Mobile Application Use and Loneliness among Older Adults in the Digital Age: Insights from a Survey in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Existing literature on the associations between use of mobile applications (i.e., mobile apps) and loneliness among older adults (OAs) has been mainly conducted before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since mobile apps have been increasingly used by OAs during the pandemic, subsequent effects...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2022-06, Vol.19 (13), p.7656
Main Authors: Yang, Chun, Lai, Daniel W L, Sun, Yi, Ma, Chun-Yin, Chau, Anson Kai Chun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Aged
Aging
Applications programs
Communication
Comparative studies
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
Digital Age
Emotions
Entertainment
Hong Kong - epidemiology
Humans
Lifestyles
Loneliness
Loneliness - psychology
Mental disorders
Mental health
Mobile Applications
Older people
Optimization
Pandemics
Polls & surveys
Quality of life
Smartphones
Social networks
Social research
Socialization
Surveys
Surveys and Questionnaires
Video communication
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Summary:Existing literature on the associations between use of mobile applications (i.e., mobile apps) and loneliness among older adults (OAs) has been mainly conducted before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since mobile apps have been increasingly used by OAs during the pandemic, subsequent effects on social and emotional loneliness need updated investigation. This paper examines the relationship between mobile app use and loneliness among Hong Kong's OAs during the pandemic. In our research, 364 OAs with current use experience of mobile apps were interviewed through a questionnaire survey conducted during July and August 2021, which assessed the use frequency and duration of 14 mobile app types and levels of emotional and social loneliness. The survey illustrated communication (e.g., WhatsApp) and information apps were the most commonly used. Emotional loneliness was associated with the use of video entertainment (frequency and duration), instant communication (duration), and information apps (duration). Association between video entertainment apps' use and emotional loneliness was stronger among older and less educated OAs. Our findings highlight the distinctive relationships between different types of apps and loneliness among Hong Kong's OAs during the pandemic, which warrant further exploration via research into post-pandemic patterns and comparative studies in other regions.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph19137656