Older Adults' Perspectives on Using Digital Technology to Maintain Good Mental Health: Interactive Group Study
Older Adults' Perspectives on Using Digital Technology to Maintain Good Mental Health: Interactive Group Study
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DOI：
10.2196/11694
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发表时间：
2019-02-13
影响因子：
7.4
通讯作者：
Astell, Arlene J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Andrews, Jacob A.;Brown, Laura J. E.;Astell, Arlene J.
背景：越来越多的应用程序可以在数字平台上支持良好的心理健康和福祉。然而，很少有研究考察老年人对使用这些应用程序的态度，尽管这一人群越来越多地接受数字技术。目的：本研究试图探索老年人对支持良好心理健康的技术的看法。方法：共有15名50岁或以上的老年人，分成两组，参加了探索使用数字技术支持心理健康的会议。互动活动旨在捕捉参与者对旨在支持心理健康的应用程序和网站的即时反应，并探索他们在自己的生活中使用技术达到这些目的的经历。结果：老年人在减少他人负担的同时，更愿意求助于科技，通过分散注意力、正常化、促进心理状态的表达等机制来改善情绪。人们感觉到的使用障碍包括对后果的恐惧和情绪低落对使用技术的准备程度的影响，以及缺乏适用于数字技术的先验知识。参与者知道可用于支持心理健康的网站，但仅有意识并不能激励使用。结论：老年人有动机使用数字技术来改善他们的心理健康，但开发人员需要解决的障碍仍然存在，以便这一人群访问这些网站。
Background: A growing number of apps to support good mental health and well-being are available on digital platforms. However, very few studies have examined older adults' attitudes toward the use of these apps, despite increasing uptake of digital technologies by this demographic.Objective: This study sought to explore older adults' perspectives on technology to support good mental health.Methods: A total of 15 older adults aged 50 years or older, in two groups, participated in sessions to explore the use of digital technologies to support mental health. Interactive activities were designed to capture participants' immediate reactions to apps and websites designed to support mental health and to explore their experiences of using technology for these purposes in their own lives. Template analysis was used to analyze transcripts of the group discussions.Results: Older adults were motivated to turn to technology to improve mood through mechanisms of distraction, normalization, and facilitated expression of mental states, while aiming to reduce burden on others. Perceived barriers to use included fear of consequences and the impact of low mood on readiness to engage with technology, as well as a lack of prior knowledge applicable to digital technologies. Participants were aware of websites available to support mental health, but awareness alone did not motivate use.Conclusions: Older adults are motivated to use digital technologies to improve their mental health, but barriers remain that developers need to address for this population to access them.