| |
Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
 | |
|
More than just a communication medium
— what older adults say about television and depression | | Author(s) | Giang T Nguyen, Marsha N Wittink, Genevra F Murray |
| Journal title | The Gerontologist, vol 48, no 3, June 2008 |
| Pages | pp 300-310 |
| Source | http://www.geron.org |
| Keywords | Television [media] ; Depression ; Attitude ; Qualitative Studies ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Older people watch more television than do younger people. Television's role in mental health has been described in the general population, but less is known about how older people think of television in the context of depression. The authors conducted a qualitative study of 102 patients aged 65+, using a semi-structured interview created to help clinicians understand how older people conceptualise depression diagnosis and treatment. During analysis, the authors found that many respondents offered spontaneous thoughts about the relationship between television and depression. All television-related content was extracted from the interview transcripts, and themes were identified using grounded theory. Participants cited television as a way to identify depression in themselves or others (either through over-use or lack of interest) or as a way to cope with depressive symptoms. Some felt that television could be harmful, particularly when content was high in negativity. A substantial number discussed more than one of these themes; a few mentioned all three. Married people were more likely to discuss television's role in identifying depression. Those with low education more often mentioned that television could be helpful, whereas those with a history of depression treatment were more likely to discuss television's potential harm. Researchers should conduct further studies to better understand the relationship between depression, television viewing, and opinions regarding television's role in geriatric depression. Exploring these issues may yield new approaches to tackling depression in later life. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-080819208 A |
| Classmark | UKL: ENR: DP: 3DP: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
|
| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
| |
|