Association of Internet Use Frequency and Purpose with Subjective Well-Being in Japanese Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Study from the Chofu-Digital-Choju Project

TL;DR

This study explores how often and why older Japanese adults use the internet and how it affects their well-being.

Contribution

It identifies that daily internet use is more strongly linked to well-being than the variety of purposes for use.

Findings

Daily internet use is independently associated with higher well-being in older adults.

Dual-purpose use (practical and social) is also linked to increased well-being.

Regular internet use is more important than the diversity of its purposes for well-being.

Abstract

The association between patterns of internet use for older adults’ well-being is unclear. We examined the association between the frequency and purpose of internet use and subjective well-being in older Japanese adults. We analyzed cross-sectional data from 2343 community-dwelling older adults (aged 65–84 years). Subjective well-being was measured using the World Health Organization Well-Being Index as a continuous score, and internet use was categorized by frequency and purpose. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was controlled for sociodemographic and health-related covariates. After full adjustment, only daily (B = 1.04, 95% CI [0.53, 1.56]) and dual-purpose use (i.e., for both practical and social communication purposes; B = 0.80, 95% CI [0.28, 1.31]) were independently associated with higher well-being. The analysis of the combined patterns further suggested that daily use was the primary factor. For older adults, regularity of internet use was more strongly associated with well-being than diversity of purpose. Daily integration appears to be a key factor for realizing benefits, suggesting that sustained practice is the foundational step in building the digital capital necessary for a flourishing later life. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these findings and untangle the causal relationship between sustained internet use and improved well-being among older adults.

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