The Role of Social Media in Mitigating the Long-Term Impact of Social Isolation on Mental and Cognitive Health in Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The HUNT Study

IF 2.8 3区医学 Q2 GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY

International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Pub Date : 2025-05-07 DOI:10.1002/gps.70097

Tanja Louise Ibsen, Ekaterina Zotcheva, Sverre Bergh, Debby Gerritsen, Gill Livingston, Hilde Lurås, Svenn-Erik Mamelund, Anne Marie Mork Rokstad, Bjørn Heine Strand, Pernille Thingstad, Richard C. Oude Voshaar, Geir Selbæk

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic increased social isolation in older adults, promoting mental and cognitive decline. The impact of social media on these effects remains unclear.

Aim

To investigate the long-term association of social isolation with mental and cognitive health in older adults and whether social media use mitigated this association.

Method

Data from the Norwegian Trøndelag Health Study before (2017–2019), during (January 2021), and after the pandemic (2021–2023) were analysed (N = 4844, 53% women, mean age 80 years). Multi-adjusted mixed-effects linear regression estimated differences in changes in mental (CONOR-MHI) and cognitive (MoCA) health related to self-reported social isolation and social media use. Beta (β) represents differences in change in z-score of CONOR-MHI or MoCA.

Results

Social isolation was associated with a steeper decline in mental health than no social isolation (β = 0.07, 95% CI 0.01, 0.13) but was not associated with change in cognitive health. Daily social media use was not related to change in mental health, whereas it was associated with a less steep cognitive decline than no social media use (< 1 h: β = 0.13, 95% CI 0.05, 0.20; ≥ 1 h: β = 0.10, 95% CI 0.01, 0.15). Stratified by social isolation, daily social media use < 1 h was related to a less steep cognitive decline than no social media use in both isolated (β = 0.15, 95% CI 0.02, 0.28) and non-isolated individuals (β = 0.13, 95% CI 0.03, 0.22).

Conclusion

Individuals experiencing social isolation during the pandemic had a steeper decline in mental, but not cognitive health, compared to those not isolated. Social media use did not buffer the decline in mental health but was associated with less steep cognitive decline. The pandemic showed limits of relying solely on digital solutions for social contact.

Trial Registration

The study is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov 18.02.2021, with the identification number NCT 04792086

Abstract Image

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在COVID-19大流行期间，社交媒体在减轻社会隔离对老年人心理和认知健康的长期影响方面的作用：HUNT研究

背景2019冠状病毒病大流行加剧了老年人的社会孤立，促进了智力和认知能力的下降。社交媒体对这些影响的影响尚不清楚。目的研究社会孤立与老年人心理和认知健康的长期关系，以及社交媒体的使用是否减轻了这种关系。方法分析挪威Trøndelag健康研究在疫情前（2017-2019年）、期间（2021年1月）和之后（2021 - 2023年）的数据（N = 4844，女性53%，平均年龄80岁）。多调整混合效应线性回归估计了与自我报告的社会孤立和社交媒体使用相关的心理（CONOR-MHI）和认知（MoCA）健康变化的差异。β (β)表示CONOR-MHI或MoCA的z-score变化的差异。结果与无社会隔离相比，社会隔离与心理健康下降的相关性更大（β = 0.07, 95% CI 0.01, 0.13），但与认知健康的变化无关。每天使用社交媒体与心理健康的变化无关，而与不使用社交媒体相比，使用社交媒体与认知能力下降的关系较小(<；1 h: β = 0.13, 95% CI 0.05, 0.20；≥1 h: β = 0.10, 95% CI 0.01, 0.15)。社会隔离分层，每天使用社交媒体<；在孤立的个体（β = 0.15, 95% CI 0.02, 0.28）和非孤立的个体（β = 0.13, 95% CI 0.03, 0.22）中，1小时与不使用社交媒体相比，认知能力下降的幅度较小。结论：与未被隔离的人相比，在大流行期间经历社会隔离的人在精神健康（而非认知健康）方面的下降幅度更大。社交媒体的使用并不能缓冲心理健康的下降，但与认知能力下降的幅度较小有关。这场大流行显示了仅仅依靠数字解决方案进行社交接触的局限性。该研究已在ClinicalTrials.gov 18.02.2021注册，识别号为NCT 04792086

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来源期刊

International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

6.10

自引率

2.50%

发文量

168

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： The rapidly increasing world population of aged people has led to a growing need to focus attention on the problems of mental disorder in late life. The aim of the Journal is to communicate the results of original research in the causes, treatment and care of all forms of mental disorder which affect the elderly. The Journal is of interest to psychiatrists, psychologists, social scientists, nurses and others engaged in therapeutic professions, together with general neurobiological researchers. The Journal provides an international perspective on the important issue of geriatric psychiatry, and contributions are published from countries throughout the world. Topics covered include epidemiology of mental disorders in old age, clinical aetiological research, post-mortem pathological and neurochemical studies, treatment trials and evaluation of geriatric psychiatry services.