In:
Innovation in Aging, Oxford University Press (OUP), Vol. 3, No. Supplement_1 ( 2019-11-08), p. S413-S413
Abstract:
There is a long debate on the impact of Internet use on individuals’ perceived loneliness. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between older Chinese people’s Internet use and their perceived loneliness. We employed cross-sectional data from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (N = 7,343; age range: 50-80 years old; Mean = 62.48; SD=8.00). Loneliness was measured by a 4-point Likert scale (Mean = 1.60, SD = 1.05) on the frequency of loneliness perception (higher score indicates higher loneliness). Internet use was measured by a dummy variable (Mean = 0.05, SD = 0.23). The results of multiple regression suggest that older Internet users reported significantly lower loneliness (B = -0.127, SD = 0.045, p = 0.005) compared with non-Internet users, suggesting a mitigating effect of Internet use on loneliness. Thus, the Internet might be implemented as an intervention to reduce loneliness among older adults in China.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2399-5300
DOI:
10.1093/geroni/igz038.1538
Language:
English
Publisher:
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Publication Date:
2019
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2905697-4
Permalink