

DISCUSSION

These findings encourage researchers and policymakers to put further emphasis on the empowerment of older individuals in their EICT engagement. Interventions that promote lifelong learning and age-friendly environments can enhance a more positive aging experience.

Reliability of a Scale for the Evaluation of Generativity Relative to Health (GeReH) in the Mexican Population in the Aging Process

Generativity is a quality that allows the person to do something for others. In teaching, caring for grandchildren, or volunteering, the generative person contributes to the people around him and at the same time must maintain self-care for good health and functionality. In this sense, an individual in good health has the potential to contribute to the well-being of others. Likewise, with adequate self-esteem, the generative person can love himself, take care of himself and others; in this affective representation, satisfaction can be perceived from the recognition that others make of his transmission of experiences. The most used scales that measure generativity in the gerontological field are the Loyola Generativity Scale (LGS) and the Generative Behavior Control List (GBC). However, they do not recognize generative health-related behavior. The purpose of this study was to design a scale to assess generativity relative to health (GeReH) and analyze its psychometric properties in an aging population (45 years and over) in Mexico, considering its internal structure, reliability, and relationship with self-esteem. Method: A non-experimental cross-sectional study was carried out with a single group considering three stages: (i) design of the GeReH scale and (ii) psychometric properties of the GeReH scale, and (iii) the GeReH’s relationship with self-esteem. This type of instrument will allow identifying the profile of people willing to be independent and support their peers, considering the use of technological devices for community telecare, such as smartphones and personal computers, through the use of social networks such as “Facebook”, “WhatsApp”, and “Zoom” among others, is essential, especially since more and more older adults are users of these devices and virtual community social networks. The participants were 450 adults aged 45 years and over, of whom 296 women and 154 men; 235 people lived in rural areas and 215 people in urban areas. Inclusion criteria: independent in basic and instrumental activities of daily living. Exclusion criteria: cognitive alterations, no training or work history in health care. In the first stage, the GeReH design was carried out divided into three phases: i) elaboration of 258 items by a group of researchers in accordance with the proposed construct for the instrument, ii) focus group to know the meanings of adults regarding the items, iii) expert consultation for item analysis, which resulted in 90 items. In the second stage, the psychometric properties of the scale were analyzed, proceeding to the statistical analysis. Results: Bias, kurtosis, and total item correlation were analyzed, eliminating 17 items. KMO 0.904 values and Bartlett’s test of sphericity (X² = 2717, gl = 190, p < 0.0001) were obtained. In the third stage, the correlation of the GeReH score with the Self-Esteem Inventory was determined. Orthogonal rotation (Oblimin) was used, obtaining a total explained variance of the generativity construct of 44.2% with a global Omega McDonald reliability coefficient of 0.887, which yielded five factors: F1 = Generative attitude; F2 = Satisfaction; F3 = Volunteering; F4 = Support Networks; F5 = Social support offered. In this sense, the design of a GeReH of 20 items with psychometric properties. Correspondingly, significant positive correlations were observed between the GeReH score and the Self-Esteem Inventory, especially in factor 2 relative to satisfaction. Conclusion: GeReH is an instrument with reliable psychometric properties that could be applied in populations with similar characteristics. In addition to considering the use of technological devices, for the optimal use of media and social networks, such as “Facebook”, “WhatsApp”, “E-mail”, and “Zoom”, among others.

Technological Change in the Retirement Transition and the Implications for Cybersecurity Vulnerability in Older Adults

Retirement is a major life transition, which leads to substantial changes across almost all aspects of day-to-day life. Although this transition has previously been seen as the normative marker for entry into older adulthood, its influence on later life has remained relatively unstudied in terms of technology use and cybersecurity behaviours. This is problematic as older adults are at particular risk of becoming victims of cyber-crime. This study aimed to investigate which factors associated with the retirement transition were likely to increase vulnerability to cyber-attack in a sample of 12 United Kingdom based older adults, all of whom had retired within the past 5 years. Semi-structured, one to one interviews were conducted and subsequently analysed using thematic analysis. Six themes were identified referring to areas of loss in: social interaction, finances, day-to-day routine, feelings of competence, sense of purpose, and technology support structures. We discuss the implications of these losses for building cyber-resilience in retirees, with suggestions for future research.