Digital Engagement and Well-Being of Older Adults During Conflict
Author Information
Author(s): Mannheim Ittay, Lifshitz Rinat, Bachner Yaacov, Cohn-Schwartz Ella
Primary Institution: Ben Gurion University of the Negev
Hypothesis
Digital engagement can improve the well-being of older adults even in extreme circumstances like military conflict.
Conclusion
Digital engagement is a stronger predictor of loneliness and subjective health than displacement during armed conflict.
Supporting Evidence
- Evacuees reported being lonelier and having lower subjective health compared to non-evacuees.
- Baseline digital engagement was similar between evacuees and non-evacuees before the war.
- Post-war, evacuees used fewer devices and faced more limitations in technology use.
Takeaway
Using technology can help older people feel better, even when bad things are happening around them.
Methodology
Older adults were surveyed about their digital engagement and well-being before and after a military conflict.
Limitations
The study may not account for all factors affecting well-being during conflict.
Participant Demographics
Older adults, including 93 evacuees and 150 non-evacuees.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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