Frequent internet use by older people during lockdown linked to mental health benefits

New research has found that those who used the internet more, particularly for staying in touch with friends and family, were at lower risk of depression and reported a higher quality of life.

Loneliness and social isolation have been major problems for many under lockdown, for older people in particular, as loneliness raises the risk of depression and other negative health outcomes.

In a paper published in the journal Healthcare, researchers from the University of Surrey investigated whether more frequent internet use in older people helped reduce such a risk.

Researchers studied 3,491 individual participants whilst social distancing measures were in place across the country. Participants were surveyed on the frequency and type of their internet usage – such as information searching or for communication purposes.

Those who reported using the internet frequently (once a day or more) had much lower levels of depression symptoms and reported higher quality of life compared to those who used the internet only once a week or less.

Using the internet for communication was particularly linked to beneficial effects, suggesting that going online to stay connected with friends and family helped combat the negative psychological effects of social distancing and lockdown in adults aged 55-75.

Conversely, the study found that people who mostly used the internet to search for health-related information reported higher levels of depression symptoms. Researchers said this might be due to a greater degree of worry triggered by reading COVID-19 and other health-related internet sources.

Dr Simon Evans, Lecturer in Neuroscience at the University of Surrey, said older people were at greater risk of loneliness and mental health issues as restrictions continue.

“We found that older adults who used the internet more frequently under lockdown, particularly to communicate with others, had lower depression scores and an enhanced quality of life.

As the COVID-19 situation evolves, more frequent internet use could benefit the mental health of older people by reducing loneliness and risk of depression, particularly if further lockdowns are imposed in the future.”