An Open Access article published in the Health Behavior and Policy Review Journal.
Authors:
Ellen N. Rokicki, BS
Mark J. VanLandingham, PhD
Objective:
Older adults are at risk for loneliness and social isolation. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this vulnerability. The objective of this work was to describe and generalize older adults’ experiences using communications technology to stay connected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 older adults We used purposive sampling. We used NVIVO to conduct a thematic analysis of the qualitative transcript data.
Results:
Whereas many older adults reported profound changes in their social patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic, a large portion of respondents reported minimal change. Some of our respondents employed longstanding forms of technology to maintain social connections, whereas others leveraged newer forms to help them navigate the altered social landscape. We found differences in the degree of willingness to embrace technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. These differences appear to be influenced by variations in perceived opportunities, perceived difficulties, and concerns about privacy.
Conclusions:
Our results highlight opportunities to leverage communications technology to mitigate social isolation and loneliness among older adults during a public health emergency. They also illuminate opportunities to address the general and longstanding problems of social isolation and loneliness among older adults.
Source: Health Behavior and Policy Review, Volume 12, Number 3, September 2025, pp. 1942-1955(14)
Publisher: Paris Scholar Publishing Ltd.
Article Link: https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/psp/hbpr/pre-prints/content-psp_hbpr_1234