Benefits and Barriers: A Qualitative Study of Online Social Participation Among Widowed Older Adults in Southwest China

Abstract

\n Background: With the development of information and communication technology, online activities are increasingly becoming part of the daily life of the older adults. As the elderly would face changes in social interactions and activities due to widowhood, the importance of online participation may be more prominent in this group. However, in-depth evidence on the experiences of online social participation among widowed older adults is relatively sparse. This study aimed to explore widowed older adults perceptions regarding online social participation in southwestern China.Methods: A qualitative design of exploratory research was adopted. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 19 widowed older adults between September-December 2020. The Colaizzi’s method was performed for data analysis. Results: Two major themes “benefits” and “barriers” were identified from the original data analysis. Subcategories concerning the category of “benefits” were “benefit perception (convenience, flexible time, supplementation)”, “health promotion”, “emotional comfort”, “social connection”. Subcategories of “barriers” included “worries: personal economic loss”, “concerns: security of digital device”, “troublesome: the diversity of online social participation”, “difficulties: using digital media”.Conclusions: Online social participation of the elderly is a topic worth exploring. The widowed older adults can truly feel the benefits of online social participation, which can be as an important measure to facilitate successful aging, but there are also barriers for social participation. The level of participation is relatively low. It is recommended to increase the access to use digital media of the elderly, and improve their ability to use it through the support of relatives and friends, as well as targeted education. Meanwhile, companies need to consider the age-friendly design of digital media systems, and the government should further improve the network management system to create a safer network environment.