Problematic Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study
Meshi D, Cotten SR, Bender AR
Gerontology · 86 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Cross-sectional study (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2019-09-13 · Gerontology · vol. 66 · issue 2 · pp. 160–168
- Publisher
- Karger Publishers
- Cited
- 178 citations · more than 100% of similar papers · 31.6× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 46 works
- Access
- Paywalled
- Research areas
- Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Technology Use by Older Adults · Aging and Gerontology Research
- Keywords
- social media addiction, perceived social isolation, older adults, social media use, depression, social media interventions
- MeSH
- humans, logistic models, cross-sectional studies, depression, social isolation, loneliness, aged, aged, 80 and over, middle aged, female, male, social media, surveys and questionnaires
3 authors
From US
- Dar MeshiMichigan State University
- Shelia R. CottenMichigan State University
- Andrew R. BenderMichigan State University
Abstract
Background
Social isolation in older adults is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. In today's digital society, if individuals perceive themselves to be socially isolated, they can take steps to interact with others on social media platforms. Research with younger adults indicates that social media use is positively linked to social isolation. However, less is known about social media use and social isolation in older adults.
Objective
The objective of this study was to investigate the possible association between social isolation and degree of social media use in older adults.
Methods
Using Internet sources, we recruited 213 participants (79.8% female; mean age 62.6 years, SD 8.3) who responded to an online survey focusing on living situation, depression, social isolation, and 2 measures of social media use: estimated daily time on social media and problematic social media use. Next, using binary logistic regression, we assessed associations between social isolation and social media use.
Results
Our analyses failed to identify a relationship between perceived social isolation and estimated daily time on social media; however, higher problematic social media use was associated with higher perceived social isolation (OR 1.17).
Discussion and conclusion
Although no causal attribution can be made, our findings demonstrate an association between problematic social media use and perceived social isolation in older adults. Researchers conducting social media interventions in older adults should note this potential and monitor maladaptive use of these platforms. Overall, our results provide an important starting point for future studies on social media use and social isolation in older adults.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
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