Changes in Internet use when coping with stress: Older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic
Open accessAbstract
Objective To explore older people's use of the Internet for coping with stress posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods An online survey with a random sample of 407 Internet users aged 60 years and over (Mean = 69.14).Results Participants reported a significant increase in 7 of 12 Internet-based functions following the pandemic onset. Stress levels were moderate-to-high and participants appeared more worried about others than about themselves. Significant positive associations were found between stress and increase in Internet use for interpersonal communication and online errands. Linear regression analysis revealed a significant negative association between stress and subjective wellbeing, but it was only increased Internet use for leisure that associated significantly with enhanced wellbeing.Conclusion The changes in Internet use clearly reflected coping efforts that were apparently ineffective in enhancing wellbeing. Paradoxically, the only online functions that could improve wellbeing, Internet use for leisure, are precisely those whose use hardly increased.
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Increased Internet use when coping with stress posed by the COVID-19 pandemic did not effectively enhance well-being among older adults.
“recent research described that increased Internet use when coping with stress posed by the COVID-19 pandemic did not effectively enhance well-being among older adults (17).”
From COVID-19 stress and addictive social media use (SMU): mediating role of active use and social media flow (2021) · cites this paper as [17]
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- Authors
- Nimrod, G.
- Affiliations
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (IL)
- Corresponding author
- Nimrod, Galit
- ORCID
- Nimrod, Galit
- Venue
- The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-10
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1020-1024
- ISSN
- 1064-7481 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7372257
- OpenAlex
- W3044147670
- Cited by
- 134
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 25
- FWCI
- 33.10
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Demography › Technology Use by Older Adults
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Keywords
- internet use, stress coping, older adults, COVID-19 pandemic, subjective well-being, interpersonal communication, leisure internet use
- MeSH terms
- Betacoronavirus, Online Social Networking, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Adaptation, Psychological, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Commerce, Communication, Female, Humans, Israel, Leisure Activities, Male, Middle Aged, Pneumonia, Viral, Surveys and Questionnaires, Stress, Psychological, Linear Models, Coronavirus Infections, Internet, Electronic Mail, Pandemics
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