Department of Health Economics and Health Services Research, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg Center for Health Economics, Hamburg, Germany.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2022 Jan;37(1). doi: 10.1002/gps.5623. Epub 2021 Sep 16.
Previous studies have examined the association between frequency of contact with friends and relatives via internet and psychosocial factors (in terms of loneliness, life satisfaction and depressive symptoms). However, far less is known about such a link during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly based on nationally representative samples. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine this association among middle-aged/older adults.
METHODS/DESIGN: Data were taken from the short survey of the German Ageing Survey (June/July 2020, 3134 individuals in the analytical sample). The De Jong Gierveld scale was used to quantify loneliness, the Satisfaction with Life Scale was used to quantify life satisfaction and the 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression was used to quantify depressive symptoms.
Regressions showed that-compared to daily users-less frequent users of the internet for contact with friends and relatives reported increased loneliness, lower life satisfaction and more depressive symptoms. With regard to covariates, better psychosocial factors were associated with medium education (compared to low education), living with partner in the same household (compared to singles), better self-rated health, and favourable COVID-19 factors (in terms of decreased feeling that the Corona crisis is a threat for oneself, not having an infection with the coronavirus and an increased feeling that you can influence an infection with the coronavirus yourself).
Data suggest that individuals with a high frequency of contact with friends and relatives via internet reported better psychosocial factors. Future research in other cultural settings are required.
先前的研究已经考察了通过互联网与朋友和亲戚接触的频率与心理社会因素（孤独感、生活满意度和抑郁症状）之间的关系。然而，在 COVID-19 大流行期间，基于全国代表性样本的此类关联的研究却很少。因此，本研究旨在检验中年/老年人之间的这种关联。
方法/设计：数据来自德国老龄化调查的简短调查（2020 年 6 月/7 月，分析样本中有 3134 人）。使用 Jong Gierveld 量表来量化孤独感，使用生活满意度量表来量化生活满意度，使用 10 项版流行病学研究中心抑郁量表来量化抑郁症状。
回归分析表明，与日常使用者相比，互联网上较少与朋友和亲戚接触的用户报告孤独感增加、生活满意度降低和抑郁症状增多。就协变量而言，更好的心理社会因素与中等教育程度（与低教育程度相比）、与伴侣同住（与单身相比）、更好的自我健康评估以及对 COVID-19 因素有利（即减少认为新冠危机对自己构成威胁的感觉、没有感染冠状病毒以及增加自我感觉可以影响冠状病毒感染的可能性）有关。
数据表明，通过互联网与朋友和亲戚高频接触的个体报告了更好的心理社会因素。需要在其他文化背景下进行进一步的研究。
