Smartphone behavior and loneliness among older couples in China: Actor-partner interdependence modeling

Background: Much evidence suggests that smartphone behavior is associated with loneliness, but no studies have examined the relationship at the dyadic level in Chinese older couples. The aim of this study is to determine whether smartphone behavior is associated with loneliness in individuals and their spouse. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 202 older couples from two community healthcare centers in Chengdu, China, between October 2022 and May 2023. The actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) was constructed to investigate the interdependent effect between smartphone behavior (i.e., smartphone proficiency, smartphone duration, smartphone usage, and overall smartphone behavior score) and loneliness. Results: In terms of actor effects, husbands’ smartphone proficiency, duration, usage, and overall behavior score were negatively associated with their own loneliness. For wives, however, only their smartphone proficiency, duration, and overall score showed such negative associations; no significant actor effect was found for wives’ smartphone usage on their own loneliness. Regarding partner effects, some significant findings emerged: husbands’ longer smartphone duration and higher overall behavior score were significantly associated with lower loneliness in their wives. Conclusions: This research indicated the dyadic interdependence of smartphone behavior and loneliness in older couples. Future mental health interventions for the older people should treat the couple as a unit.