Department of Communication, University of Cincinnati.
Department of Communication, Cornell University.
Health Commun. 2022 Mar;37(3):384-396. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2020.1846272. Epub 2020 Nov 8.
Mobile media offer new ways for older adults to access and interact with their social support networks. While mobile media usage has been increasing among older adults, less is known about why older adults with chronic pain prefer to select members of their existing social network for quality social support interactions, what types of communication mechanisms they engage in when utilizing mobile media, and how they use their mobile media to manage their interactions and relationships. The analysis of 25 semi-structured interviews with older adults with chronic pain reveals that a sense of camaraderie and shared meaning of pain experiences underlie their preferences for communicating with similar others about chronic pain. On the other hand, having to take on a role reversal of comforting and receiving unsolicited advice are the main reasons for avoiding social support interactions with dissimilar others. Additionally, older adults strategically utilize specific features of mobile media such as SMS text messaging for short forms of validation and encouragement, staccato social support, and management of interaction coordination or avoidance. This study demonstrates how mobile technology can be adopted and appropriated to meet social, emotional, and interpersonal needs of older adults' lives. It also provides important insights into communicative dynamics of pain-related social support interactions and communication channel selection of older adults. The way mobile media are used to leverage social interactions and support networks can contribute to self-management, health-promoting behavior, and overall quality of life for older adults with chronic pain.
移动媒体为老年人提供了新的途径，使他们能够接触和与他们的社会支持网络互动。虽然移动媒体的使用在老年人中不断增加，但对于为什么患有慢性疼痛的老年人更喜欢选择他们现有社交网络中的成员来获得高质量的社会支持互动、他们在使用移动媒体时使用哪些类型的沟通机制以及他们如何利用移动媒体来管理他们的互动和关系，了解甚少。对 25 名患有慢性疼痛的老年人的半结构化访谈的分析表明，他们与类似的人交流有关慢性疼痛的偏好的基础是一种同志情谊和共同的疼痛体验意义。另一方面，不得不扮演安慰和接受未经请求的建议的角色反转是避免与不同的人进行社会支持互动的主要原因。此外，老年人还会策略性地利用移动媒体的特定功能，例如短信，以获得简短的验证和鼓励、断断续续的社会支持，以及协调或避免互动的管理。这项研究展示了移动技术如何被采用和适应当地化，以满足老年人生活中的社会、情感和人际需求。它还为老年人与疼痛相关的社会支持互动和沟通渠道选择的沟通动态提供了重要的见解。利用移动媒体来利用社交互动和支持网络的方式可以促进患有慢性疼痛的老年人的自我管理、促进健康的行为和整体生活质量。
