Loneliness in older adults: an assessment on social network usage, social support, and active aging

This study aimed to examine the relationship between social network usage, active aging, perceived social support, and loneliness among community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years and above who live in a city center in Türkiye and use social networks. The data for this descriptive study were collected between November 2022 and May 2023. The sample consisted of 319 individuals aged 60 in Türkiye. Data were gathered through face-to-face interviews using the Demographic Information Form, Loneliness Scale for the Elderly, Scale for the Social Network Usage Purposes of Older Adults, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Active Aging Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The perception of loneliness in older adults was 7.85 ± 4.94; the mean score for active aging-activity dimension was 33.65 ± 12.56; social network usage was 75.46 ± 20.03, and the perceived social support was 24.06 ± 4.42. A moderate relationship was found between loneliness in old age and perceived social support (r=-0.501), and a weak negative relationship was found between loneliness in old age and the active aging-activity dimension (r = 0.155). Additionally, the communication and collaboration sub-dimensions of social network usage were found to be associated with loneliness. Social support and social network usage predict loneliness (26%). Social support and social network usage explain 50% and 11% of the variance in loneliness, respectively. Perceived social support and social network usage play a determinant role in the perception of loneliness in older adults.