Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.21465/2016-SP-192-04

Using the Internet in older age: Is it important for successful aging?

Marina Nekić ; Department of Psychology, University of Zadar, Zadar, Croatia
Ivana Tucak Junaković orcid.org/0000-0003-2166-1089 ; Department of Psychology, University of Zadar, Zadar, Croatia
Neala Ambrosi-Randić orcid.org/0000-0001-6032-7409 ; University Juraj Dobrila, Pula, Croatia

Abstract

Internet presents a wide arena of possibilities in which older people can get adequate support in the domains of health and social relations. Studies clearly show that the Internet, information and communication technology help the elderly to maintain communication with family members and friends and that can help in maintaining psychological and physical health. Successful aging is a multidimensional construct that includes a number of determinants, such as learning new things, so Internet use can be an important factor for older people to better adapt to changes that aging brings. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which people over 60 use the Internet and whether the individual differences in successful aging could be explained
by the frequency of Internet use. The study included 295 people aged between 60 and 89 years from various counties in the Republic of Croatia. The Scale of Successful Aging was used while other constructs were assessed with single-item measurements, which is the case in other similar studies (frequency of Internet use, subjective age,
physical and mental health). The results show that 40% of elderly people use the Internet on average once a week, mainly for reading the news and other points of interest as well as to communicate with family members and friends. Participants who use the Internet are chronologically younger, perceive themselves as younger, more educated, have better physical and mental health and estimated that they age successfully. There was no significant independent contribution of the frequency of Internet use to successful aging, but the relationship was mediated by good physical and mental health and perception of participants that feel younger than their chronological age.

Keywords

internet; older people; successful aging

Hrčak ID:

190246

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/190246

Publication date:

20.12.2016.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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