IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i3p1710-d1039160.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does Smartphone Use Make Older Adults Feel Younger? A Cross-Sectional Online Survey during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Tomoko Ikeuchi

    (Human Care Research Team, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan)

  • Sakiko Itoh

    (Department of Genome Informatics, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan)

  • Hiroyasu Miwa

    (Service Value Augmentation Research Team, Human Augmentation Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Chiba 277-0882, Japan)

  • Kentaro Watanabe

    (Service Value Augmentation Research Team, Human Augmentation Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Chiba 277-0882, Japan)

  • Tomoko Wakui

    (Human Care Research Team, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan)

Abstract

Subjective age (i.e., how old one feels) has been found to be a biopsychosocial marker of aging. This study examined the associations between subjective age and the frequency of information and communication technology (ICT) usage by older adults. Data were collected via an online survey conducted in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study analyzed responses from participants aged 65 to 89 ( M = 71.9, SD = 3.9) who resided in Japan ( N = 1631, 52.8% female). Subjective age was indexed by asking participants to specify in years how old they felt. Proportional discrepancy scores (PDS) were calculated to indicate younger or older subjective age and were used as an independent variable. Participants were asked about the frequency of computer, smartphone, flip phone, tablet, and social networking service (SNS) use. Two-thirds of the participants (63.6%) reported feeling younger than their actual age. Nearly 90% reported using computers for more than 2–3 days a week, while 64.3% reported smartphone use, 22.9% reported flip phone use, and 36.6% reported SNS use. Logistic regression analyses revealed that a lower PDS (i.e., feeling younger) was associated with a significantly higher frequency of smartphone use (OR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.98) after adjusting for potential confounders. No such association was found for computer, flip phone, tablet, or SNS use. Our study found that feeling younger was associated with a higher frequency of smartphone use. The daily use of smartphones may have helped older adults stay in touch with family and friends and obtain the information that they needed, which may have contributed to better psychological well-being outcomes, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Tomoko Ikeuchi & Sakiko Itoh & Hiroyasu Miwa & Kentaro Watanabe & Tomoko Wakui, 2023. "Does Smartphone Use Make Older Adults Feel Younger? A Cross-Sectional Online Survey during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-9, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:3:p:1710-:d:1039160
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/3/1710/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/3/1710/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Julio Torales & Marcelo O’Higgins & João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia & Antonio Ventriglio, 2020. "The outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus and its impact on global mental health," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 66(4), pages 317-320, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cudjoe, Dan & Wang, Hong & zhu, Bangzhu, 2022. "Thermochemical treatment of daily COVID-19 single-use facemask waste: Power generation potential and environmental impact analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 249(C).
    2. Clemens Koestner & Viktoria Eggert & Theresa Dicks & Kristin Kalo & Carolina Zähme & Pavel Dietz & Stephan Letzel & Till Beutel, 2022. "Psychological Burdens among Teachers in Germany during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic—Subgroup Analysis from a Nationwide Cross-Sectional Online Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-16, August.
    3. Francesco Demaria & Stefano Vicari, 2023. "Adolescent Distress: Is There a Vaccine? Social and Cultural Considerations during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-11, January.
    4. Qingyuan Luo & Peng Zhang & Yijia Liu & Xiujie Ma & George Jennings, 2022. "Intervention of Physical Activity for University Students with Anxiety and Depression during the COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention and Control Period: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-20, November.
    5. Lígia Passos & Filipe Prazeres & Andreia Teixeira & Carlos Martins, 2020. "Impact on Mental Health Due to COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Study in Portugal and Brazil," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-13, September.
    6. Jian-Bin Li & An Yang & Kai Dou & Rebecca Y. M. Cheung, 2020. "Self-Control Moderates the Association Between Perceived Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Mental Health Problems Among the Chinese Public," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-10, July.
    7. Alessandro Germani & Livia Buratta & Elisa Delvecchio & Claudia Mazzeschi, 2020. "Emerging Adults and COVID-19: The Role of Individualism-Collectivism on Perceived Risks and Psychological Maladjustment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-15, May.
    8. Chiara Consiglio & Nicoletta Massa & Valentina Sommovigo & Luigi Fusco, 2023. "Techno-Stress Creators, Burnout and Psychological Health among Remote Workers during the Pandemic: The Moderating Role of E-Work Self-Efficacy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(22), pages 1-23, November.
    9. Edmond Pui Hang Choi & Bryant Pui Hung Hui & Eric Yuk Fai Wan & Jojo Yan Yan Kwok & Tiffany Hei Lam Tam & Chanchan Wu, 2021. "COVID-19 and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Community-Based Online Survey in Hong Kong," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-12, March.
    10. Mihyeon Seong & Juyoung Park & Soojin Chung & Sohyune Sok, 2021. "Development of the Adult Pandemic Attitude Scale (A-PAS)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-15, June.
    11. Dana Alonzo & Marciana Popescu, 2022. "A qualitative examination of the mental health impact of Covid-19 in marginalized communities in Guatemala: The Covid Care Calls survey," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 68(7), pages 1435-1444, November.
    12. Martin Sanchez-Gomez & Gabriele Giorgi & Georgia Libera Finstad & Flavio Urbini & Giulia Foti & Nicola Mucci & Salvatore Zaffina & José M. León-Perez, 2021. "COVID-19 Pandemic as a Traumatic Event and Its Associations with Fear and Mental Health: A Cognitive-Activation Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-14, July.
    13. Miller, J. Jay & Niu, Chunling & Moody, Shannon, 2020. "Child welfare workers and peritraumatic distress: The impact of COVID-19," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    14. Yinghui Huang & Hui Liu & Lin Zhang & Shen Li & Weijun Wang & Zhihong Ren & Zongkui Zhou & Xueyao Ma, 2021. "The Psychological and Behavioral Patterns of Online Psychological Help-Seekers before and during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Text Mining-Based Longitudinal Ecological Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-19, November.
    15. Mäntymäki, Matti & Najmul Islam, A.K.M. & Turel, Ofir & Dhir, Amandeep, 2022. "Coping with pandemics using social network sites: A psychological detachment perspective to COVID-19 stressors," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    16. Marilena Mousoulidou & Michailina Siakalli & Andri Christodoulou & Marios Argyrides, 2021. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health: Evidence from Cyprus," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-13, April.
    17. Berasategi Sancho, Naiara & Idoiaga Mondragon, Nahia & Dosil Santamaria, Maria & Eiguren Munitis, Amaia, 2021. "The Well-being of children in lock-down: Physical, emotional, social and academic impact," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    18. M. Dolores Merino & Coral Oliver-Hernández & M. Dolores Vallellano & Inmaculada Mateo, 2020. "Is It Possible to Find Something Positive in Being Confined Due to COVID-19? Implications for Well-Being," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-10, December.
    19. Irene (Eirini) Kamenidou & Aikaterini Stavrianea & Spyridon Mamalis & Ifigeneia Mylona, 2020. "Knowledge Assessment of COVID-19 Symptoms: Gender Differences and Communication Routes for the Generation Z Cohort," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-16, September.
    20. Ying Yang & Yanan Xiao & Yulu Liu & Qiong Li & Changshuo Shan & Shulin Chang & Philip H.-S. Jen, 2021. "Mental Health and Psychological Impact on Students with or without Hearing Loss during the Recurrence of the COVID-19 Pandemic in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-28, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:3:p:1710-:d:1039160. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.