Andrews, J. orcid.org/0000-0001-8408-5782, Brown, L., Hawley, M. orcid.org/0000-0002-2349-4491 et al. (1 more author) (2019) Older adults’ perspectives on using digital technology to maintain good mental health: Interactive group study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21 (2). e11694. ISSN 1439-4456
Abstract
Background: A growing number of apps to support good mental health and well-being are available on digital platforms. However, very few studies have examined older adults’ attitudes toward the use of these apps, despite increasing uptake of digital technologies by this demographic.
Objective: This study sought to explore older adults’ perspectives on technology to support good mental health.
Methods: A total of 15 older adults aged 50 years or older, in two groups, participated in sessions to explore the use of digital technologies to support mental health. Interactive activities were designed to capture participants’ immediate reactions to apps and websites designed to support mental health and to explore their experiences of using technology for these purposes in their own lives. Template analysis was used to analyze transcripts of the group discussions.
Results: Older adults were motivated to turn to technology to improve mood through mechanisms of distraction, normalization, and facilitated expression of mental states, while aiming to reduce burden on others. Perceived barriers to use included fear of consequences and the impact of low mood on readiness to engage with technology, as well as a lack of prior knowledge applicable to digital technologies. Participants were aware of websites available to support mental health, but awareness alone did not motivate use.
Conclusions: Older adults are motivated to use digital technologies to improve their mental health, but barriers remain that developers need to address for this population to access them.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | ©Jacob A Andrews, Laura JE Brown, Mark S Hawley, Arlene J Astell. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 15.02.2019. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on http://www.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included. |
Keywords: | mental health; older adults; technology; digital technology; Internet; apps |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Health and Related Research (Sheffield) > ScHARR - Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Sociological Studies (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 11 Mar 2019 15:49 |
Last Modified: | 12 Mar 2019 08:55 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.2196/11694 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | JMIR Publications |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.2196/11694 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:143292 |