The relationships between social internet use, social contact, and loneliness in older adults
Abstract Social internet use might decrease loneliness, potentially by increasing social contact. Vice versa, loneliness might decrease social internet use by decreased social contact. However, few studies explored these associations longitudinally. This study aimed to assess the longitudinal, bidir...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09861-8 |
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| author | Jeroen H.M. Janssen Theo G. van Tilburg Erik J. van Ingen Rense Corten Geeske Peeters Marcel G.M. Olde Rikkert |
| author_facet | Jeroen H.M. Janssen Theo G. van Tilburg Erik J. van Ingen Rense Corten Geeske Peeters Marcel G.M. Olde Rikkert |
| author_sort | Jeroen H.M. Janssen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Social internet use might decrease loneliness, potentially by increasing social contact. Vice versa, loneliness might decrease social internet use by decreased social contact. However, few studies explored these associations longitudinally. This study aimed to assess the longitudinal, bidirectional associations between frequency of social internet use, loneliness, and social contact (measured as the number of frequently contacted personal network members). We used four waves of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (2011-13, 2015-16, 2018-19, 2021-22) in a sample of 1923 Dutch older adults (age 55–98). We applied random intercept cross-lagged panel models to test the bidirectional and mediational relationships. We found a longitudinal association between social internet use and subsequent loneliness, β = -0.07, p = .008, but no evidence of mediation of social contact, nor of a reversed association. These results strengthen existing evidence for a positive association of social internet use in decreasing loneliness. In contrast, more loneliness did not predict a difference in social internet use, suggesting that this reversed relationship is more complex or dependent on individual characteristics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-89a57a237f4b49c58bf1574122c643e1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-89a57a237f4b49c58bf1574122c643e12025-08-20T03:45:57ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-09861-8The relationships between social internet use, social contact, and loneliness in older adultsJeroen H.M. Janssen0Theo G. van Tilburg1Erik J. van Ingen2Rense Corten3Geeske Peeters4Marcel G.M. Olde Rikkert5Department of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Medical CenterDepartment of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamDepartment of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamDepartment of Sociology/ICS, Utrecht UniversityDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Medical CenterDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Medical CenterAbstract Social internet use might decrease loneliness, potentially by increasing social contact. Vice versa, loneliness might decrease social internet use by decreased social contact. However, few studies explored these associations longitudinally. This study aimed to assess the longitudinal, bidirectional associations between frequency of social internet use, loneliness, and social contact (measured as the number of frequently contacted personal network members). We used four waves of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (2011-13, 2015-16, 2018-19, 2021-22) in a sample of 1923 Dutch older adults (age 55–98). We applied random intercept cross-lagged panel models to test the bidirectional and mediational relationships. We found a longitudinal association between social internet use and subsequent loneliness, β = -0.07, p = .008, but no evidence of mediation of social contact, nor of a reversed association. These results strengthen existing evidence for a positive association of social internet use in decreasing loneliness. In contrast, more loneliness did not predict a difference in social internet use, suggesting that this reversed relationship is more complex or dependent on individual characteristics.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09861-8Longitudinal mediationSocial connectednessSocial mediaContact frequency |
| spellingShingle | Jeroen H.M. Janssen Theo G. van Tilburg Erik J. van Ingen Rense Corten Geeske Peeters Marcel G.M. Olde Rikkert The relationships between social internet use, social contact, and loneliness in older adults Scientific Reports Longitudinal mediation Social connectedness Social media Contact frequency |
| title | The relationships between social internet use, social contact, and loneliness in older adults |
| title_full | The relationships between social internet use, social contact, and loneliness in older adults |
| title_fullStr | The relationships between social internet use, social contact, and loneliness in older adults |
| title_full_unstemmed | The relationships between social internet use, social contact, and loneliness in older adults |
| title_short | The relationships between social internet use, social contact, and loneliness in older adults |
| title_sort | relationships between social internet use social contact and loneliness in older adults |
| topic | Longitudinal mediation Social connectedness Social media Contact frequency |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09861-8 |
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