Longitudinal Segmented Analysis of Internet Usage and Well-Being Among Older Adults.

Alejandro Cervantes; David Quintana; Yago Sáez; Pedro Isasi

doi:10.9781/ijimai.2022.05.002

Authors

Alejandro Cervantes Universidad Internacional De La Rioja
David Quintana Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Yago Sáez Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Pedro Isasi Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.9781/ijimai.2022.05.002

Keywords:

Aging, Internet, Hidden Markov Models, Psychological, Self-Organization, ELSA

Supporting Agencies

The data were made available through the UK Data Archive. ELSA was developed by a team of researchers based at the National Centre for Social Research, University College London and the Institute for Fiscal Studies. The data were collected by the National Centre for Social Research. The funding is provided by the National Institute of Aging in the United States and a consortium of UK government departments coordinated by the Office for National Statistics. The developers and funders of ELSA and the Archive do not bear any responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here. This work has been supported by the Madrid Government (Comunidad de Madrid-Spain) under the Multiannual Agreement with UC3M in the line of Excellence of University Professors (EPUC3MXX), and in the context of the V PRICIT (Regional Programme of Research and Technological Innovation).

Abstract

The connection between digital literacy and the three core dimensions of psychological well-being is not yet well understood, and the evidence is controversial. We analyzed a sample of 2,314 individuals, aged 50 years and older, that participated in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. Participants were clustered according to drivers of psychological well-being using Self-Organizing Maps. The resulting groups were subsequently studied separately using generalized estimating equations fitted on 2-year lagged repeated measures using three scales to capture the dimensions of well-being and Markov models. The clustering analysis suggested the existence of four different groups of participants. Statistical models found differences in the connection between internet use and psychological well-being depending on the group. The Markov models showed a clear association between internet use and the potential for transition among groups of the population characterized, among other things, by higher levels of psychological well-being.

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