It’s estimated that as many as 10 million
older Americans suffer from depression, often brought on by feelings of
loneliness and isolation.
However, new research – a project that
followed the lives of thousands of retired older Americans for six years –
found that Internet use among the elderly can reduce the chances of depression
by more than 30 percent.
“That’s a very strong effect,” said Shelia
Cotten, a Michigan State University professor of telecommunication, information
studies and media who led the project. “And it all has to do with older persons
being able to communicate, to stay in contact with their social networks, and
just not feel lonely.”
Cotten and her colleagues analyzed the
data collected by the Health and Retirement Survey, a survey collecting
information from more than 22,000 older Americans every two years. This
particular sample included more than 3,000 respondents.
“This is one of the largest and most
comprehensive surveys of its kind,” Cotten said.
Other smaller studies have been
inconclusive about the role Internet use and technology, in general, play in
helping people overcome depression.
One way in which this study was different
is it took into consideration the subjects’ depression levels before they began
using the Internet. The researchers wanted to know if past depression affected
current depression.
What they found is yes, some people did
remain depressed despite Internet use, although it wasn’t substantial.
“Internet use continues to reduce depression, even when controlling for that
prior depressive state,” Cotten said.
The researchers also confirmed what was
found in other studies that for older people who live alone, Internet use had a
greater impact on their levels of depression.
“This study makes significant
contributions to the study of Internet use and depression in the older, retired
population,” Cotten said.
She said it all comes down to how you
choose to use your technology. As with most things in life, moderation is best.
“If you sit in front of a computer all
day, ignoring the roles you have in life and the things you need to accomplish
as part of your daily life, then it’s going to have a negative impact on you,”
Cotten said. “But if you’re using it in moderation and you’re doing things that
enhance your life, then the impacts are likely to be positive in terms of
health and well-being.”
This research is published in the Journal
of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences.
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