TY - JOUR
T1 - Using Skype to Beat the Blues
T2 - Longitudinal Data from a National Representative Sample
AU - Teo, Alan R.
AU - Markwardt, Sheila
AU - Hinton, Ladson
N1 - Funding Information:
Sponsor's Role: This paper was funded by the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development, Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) and the HSR&D Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC). Dr. Teo's work was supported in part by a Career Development Award from the Veterans Health Administration Health Service Research and Development (HSR&D) (CDA 14-428).
Funding Information:
Data were obtained from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), 21 a longitudinal, nationally representative survey of non-institutionalized middle- and older-aged adults, which explores the transitions in health that occur toward the end of a person's work life and into retirement. Sup ported by the National Institute on Aging (grant number NIA U01AG009740), HRS has surveyed respondents every two years since 1992. 22,23 HRS survey waves 2012 and 2014 were used in the current study.
Funding Information:
The corresponding author, Dr. Teo, has listed as co-authors all who contributed significantly to this work., Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest., Author Contributions: Alan R. Teo, MD, MS?? study design, lit search, data analysis, data interpretation, writing, Sheila Markwardt, MPH?-?data analysis, data interpretation, writing, Ladson Hinton, MD?-?data interpretation, data presentation, Sponsor's Role: This paper was funded by the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development, Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) and the HSR&D Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC). Dr. Teo's work was supported in part by a Career Development Award from the Veterans Health Administration Health Service Research and Development (HSR&D) (CDA 14-428)., The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; or decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the authors who are responsible for its contents; the findings and conclusions do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018
PY - 2019/3
Y1 - 2019/3
N2 - Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether use of certain types of online communication technology is associated with subsequent depressive symptoms. Design: Nationally representative, population-based prospective cohort. Setting: Data were obtained from the 2012 and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Participants: 1,424 community-residing older adults (mean age, 64.8) in the United States. Measurements: We examined associations between use of four communication technologies (email, social networks, video chat, and instant messaging) in 2012 and depressive symptoms (eight-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale) at two-year follow-up. Results: 564 participants (39.6%) did not use any communication technologies, 314 (22.1%) used email only, and 255 (17.9%) used video chat (e.g., Skype). Compared to non-users (13.1%, 95% CI: 9.5-16.7%) or those who used only email (14.3%, 95% CI: 10.1-18.5%), users of video chat had approximately half the probability of depressive symptoms (6.9%, 95% CI: 3.5-10.3%, Wald Chi 2 test, Chi 2 (1) =13.82, p < 0.001; 7.6%, 95% CI: 3.6-11.6, Wald Chi 2 test, Chi 2 (1) =13.56, p < 0.001). Use of email, social media, and instant messaging were not associated with a lower risk of depression. Conclusions: Older adults who use video chat such as Skype, but not other common communication technologies, have a lower risk of developing depression.
AB - Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether use of certain types of online communication technology is associated with subsequent depressive symptoms. Design: Nationally representative, population-based prospective cohort. Setting: Data were obtained from the 2012 and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Participants: 1,424 community-residing older adults (mean age, 64.8) in the United States. Measurements: We examined associations between use of four communication technologies (email, social networks, video chat, and instant messaging) in 2012 and depressive symptoms (eight-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale) at two-year follow-up. Results: 564 participants (39.6%) did not use any communication technologies, 314 (22.1%) used email only, and 255 (17.9%) used video chat (e.g., Skype). Compared to non-users (13.1%, 95% CI: 9.5-16.7%) or those who used only email (14.3%, 95% CI: 10.1-18.5%), users of video chat had approximately half the probability of depressive symptoms (6.9%, 95% CI: 3.5-10.3%, Wald Chi 2 test, Chi 2 (1) =13.82, p < 0.001; 7.6%, 95% CI: 3.6-11.6, Wald Chi 2 test, Chi 2 (1) =13.56, p < 0.001). Use of email, social media, and instant messaging were not associated with a lower risk of depression. Conclusions: Older adults who use video chat such as Skype, but not other common communication technologies, have a lower risk of developing depression.
KW - Health and Retirement Survey
KW - aging
KW - communication technology
KW - computer-mediated communication
KW - depression
KW - major depressive disorder
KW - social interaction
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jagp.2018.10.014
DO - 10.1016/j.jagp.2018.10.014
M3 - Article
C2 - 30442532
AN - SCOPUS:85056314287
SN - 1064-7481
VL - 27
SP - 254
EP - 262
JO - American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
JF - American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
IS - 3
ER -