Barreda Gutiérrez Marina, Cantarero-Prieto David, Pascual Sáez Marta
Health Economics Research Group-Biomedical Research Institute Marques de Valdecilla (IDIVAL), Santander Financial Institute (SANFI), University of Cantabria-Foundation UCEIF, 39005 Santander, Spain.
Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Dec 5;12(23):2454. doi: 10.3390/healthcare12232454.
In current times, we coexist with technology, using it every day. However, in older people, the use and employability of technology on a day-to-day basis is often more complicated or even null due to a lack of knowledge.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The youngest generation were born surrounded by technology, which has given them superior capabilities when it comes to handling technology compared to elderly people. In short, older people have grown up without technology and only later in life have they crossed paths with it. Therefore, these circumstances can produce what is known as a "digital divide", an unequal distribution in the access, use, or impact of information and communication technologies among social groups. Thus, the aim of this study is to examine whether there is a digital divide among European older adults and to show its effect on the mental health of individuals. In this way, we analyze how technological characteristics (digital divide) cause worsen mental health. Additionally, we examine whether, over time, the digital divide has had a greater impact on the mental health of older adults.
For this purpose, recently published data from the Survey on Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe are used.
Our analysis has revealed that the digital divide, driven by age, negatively affects the mental health of older adults in Europe. Thus, we have analyzed how technological characteristics related to the digital divide lead to poorer mental health among this population. Additionally, we have examined whether the digital divide has increasingly impacted older adults' mental health over time.
These findings highlight the need to address the digital divide as a public health issue, promoting greater digital inclusion to improve the psychological well-being of older adults.
在当今时代，我们与技术共存，每天都在使用它。然而，对于老年人来说，由于缺乏知识，日常使用技术以及技术的适用性往往更为复杂，甚至根本无法使用。
背景/目标：最年轻的一代出生时就被技术所包围，这使他们在处理技术方面比老年人具有更强的能力。简而言之，老年人在没有技术的环境中长大，只是在晚年才接触到它。因此，这些情况可能会产生所谓的“数字鸿沟”，即社会群体在信息和通信技术的获取、使用或影响方面的不平等分配。因此，本研究的目的是调查欧洲老年人中是否存在数字鸿沟，并展示其对个人心理健康的影响。通过这种方式，我们分析技术特征（数字鸿沟）如何导致心理健康恶化。此外，我们还研究随着时间的推移，数字鸿沟是否对老年人的心理健康产生了更大的影响。
为此，使用了最近公布的欧洲健康、老龄化和退休调查数据。
我们的分析表明，由年龄驱动的数字鸿沟对欧洲老年人的心理健康产生负面影响。因此，我们分析了与数字鸿沟相关的技术特征如何导致这一人群心理健康状况较差。此外，我们还研究了随着时间的推移，数字鸿沟是否对老年人的心理健康产生了越来越大的影响。
这些发现凸显了将数字鸿沟作为一个公共卫生问题加以解决的必要性，促进更大程度的数字包容，以改善老年人的心理健康。
