Chan Carina K Y, Burton Kayla, Flower Rebecca L
Department of Psychology, Counselling and Therapy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Flora Hill, Australia.
Health Psychol Behav Med. 2024 Sep 2;12(1):2398167. doi: 10.1080/21642850.2024.2398167. eCollection 2024.
Social disconnection is a public health concern among rural Australian older adults. While research suggests technology can enhance social wellbeing and protect against social disconnection, many older adults are not digitally literate, and little is known as to why and how technology adoption could be promoted in rural contexts. This study aimed to (1) explore the barriers and facilitators of technology adoption among rural older adults and (2) determine the potential utility of technology to promote social connectedness in the aged population. The Theoretical Domains Framework and the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) were employed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the digital and social behaviours of rural Australian older adults.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 33 rural older adults aged between 65 and 87 years. Interviews were conducted over the phone, audio-recorded, and transcribed. Interview transcripts were coded and analysed using thematic analysis and the BCW.
Numerous barriers and facilitators of technology adoption were identified, with the most prominent being knowledge, perceived value, perceived self-efficacy, and social support. Findings suggest that older adults' technology adoption is not simply a technical matter, but influenced by various individual, social, and environmental contexts. Consideration of these factors during development, marketing, training and implementation may facilitate technology adoption among older adults. With regard to social connectedness, several rural barriers emerged, including low population density, geographic isolation, limited community opportunities and poor public transport infrastructure.
Technology was consistently identified as a facilitator of the social experience, indicating that technology is a promising tool to enhance social connectedness among older adults, particularly those living in rural areas. Future research should focus on enhancing the capability, opportunity and motivation of older adults in technology adoption, with reference to the rural contexts.
社会脱节是澳大利亚农村老年人面临的一个公共卫生问题。尽管研究表明，技术可以增进社会福祉并预防社会脱节，但许多老年人缺乏数字素养，对于在农村环境中为何以及如何促进技术采用知之甚少。本研究旨在：（1）探讨农村老年人采用技术的障碍和促进因素；（2）确定技术在促进老年人群体社会联系方面的潜在效用。采用理论领域框架和行为改变轮（BCW）来全面了解澳大利亚农村老年人的数字和社会行为。
对33名年龄在65至87岁之间的农村老年人进行了便利抽样的半结构式访谈。访谈通过电话进行，录音并转录。使用主题分析和BCW对访谈转录本进行编码和分析。
确定了技术采用的众多障碍和促进因素，其中最突出的是知识、感知价值、感知自我效能和社会支持。研究结果表明，老年人采用技术不仅仅是一个技术问题，还受到各种个人、社会和环境因素的影响。在技术开发、营销、培训和实施过程中考虑这些因素可能会促进老年人采用技术。关于社会联系，出现了一些农村地区的障碍，包括人口密度低、地理隔离、社区机会有限和公共交通基础设施差。
技术一直被视为社会体验的促进因素，这表明技术是增强老年人，特别是农村地区老年人社会联系的一个有前景的工具。未来的研究应着眼于农村背景，重点提高老年人采用技术的能力、机会和动机。
