Smartphone ownership, digital literacy, and the mediating role of social connectedness and loneliness in improving the wellbeing of community-dwelling older adults of low socio-economic status in Singapore

• Main Authors: Soundararajan, Amrish, Lim, Jie Xin, Ngiam, Nerice Heng Wen, Tey, Angeline Jie-Yin, Tang, Aaron Kai Wen, Lim, Haikel A., Yow, Ka Shing, Cheng, Ling Jie, Ho, Jess, Teo, Nigel Qun Xuan, Yee, Wan Qi, Yoon, Sungwon, Low, Lian Leng, Ng, Kennedy Yao Yi
• Other Authors: Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Social sciences::Communication; Social Connectedness; Low Socioeconomic Status
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/171617
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

During the COVID-19 pandemic, safe-distancing measures resulted in many community-dwelling older adults being socially isolated and lonely, with its attending negative impact on wellbeing and quality of life. While digital technology may have mitigated this, older adults of low socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely to be digitally excluded and hence susceptible to the adverse effects of social isolation and loneliness. This study aims to understand the factors that affect digital literacy, smartphone ownership, and willingness to participate in a digital literacy program (DLP), and to test the hypothesized relations between digital literacy, social connectedness, loneliness, wellbeing, and quality of life amongst community dwelling older adults of low SES.