Ibsen Tanja Louise, Zotcheva Ekaterina, Bergh Sverre, Gerritsen Debby, Livingston Gill, Lurås Hilde, Mamelund Svenn-Erik, Mork Rokstad Anne Marie, Strand Bjørn Heine, Thingstad Pernille, Oude Voshaar Richard C, Selbæk Geir
The Norwegian National Centre for Ageing and Health (Ageing and Health), Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway.
Research Centre for Age-related Functional Decline and Disease (AFS), Innlandet Hospital Trust, Ottestad, Norway.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2025 May;40(5):e70097. doi: 10.1002/gps.70097.
The COVID-19 pandemic increased social isolation in older adults, promoting mental and cognitive decline. The impact of social media on these effects remains unclear.
To investigate the long-term association of social isolation with mental and cognitive health in older adults and whether social media use mitigated this association.
Data from the Norwegian Trøndelag Health Study before (2017-2019), during (January 2021), and after the pandemic (2021-2023) were analysed (N = 4844, 53% women, mean age 80 years). Multi-adjusted mixed-effects linear regression estimated differences in changes in mental (CONOR-MHI) and cognitive (MoCA) health related to self-reported social isolation and social media use. Beta (β) represents differences in change in z-score of CONOR-MHI or MoCA.
Social isolation was associated with a steeper decline in mental health than no social isolation (β = 0.07, 95% CI 0.01, 0.13) but was not associated with change in cognitive health. Daily social media use was not related to change in mental health, whereas it was associated with a less steep cognitive decline than no social media use (< 1 h: β = 0.13, 95% CI 0.05, 0.20; ≥ 1 h: β = 0.10, 95% CI 0.01, 0.15). Stratified by social isolation, daily social media use < 1 h was related to a less steep cognitive decline than no social media use in both isolated (β = 0.15, 95% CI 0.02, 0.28) and non-isolated individuals (β = 0.13, 95% CI 0.03, 0.22).
Individuals experiencing social isolation during the pandemic had a steeper decline in mental, but not cognitive health, compared to those not isolated. Social media use did not buffer the decline in mental health but was associated with less steep cognitive decline. The pandemic showed limits of relying solely on digital solutions for social contact.
The study is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov 18.02.2021, with the identification number NCT04792086.
新冠疫情加剧了老年人的社会隔离，导致其心理和认知能力下降。社交媒体对这些影响的作用尚不清楚。
研究老年人社会隔离与心理和认知健康之间的长期关联，以及使用社交媒体是否能减轻这种关联。
分析了挪威特隆赫姆郡健康研究在疫情前（2017 - 2019年）、疫情期间（2021年1月）和疫情后（2021 - 2023年）的数据（N = 4844，53%为女性，平均年龄80岁）。多因素调整的混合效应线性回归估计了与自我报告的社会隔离和社交媒体使用相关的心理（CONOR - MHI）和认知（MoCA）健康变化的差异。β表示CONOR - MHI或MoCA的z分数变化差异。
与没有社会隔离的人相比，社会隔离与心理健康的下降幅度更大有关（β = 0.07，95%可信区间0.01，0.13），但与认知健康变化无关。每天使用社交媒体与心理健康变化无关，而与认知能力下降幅度小于不使用社交媒体的情况有关（<1小时：β = 0.13，95%可信区间0.05，0.20；≥1小时：β = 0.10，95%可信区间0.01，0.15）。按社会隔离分层，每天使用社交媒体<1小时与孤立个体（β = 0.15，95%可信区间0.02，0.28）和非孤立个体（β = 0.13，95%可信区间0.03，0.22）中认知能力下降幅度小于不使用社交媒体的情况有关。
与未经历社会隔离的人相比，疫情期间经历社会隔离的个体心理健康下降幅度更大，但认知健康未受影响。使用社交媒体并未缓冲心理健康的下降，但与认知能力下降幅度较小有关。疫情表明仅依靠数字解决方案进行社交存在局限性。
该研究于2021年2月18日在ClinicalTrials.gov注册，识别号为NCT04792086。
