top of page
Adults'
All features
Training
Children's

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

A new study from the University of Surrey has found that among people aged 55 to 75 more frequent use of the internet was beneficial for mental health and quality of life under lockdown.

04/05/21

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.”

Read the full open access article: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/4/393

Paint on Face

Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Social Worker - Newly Qualified (Children)

Job of the week

Sign up for an informal interview for this role today

£37,938 during ASYE

SWT_SideAd1.png

Featured event

Featured jobs

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Social Worker

Hampshire County Council

Graduate Social Worker Training Scheme (Newly Qualified Social Worker) ASYE

SWT_Online_Events_ad.png

Most popular articles today

One in four children receive services from children’s social care services

One in four children receive services from children’s social care services

New report finds some people held in hospital for more than 25 years

New report finds some people held in hospital for more than 25 years

Home Office powers to detain unaccompanied children scrapped

Home Office powers to detain unaccompanied children scrapped

Family court backlogs reduced by half as pilot expanded across England and Wales

Family court backlogs reduced by half as pilot expanded across England and Wales

Sponsored Content

What's new today:

Supporting social work students with additional needs during their placement

About Us

Social Work Today is an online platform, developed to give professionals a sector-specific space that creates the networks to provide them with social work information, webinars, jobs and CPD from across the UK and wider global community.

Advertise with us

There are a number of options to promote your organisation on Social Work Today, from banner and advertising spaces, to job postings that are uniquely personalised to effectively showcase your message.

Click here to find out more

  • Instagram
© Social Work Today 2022
bottom of page