Kamin Stefan T, Beyer Anja, Lang Frieder R
Institute of Psychogerontology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Kobergerstr. 62, 90408, Nuremberg, Germany.
Z Gerontol Geriatr. 2020 May;53(3):256-262. doi: 10.1007/s00391-019-01529-z. Epub 2019 Mar 15.
The use of technological innovations can play a significant role in healthy aging and social participation in old age; however, it is not well understood how social contexts can influence or support older adults' use of technology. This study explored the associations between technology use, perceived technology-related support and actual technology-related social support. It was expected that older adults who perceived having more supportive resources available would be more likely to receive actual support in technology-related issues, which, in turn would explain a greater use of technology in everyday life.
The data are based on a sample of 107 community-dwelling older adults between 60 and 93 years of age (mean age = 73.66 years, 40% male). Measures included self-reports of actual technology-related support, perceived technology-related support, the use of different devices related to digital information and communication technology and personal characteristics (e.g. chronological age, gender, education and functional limitations). A path model was used to explore the research hypotheses.
Actual technology-related support received was positively associated with a greater number of devices used. Participants received more support with technology when they perceived a greater availability of supportive resources. The actual support received mediated the influence of perceived support and functional limitations on technology use.
The results of this study show that the provision of supportive behavior is associated with the actual use of technology. Moreover, the findings shed light on the individual and contextual factors that explain differences in actual support received.
技术创新的应用在健康老龄化和老年人社会参与方面可发挥重要作用；然而，社会环境如何影响或支持老年人使用技术，目前尚不清楚。本研究探讨了技术使用、感知到的技术相关支持与实际的技术相关社会支持之间的关联。预计那些认为可获得更多支持资源的老年人更有可能在技术相关问题上获得实际支持，而这反过来又能解释在日常生活中更多地使用技术。
数据基于107名年龄在60至93岁之间（平均年龄 = 73.66岁，男性占40%）的社区居住老年人样本。测量指标包括实际的技术相关支持、感知到的技术相关支持、与数字信息和通信技术相关的不同设备的使用情况以及个人特征（如实际年龄、性别、教育程度和功能限制）。采用路径模型来探索研究假设。
获得的实际技术相关支持与使用的设备数量增加呈正相关。当参与者认为支持资源更易获取时，他们在技术方面获得了更多支持。获得的实际支持介导了感知支持和功能限制对技术使用的影响。
本研究结果表明，提供支持性行为与技术的实际使用相关。此外，研究结果揭示了解释实际获得支持差异的个体和背景因素。
