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Loneliness and Social Engagement in Older Adults Based in Lombardy during the COVID-19 Lockdown: The Long-Term Effects of a Course on Social Networking Sites Use

Author

Listed:
  • Elena Rolandi

    (Golgi Cenci Foundation, Corso San Martino 10, 20081 Abbiategrasso, Italy)

  • Roberta Vaccaro

    (Golgi Cenci Foundation, Corso San Martino 10, 20081 Abbiategrasso, Italy)

  • Simona Abbondanza

    (Golgi Cenci Foundation, Corso San Martino 10, 20081 Abbiategrasso, Italy)

  • Georgia Casanova

    (IRCSS-INRCA National Institute of Health & Science on Ageing, Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Ageing, 60124 Ancona, Italy)

  • Laura Pettinato

    (Golgi Cenci Foundation, Corso San Martino 10, 20081 Abbiategrasso, Italy)

  • Mauro Colombo

    (Golgi Cenci Foundation, Corso San Martino 10, 20081 Abbiategrasso, Italy)

  • Antonio Guaita

    (Golgi Cenci Foundation, Corso San Martino 10, 20081 Abbiategrasso, Italy)

Abstract

Older adults are less familiar with communication technology, which became essential to maintain social contacts during the COVID-19 lockdown. The present study aimed at exploring how older adults, previously trained for Social Networking Sites (SNSs) use, experienced the lockdown period. In the first two weeks of May 2020, telephone surveys were conducted with individuals aged 81–85 years and resident in Abbiategrasso (Milan), who previously participated in a study aimed at evaluating the impact of SNSs use on loneliness in old age (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04242628). We collected information on SNSs use, self-perceived loneliness, and social engagement with family and friends. Interviewed participants were stratified as trained (N = 60) and untrained (N = 70) for SNSs use, based on their attendance to group courses held the previous year as part of the main experimental study. The groups were comparable for sociodemographics and clinical features. Participants trained for SNSs use reported significantly higher usage of SNSs and reduced feeling of being left out. Compared to pre-lockdown levels, individuals trained for SNSs use showed a lighter reduction in social contacts. These findings support the utility of training older adults for SNSs use in order to improve their social inclusion, even in extreme conditions of self-isolation and perceived vulnerability.

Suggested Citation

  • Elena Rolandi & Roberta Vaccaro & Simona Abbondanza & Georgia Casanova & Laura Pettinato & Mauro Colombo & Antonio Guaita, 2020. "Loneliness and Social Engagement in Older Adults Based in Lombardy during the COVID-19 Lockdown: The Long-Term Effects of a Course on Social Networking Sites Use," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-12, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:21:p:7912-:d:436160
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tamara Sims & Andrew E Reed & Dawn C Carr, 2017. "Information and Communication Technology Use Is Related to Higher Well-Being Among the Oldest-Old," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 72(5), pages 761-770.
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    Cited by:

    1. Tore Bonsaksen & Mariyana Schoultz & Hilde Thygesen & Mary Ruffolo & Daicia Price & Janni Leung & Amy Østertun Geirdal, 2021. "Loneliness and Its Associated Factors Nine Months after the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Cross-National Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-11, March.
    2. Maria Gabriella Melchiorre & Stefania Cerea & Marco Socci & Giovanni Lamura, 2023. "Social Networks, Use of Communication Technology, and Loneliness of Frail Older People Ageing in Place in Italy: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-20, October.
    3. Brugiavini, Agar & Di Novi, Cinzia & Orso, Cristina Elisa, 2022. "Visiting parents in times of COVID-19: The impact of parent-adult child contacts on the psychological health of the elderly," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    4. Soumya Balakrishnan & Suzanne Elayan & Martin Sykora & Marin Solter & Rob Feick & Christopher Hewitt & Yi Qiao Liu & Ketan Shankardass, 2023. "Sustainable Smart Cities—Social Media Platforms and Their Role in Community Neighborhood Resilience—A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(18), pages 1-22, September.
    5. Adèle Gauthier & Cécile Lagarde & France Mourey & Patrick Manckoundia, 2022. "Use of Digital Tools, Social Isolation, and Lockdown in People 80 Years and Older Living at Home," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-18, March.
    6. Louise McCabe & Alison Dawson & Elaine Douglas & Nessa Barry, 2021. "Using Technology the Right Way to Support Social Connectedness for Older People in the Era of COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-19, August.
    7. Cristina Gagliardi & Giovanni Lamura, 2021. "Special Issue on “Advances in Socio-Economic Research on Ageing”," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-6, June.
    8. Mohan R. Tanniru & Nimit Agarwal & Amanda Sokan & Salim Hariri, 2021. "An Agile Digital Platform to Support Population Health—A Case Study of a Digital Platform to Support Patients with Delirium Using IoT, NLP, and AI," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-22, May.
    9. Maria Gabriella Melchiorre & Marco Socci & Giovanni Lamura & Sabrina Quattrini, 2024. "The Social Sustainability of the Use of Information and Communication Technologies by Frail Older People Ageing in Place Alone in Italy: Barriers and Impact on Loneliness and Social Isolation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-26, July.
    10. Raúl Ruiz-Callado & Diana Jareño-Ruiz & María Elena Fabregat-Cabrera & María Manuela Penalva-Lorca, 2023. "Ageing and Loneliness in Times of Pandemic: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(7), pages 1-13, March.
    11. Chang Su & Lixia Yang & Linying Dong & Weiguo Zhang, 2022. "The Psychological Well-Being of Older Chinese Immigrants in Canada amidst COVID-19: The Role of Loneliness, Social Support, and Acculturation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-12, July.
    12. Moira Mckniff & Stephanie M. Simone & Tania Giovannetti, 2023. "Age, Loneliness, and Social Media Use in Adults during COVID-19: A Latent Profile Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(11), pages 1-12, May.

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