School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Psychogeriatrics. 2024 Nov;24(6):1227-1237. doi: 10.1111/psyg.13181. Epub 2024 Aug 27.
The uptake of traditional mental health services among older adults remains low. Digital peer support offers older adults a resource for engaging with others to independently support their mental well-being. This qualitative study explored the uptake and engagement of a clinically moderated digital peer support platform (Breathing Space) for older adults with depressive symptoms and alcohol use concerns.
Semi-structured interviews with 30 participants aged 60-80 years explored participants' uptake and engagement with Breathing Space, a novel, moderated, private, and anonymous peer support platform. Data were analysed using reflective thematic analysis and are discussed with reference to the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology2.
Three themes were constructed to characterize participants' experiences: (i) navigating the complexities of peer-peer online engagement; (ii) the function of anonymity in online connection; and (iii) experiences of app features and content.
Future development of digital peer support for older adults would benefit from the following: (i) co-design with older adults; (ii) providing choice over anonymity and increased options for interacting with peers; (iii) streamlining the basic functionality with popular platforms; (iv) providing options for users to curate their digital experience; and (v) providing telephone support for troubleshooting technical difficulties. Future research should explore the use of digital peer support among older adults who experience social exclusion challenges.
老年人对传统心理健康服务的接受程度仍然较低。数字同辈支持为老年人提供了一个与他人互动的资源，以独立支持他们的心理健康。本定性研究探讨了具有抑郁症状和酒精使用问题的老年人对临床调节的数字同辈支持平台（Breathing Space）的接受和参与情况。
对 30 名年龄在 60-80 岁的参与者进行半结构化访谈，探讨他们对 Breathing Space 的接受和参与情况。Breathing Space 是一个新颖的、调节的、私密的和匿名的同辈支持平台。使用反思性主题分析对数据进行分析，并参考统一接受和使用技术理论 2 进行讨论。
构建了三个主题来描述参与者的体验：（i）在线同辈互动的复杂性；（ii）匿名在在线联系中的作用；（iii）应用程序功能和内容的体验。
未来为老年人开发数字同辈支持将受益于以下方面：（i）与老年人共同设计；（ii）提供对匿名的选择和增加与同辈互动的选择；（iii）简化与流行平台的基本功能；（iv）为用户提供策划其数字体验的选项；（v）为解决技术难题提供电话支持。未来的研究应探讨在面临社会排斥挑战的老年人中使用数字同辈支持。
