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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Escape loneliness by going digital
— a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of a Dutch experiment in using ECT to overcome loneliness among older adults | | Author(s) | T Fokkema, K Knipscheer |
| Journal title | Aging & Mental Health, vol 11, no 5, September 2007 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis, September 2007 |
| Pages | pp 496-504 |
| Source | http://www.tandfonline.com |
| Keywords | Chronic illness ; Physical disabilities ; Loneliness ; Isolation ; Information technology ; Computers ; Qualitative Studies ; Quantitative studies ; Netherlands. |
| Annotation | The study evaluates the outcome of an Internet at Home intervention experiment intended to decrease loneliness in chronically ill and physically handicapped older Dutch people through introducing them to the use of an electronic communication facility. To determine the effectiveness of the experiment in terms of reducing loneliness, 15 older people were interviewed three times: shortly before the start, two years later and immediately after termination of the experiment, while their loneliness scores at zero and post-measurement were compared with those of a control group. Both participants and control groups experienced a reduction in loneliness over time, significantly greater for participants compared to controls. When looking in more detail, the effect of the experiment was only significant regarding emotional loneliness and among the highest educated. Findings of the qualitative research enabled the researchers to understand the mechanics through which the intervention helped alleviate loneliness. E-mail was found to facilitate social contact. Furthermore, the computer and Internet were often used to pass the time, taking people's minds off their loneliness. Unexpectedly, the intervention also improved people's self-confidence. The decline in loneliness is likely to be greater if those with more favourable circumstances are selected and if more social functions of the Internet are used. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-080327204 A |
| Classmark | CI: BN: DV: TP: UVB: 3O: 3DP: 3DQ: 76H |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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