Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland (Department of Medical Sociology, Chair of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine).
Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland (Chair of Internal Medicine and Gerontology).
Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2022 Apr 11;35(2):169-185. doi: 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01820. Epub 2021 Dec 9.
The study explores the direct and indirect associations (i.e., through the extent of the level of loneliness and perceived social support) between internet use for instrumental purposes and the quality of life (QoL) among elderly females and males in Poland.
The analysis was based on 2001 face-to-face interviews performed among randomly selected individuals aged ≥65 years from the general population. The collected data was weighted to generalize the study sample for the reference population. The analysis was conducted using multiple linear regression models. The mediation effect was tested according to the Baron and Kenny approach.
The obtained results indicate that internet use for instrumental purposes is directly related to a better QoL of elderly Polish males. This positive effect among men also occurs indirectly, through the decrease in loneliness levels as well as the increase in social support scores. It has also been shown that among elderly females, the effect of internet use for instrumental purposes is not related to a better QoL, either directly or indirectly.
Internet use for instrumental purposes seems to be important in enhancing a successful life among elderly male adults. However, these technologies are not associated with better QoL among females. Practitioners should be aware of these gender differences. The study adds to the previous studies by demonstrating that the feeling of loneliness and social support mediates the relationship between internet use for instrumental purposes and QoL among elderly males, whereas among elderly females this effect does not occur. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2022;35(2):169-85.
本研究探讨了波兰老年女性和男性使用互联网进行工具性目的与生活质量（QoL）之间的直接和间接关联（即通过孤独感和感知到的社会支持程度的程度）。
该分析基于 2001 年在随机选择的≥65 岁的普通人群中进行的面对面访谈。收集的数据经过加权处理，以推广研究样本的参考人群。分析采用多元线性回归模型进行。根据 Baron 和 Kenny 方法测试中介效应。
研究结果表明，使用互联网进行工具性目的与波兰老年男性的 QoL 直接相关。这种男性的积极影响也是间接发生的，通过降低孤独感水平和增加社会支持分数。研究还表明，对于老年女性，使用互联网进行工具性目的与更好的 QoL 之间没有直接或间接的关系。
使用互联网进行工具性目的似乎对提高老年男性成年人的成功生活很重要。然而，这些技术与女性的 QoL 改善无关。从业者应该意识到这些性别差异。本研究通过证明孤独感和社会支持感在互联网用于工具性目的与老年男性的 QoL 之间的关系中起中介作用，而在老年女性中则没有这种作用，从而补充了以前的研究。国际职业医学与环境卫生杂志。2022 年；35（2）：169-85。
