Association Between Social Media Use and Loneliness of the Elderly: A Meta-Analysis

doi:10.12139/j.1672-0628.2023.02.019

Abstract

Abstract: Studies have been conducted to examine the intrinsic association between online social media use and loneliness among older adults from different theoretical perspectives, but the results are inconsistent. Meta-analysis was used to explore the relationship between social media use and loneliness of the elderly to clarify the controversies. The current study contained 39 research literatures, including 49 independent effect sizes. Random effects model was selected for analysis, and it was found that social media use was negatively correlated with loneliness, emotional loneliness and social loneliness of the elderly. Furthermore, the relationship between social media use and loneliness of the elderly was moderated by social media measurement indicators and loneliness measurement tools, but was not by gender and cultural background. This study provided a more accurate estimate of the impact of social media use on loneliness in the elderly, and clarified the differences in the magnitude and direction of the correlation between the two, which would be helpful for guiding the elderly to use social media rationally to alleviate loneliness.

Key words: social media use, older adults, loneliness, meta-analysis

摘要： 已有研究从不同理论视角考察网络社交媒体使用和老年人孤独感的内在联系，但结果不尽一致。本研究采用元分析方法对二者关系进行探讨，使用随机效应模型对检索后获得的39项研究(49个效应值)进行元分析。结果发现：网络社交媒体使用与老年人孤独感、情绪孤独感和社交孤独感存在显著负相关。网络社交媒体使用与老年人孤独感的关系受到网络社交媒体测量指标和孤独感测量工具的调节作用，但不受性别和文化背景的影响。本研究为老年人网络社交媒体使用与孤独感的关系提供了较为精确的估计，也澄清了二者相关性大小和方向不一致的分歧，对于引导老年人合理使用网络社交媒体进而缓解孤独感具有重要意义。

关键词: 社交媒体使用, 老年人, 孤独感, 元分析

CLC Number:

B849

MENG Hongxing, MEI Zhiling, WANG Xiaozhuang, XU Sheng. Association Between Social Media Use and Loneliness of the Elderly: A Meta-Analysis[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2023, 21(2): 280-288.

孟鸿兴, 梅志玲, 王晓庄, 徐晟. 网络社交媒体使用与老年人孤独感关系的元分析[J]. 心理与行为研究, 2023, 21(2): 280-288.

References

*为纳入元分析文献
邓香莲. (2021). 社交媒体使用会提升老年人的主观幸福感吗?——一项基于积极老龄化背景的调查研究. 图书情报知识, 38(5), 77–94
*郭静, 徐艺珊, 陈诗璐, 朱琳. (2021). 互联网使用对老年人孤独感的影响研究——年龄的调节作用. 中国卫生政策研究, 14(8), 29–36
国家统计局. (2020). 第七次全国人口普查. 2022-01-15 取自http://www.stats.gov.cn/ztjc/zdtjgz/zgrkpc/dqcrkpc/
胡雅, 刘丽华, 付藏媚, 符秀英, 刘佳欣, 吴彭玥. (2020). 孤独感对养老机构老年人生活质量的影响: 抑郁与衰弱的链式中介作用. 现代预防医学, 47(15), 2801–2805
*胡怡雯. (2020). 城市老年人微信使用与孤独感的关系研究——以九江市老年人为例(硕士学位论文). 湘潭大学.
*李莉. (2019). 老年人微信使用与疏离感关系研究——以**养老院/社区为例(硕士学位论文). 上海交通大学
*刘楚. (2020). 老年人互联网使用与其社交孤独感关系探究. 新媒体研究, 6(20), 39–42, 54
*龙文霜. (2020). 老年人社交网络使用行为对孤独感的影响——成人依恋的调节效应(硕士学位论文). 西南大学, 重庆.
*牛更枫, 史晓涵, 田媛, 孙晓军, 雷玉菊. (2021). 社交网站使用与老年人抑郁: 线上社会资本和孤独感的作用. 中国临床心理学杂志, 29(5), 1055–1059
牛更枫, 孙晓军, 周宗奎, 孔繁昌, 田媛. (2016). 基于QQ空间的社交网站使用对青少年抑郁的影响: 上行社会比较和自尊的序列中介作用. 心理学报, 48(10), 1282–1291
*唐宇宏, 刘吉容, 潘鸿. (2019). 中老年人孤独感与手机成瘾现状评价及分析——以遵义市为例. 中国老年保健医学, 17(6), 43–45
腾讯移动应用平台. (2015). 2015年腾讯移动互联网用户白皮书. 2022-09-15 取自https://cloud.tencent.com/developer/article/2081433
*万志超, 贺斌, 何雪玲, 万文倩, 张欢. (2021). 社区日间照料中心老年人智能手机使用情况与手机依赖、孤独感的关系研究. 现代预防医学, 48(1), 86–89, 156
*魏东平, 刘双, 邓尚正, 严雪梅, 王纯睿. (2021). 社交媒体使用与老年人孤独感和社会支持的关系及干预手段. 中国老年学杂志, 41(20), 4584–4587
吴捷, 李洪琴, 徐晟. (2017). 孤独感、领悟社会支持对老人心理健康的影响. 中国健康心理学杂志, 25(12), 1837–1840
*谢祥龙. (2015). 老年人互联网使用特点及其与孤独感和主观幸福感关系研究(硕士学位论文). 华中师范大学, 武汉.
*徐晓雯, 李泽臻, 高琼. (2021). 互联网使用影响老年人孤独感吗?——基于CHARLS数据的实证研究. 山东财经大学学报, 33(3), 100–108, 120
*于芳芳. (2019). 老年人的微信使用与孤独感关系研究(硕士学位论文). 南昌大学.
*张颖, 孙金海, 丁琳, 赵沛霖. (2019). 老年患者手机依赖与孤独感的相关性研究. 老年医学与保健, 25(2), 239–242
中国互联网络信息中心. (2022). 第49次《中国互联网络发展状况统计报告》. 2022-01-15 取自http://www.cnnic.cn/n4/2022/0401/c88-1131.html
Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497–529.
*Bell, C., Fausset, C., Farmer, S., Nguyen, J., Harley, L., & Fain, W. B. (2013). Examining social media use among older adults. In Proceedings of the 24th ACM conference on hypertext and social media (pp. 158–163). Paris: ACM.
*Bonsaksen, T., Ruffolo, M., Leung, J., Price, D., Thygesen, H., Schoultz, M., & Geirdal, A. Ø. (2021). Loneliness and its association with social media use during the COVID-19 outbreak. Social Media + Society, 7(3), 20563051211033821.
*Byrne, K. A., Anaraky, R. G., Dye, C., Ross, L. A., Chalil Madathil, K., Knijnenburg, B., & Levkoff, S. (2021). Examining rural and racial disparities in the relationship between loneliness and social technology use among older adults. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 723925.
CBS. (2019). Internet; toegang, gebruik en faciliteiten; 2012–2019. Retrieved January 15, 2022, from https://www.cbs.nl/nlnl/cijfers/detail/83429NED?dl=538C/
Chipps, J., & Jarvis, M. A. (2017). Technology-assisted communication in older persons in a residential care facility in South Africa. Information Development, 33(4), 393–405.
*Chopik, W. J. (2016). The benefits of social technology use among older adults are mediated by reduced loneliness. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 19(9), 551–556.
Cotten, S. R., Anderson, W. A., & McCullough, B. M. (2013). Impact of internet use on loneliness and contact with others among older adults: Cross-sectional analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 15(2), e39.
Dempsey, A. E., O’Brien, K. D., Tiamiyu, M. F., & Elhai, J. D. (2019). Fear of missing out (FoMO) and rumination mediate relations between social anxiety and problematic facebook use. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 9, 100150.
Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of facebook “Friends”: Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), 1143–1168.
*Erickson, J., & Johnson, G. M. (2011). Internet use and psychological wellness during late adulthood. Canadian Journal on Aging/La Revue Canadienne du Vieillissement, 30(2), 197–209.
Escobar-Viera, C. G., Shensa, A., Bowman, N. D., Sidani, J. E., Knight, J., James, A. E., & Primack, B. A. (2018). Passive and active social media use and depressive symptoms among united states adults. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21(7), 437–443.
Eurostat. (2019). Individuals-Internet use. Retrieved January 15, 2022, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/isoc_ci_ifp_iu/default/table?lang=en
Gierveld, J. D. J., & Tilburg, T. V. (2006). A 6-item scale for overall, emotional, and social loneliness: Confirmatory tests on survey data. Research on Aging, 28(5), 582–598.
*Hajek, A., & König, H. H. (2022). Frequency of contact with friends and relatives via internet and psychosocial factors in middle-aged and older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from the German Ageing Survey. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 37(1), 1–10.
Higgins, J. P. T., Thompson, S. G., Deeks, J. J., & Altman, D. G. (2003). Measuring inconsistency in meta-analyses. BMJ, 327(7414), 557–560.
Hughes, M. E., Waite, L. J., Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2004). A short scale for measuring loneliness in large surveys: Results from two population-based studies. Research on Aging, 26(6), 655–672.
Karsay, K., Schmuck, D., Matthes, J., & Stevic, A. (2019). Longitudinal effects of excessive smartphone use on stress and loneliness: The moderating role of self-disclosure. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 22(11), 706–713.
*Kim, K., Park, S. Y., & Kang, H. C. (2021). Smartphone proficiency and use, loneliness, and ego integrity: An examination of older adult smartphone users in South Korea. Behaviour & Information Technology, 40(7), 625–634.
Kothgassner, O. D., Goreis, A., Kafka, J. X., Hlavacs, H., Beutl, L., Kryspin-Exner, I., & Felnhofer, A. (2018). Agency and gender influence older adults’ presence-related experiences in an interactive virtual environment. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21(5), 318–324.
Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (2003). Culture, self, and the reality of the social. Psychological Inquiry, 14(3–4), 277–283.
Mellor, D., Stokes, M., Firth, L., Hayashi, Y., & Cummins, R. (2008). Need for belonging, relationship satisfaction, loneliness, and life satisfaction. Personality and Individual Differences, 45(3), 213–218.
*Meshi, D., Cotten, S. R., & Bender, A. R. (2020). Problematic social media use and perceived social isolation in older adults: A cross-sectional study. Gerontology, 66(2), 160–168.
Mieczkowski, H., Lee, A. Y., & Hancock, J. T. (2020). Priming effects of Social Media Use Scales on well-being outcomes: The influence of intensity and addiction scales on self-reported depression. Social Media Society, 6(4), 205630512096178.
Monacis, L., De Palo, V., Griffiths, M. D., & Sinatra, M. (2017). Social networking addiction, attachment style, and validation of the Italian version of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 6(2), 178–186.
Newman, L., Stoner, C., & Spector, A. (2021). Social networking sites and the experience of older adult users: A systematic review. Ageing & Society, 41(2), 377–402.
Nicolaisen, M., & Thorsen, K. (2014). Loneliness among men and women: A five-year follow-up study. Aging & Mental Health, 18(2), 194–206.
Pan, H. H., Fokkema, T., Switsers, L., Dury, S., Hoens, S., & De Donder, L. (2021). Older Chinese migrants in coronavirus pandemic: Exploring risk and protective factors to increased loneliness. European Journal of Ageing, 18(2), 207–215.
Perlman, D., & Peplau, L. (1984). Loneliness research: A survey of empirical findings. In L. A. Peplau & S. E. Goldston (Eds.), Preventing the harmful consequences of severe and persistent loneliness (pp. 13–46). Rockville, MD: National Institute of Mental Health.
Pyle, E., & Evans, D. (2018). Loneliness-what characteristics and circumstances are associated with feeling lonely. Newport, RI: Office for National Statistics.
*Quinn, K. (2021). Social media and social wellbeing in later life. Ageing & Society, 41(6), 1349–1370.
*Rolandi, E., Vaccaro, R., Abbondanza, S., Casanova, G., Pettinato, L., Colombo, M., & Guaita, A. (2020). Loneliness and social engagement in older adults based in lombardy during the COVID-19 lockdown: The long-term effects of a course on social networking sites use. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 7912.
Russell, D. W. (1996). UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3): Reliability, validity, and factor structure. Journal of Personality Assessment, 66(1), 20–40.
*Shapira, N., Barak, A., & Gal, I. (2007). Promoting older adults’ well-being through internet training and use. Aging & Mental Health, 11(5), 477–484.
*Silva, P., Matos, A. D., & Martinez-Pecino, R. (2022). Can the Internet reduce the loneliness of 50+ living alone? Information, Communication & Society, 25(1), 17–33.
*Sims, T., Reed, A. E., & Carr, D. C. (2017). Information and communication technology use is related to higher well-being among the oldest-old. Journals of Gerontology Series B-Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 72(5), 761–770.
Steptoe, A., Shankar, A., Demakakos, P., & Wardle, J. (2013). Social isolation, loneliness, and all-cause mortality in older men and women. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110(15), 5797–5801.
*Sum, S., Mathews, R. M., Hughes, I., & Campbell, A. (2008). Internet use and loneliness in older adults. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11(2), 208–211.
*Szabo, A., Allen, J., Stephens, C., & Alpass, F. (2019). Longitudinal analysis of the relationship between purposes of internet use and well-being among older adults. The Gerontologist, 59(1), 58–68.
*Tang, D., Jin, Y., Zhang, K., & Wang, D. H. (2022). Internet use, social networks, and loneliness among the older population in China. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 895141.
*Tsai, H. H., Cheng, C. Y., Shieh, W. Y., & Chang, Y. C. (2020). Effects of a smartphone-based videoconferencing program for older nursing home residents on depression, loneliness, and quality of life: A quasi-experimental study. BMC Geriatrics, 20(1), 27.
Valentine, J. C., & Cooper, H. (2003). What works clearinghouse study design and implementation assessment device (Version 1.0). Washington, DC: US Department of Education.
Vincenzi, H., & Grabosky, F. (1987). Measuring the emotional/social aspects of loneliness and isolation. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 2(2), 257–270.
*Wallinheimo, A. S., & Evans, S. L. (2022). Patterns of internet use, and associations with loneliness, amongst middle-aged and older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare, 10(7), 1179.
Weiss, R. S. (1973). Loneliness: The experience of emotional and social isolation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
*Wetzel, B., Pryss, R., Baumeister, H., Edler, J. S., Gonçalves, A. S. O., & Cohrdes, C. (2021). “How come you don’t call me?” Smartphone communication app usage as an indicator of loneliness and social well-being across the adult lifespan during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(12), 6212.
*Wilson, C. (2018). Is it love or loneliness? Exploring the impact of everyday digital technology use on the wellbeing of older adults. Ageing & Society, 38(7), 1307–1331.
Wilson, D. B., & Lipsey, M. W. (2001). The role of method in treatment effectiveness research: Evidence from meta-analysis. Psychological Methods, 6(4), 413–429.
*Xu, Y., & Huang, Y. J. (2021). Chinese middle-aged and older adults’ Internet use and happiness: The mediating roles of loneliness and social engagement. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 40(12), 1846–1855.
*Yang, S. F., Huang, L., Zhang, Y. L., Zhang, P. Z., & Zhao, Y. C. (2021). Unraveling the links between active and passive social media usage and seniors’ loneliness: A field study in aging care communities. Internet Research, 31(6), 2167–2189.
*Yang, X., Yip, B. H. K., Mak, A. D. P., Zhang, D. X., Lee, E. K. P., & Wong, S. Y. S. (2021). The differential effects of social media on depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation among the younger and older adult population in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic: Population-based cross-sectional survey study. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, 7(5), e24623.
*Zhang, K. Y., Kim, K., Silverstein, N. M., Song, Q., & Burr, J. A. (2021). Social media communication and loneliness among older adults: The mediating roles of social support and social contact. The Gerontologist, 61(6), 888–896.
Zhen, R., Liu, R. D., Hong, W., & Zhou, X. (2019). How do interpersonal relationships relieve adolescents’ problematic mobile phone use? The roles of loneliness and motivation to use mobile phones. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(13), 2286.
*Zhou, J. J. (2018). Improving older people’s life satisfaction via social networking site use: Evidence from China. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 37(1), E23–E28.

[1]	XIAO Jingjing, CHEN Dengshui, ZHANG Jinkun. The Relationship Between Divided Attention and Memory Processing: A Meta-Analysis [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2023, 21(2): 200-208.
[2]	MA Chao, LIU Yafei, YU Haibo, WU Xiaoguang. Categories of Meaning in Life and Its Relationship with Loneliness in Senior High School Students: Based on Latent Profile Analysis [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2023, 21(2): 216-223.
[3]	Hui DING, Zhichao ZHANG, Manman ZHANG, Chuanli ZANG. A Meta-Analysis of Eye Movement Studies on the Effects of Context on Irony Comprehension [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2023, 21(1): 28-35.
[4]	Yifei DING, Lanshuang CHEN, Zhen ZHANG. The Relationship Between Online Social Participation and Depressive Symptoms in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Based on Self-Determination Theory [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2023, 21(1): 86-93.
[5]	BAI Jinhua, ZHAO Yufang, JIAN Yue, DENG Qichang. The Influence of Loneliness on the Interpersonal Goal-Pursuit: The Role of Likelihood of Goal Attainment [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(4): 464-471.
[6]	BAI Huihui, WANG Yuqing, SUN Wanjing. The Resilience Status of Left-Behind Children: A Meta-Analysis [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2022, 20(2): 261-267.
[7]	YOU Xuqun, LI Qianqin, ZHANG Zhenyu, HUANG Pujiang, LIU Zhiyuan. Effectiveness of N-Back Working Memory Training: An Evidence from Meta-Analysis [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(6): 794-801.
[8]	XIONG Sicheng, ZHANG Bin, JIANG Yongzhi, JIANG Huaibin, CHENG Yun. Global Prevalence of Mobile Phone Addiction: A Meta-Analysis [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(6): 802-808.
[9]	JIA Xiaoshan, ZHU Haidong. Socioeconomic Status and Mental Health in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(5): 671-678.
[10]	GAO Feng, BAI Xuejun. The Harder You Work, the Happier You Will Be: A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship Between Achievement Motivation and Subjective Well-Being with Chinese Sample [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(4): 466-472.
[11]	YOU Zhiqi, ZHOU Zongkui. Developmental Trajectories of Self-Perceived Social Competence and Its Relevance to Loneliness and Passive Withdrawal in Childhood [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(4): 473-479.
[12]	JIN Hua, JIA Lina, SHAN Jinlei. The Influence of Relevance on the Continued Influence Effect of Misinformation in Older Adults: The Role of Death Attitude and Health Anxiety [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(3): 389-395.
[13]	LIANG Ziping, SHAN Jinlei, WANG Pengpeng, HAN Zongyi, JIN Hua. The Directional Asynchrony and Total Effect of the Aging of Global Motion Perception [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2021, 19(1): 8-15.
[14]	HUANG Mingming, ZHAO Shouying. The Influence of Alexithymia on College Students’ Mobile Addiction Tendency: The Role of Loneliness and Mindfulness [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2020, 18(5): 686-692.
[15]	TAO Ran, FU Jiangning, LI Juan. The Relationship of Exercise Habits and Cognitive Function of Community-Dwelling Older Adults [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2020, 18(5): 707-713.