The physical, behavioral, economic, and psychosocial consequences of adoption of Internet technology among older adults

The purpose of this correlational descriptive study was to investigate commonly experienced physical, behavioral, economic, and psychosocial consequences of adoption of Internet technology by adults age 65 and older and, to test whether the consequences could be predicted using the variables of adopter category, time, and social norms. Rogers' model for studying the consequences of adoption of innovations was adapted for this study. A convenience sample of 100 adults with a mean age of 72.4 years completed a web-based questionnaire. Participants reported an average of 7 hours of Internet use and 6.4 hours of other computer use per week and engaged in an average of 7.4 different Internet activities.; The Internet Consequences Scale (ICONS), a researcher-developed questionnaire, was used to measure the physical, behavioral, economic, and psychosocial consequences of Internet use. Psychometric analysis of the ICONS established adequate reliability and validity. Participants reported infrequent physical symptom consequences, and more women than men experienced symptoms during or after computer use. The more hours spent online, the higher the economic and behavioral consequences were, although these consequences remained below the neutral scale scores. The psychosocial consequences of Internet use included improved self-confidence, self-esteem, sense of accomplishment, ability to learn new skills, feelings of being connected to the outside world, and perceived quality of life. Older adults who used the Internet at times when they felt lonely reported experiencing more positive psychosocial and economic benefits than those who did not report using the Internet when they felt lonely. The adapted Roger's model demonstrated limited usefulness in this study. It did not predict the physical or psychosocial consequences of Internet use, but it did predict 8.6% of the behavioral consequences and 26.6% of the economic consequences.; Internet use can be an important resource for older adults in locating useful healthcare information, maintaining connections with friends and family members, and possibly ameliorating loneliness.