Psychological Barriers to Digital Living in Older Adults: Computer Anxiety as Predictive Mechanism for Technophobia.

Dina Di Giacomo,Domenico Passafiume,Jessica Ranieri,Meny D’Amico,Federica Guerra

doi:10.3390/bs9090096

Dina Di Giacomo, Domenico Passafiume + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/bs9090096

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Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the emotional impact of technology use in an Italian adult population and to detect technophobia. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 117 Italian participants (age range of 50–67 years). Measured variables were computer anxiety and technology use ability. The results revealed technophobia features in the Italian adult population related to inadequate management of technology. One-way analysis of variance and Bonferroni’s post-hoc analysis showed that non-autonomous (p < 0.01), low-frequency (p < 0.01), and feeling-a-need-for-help users (p < 0.01) had higher levels of computer anxiety. Based on our data, although lifelong learning is a powerful digital need, a considerable proportion of the adult population is not digitally skilled, enlarging the gap between young (native digital) and adult (digital and non-digital adults and seniors) populations. Adult inclusivity in digital living is inadequate and likely affects their quality of life. Thus, our findings highlight technophobia as a possible new risk factor for Italian adults because it can affect their daily life through low adherence to digital living; rather than aging successfully, they could develop fragile aging.

Highlights

Societies and economies are experiencing significant digital and technological changes
Our research examined the computer anxiety experienced by adults in the management of technology in their daily lives
Our findings highlighted that the low frequency of technology use contributes to reduced autonomy and even lower self-perception of technology use, which keep the older adults not digitally skilled

Summary

Introduction

Societies and economies are experiencing significant digital and technological changes. Technophobia, which is not an officially recognized mental illness, is the extreme and irrational fear of technology. Technophobia is described as “abnormal fear or anxiety about the effects of advanced technology, affecting one third of the population, causing health problems and the inability to work efficiently” [4,5]. This fear is related to an irrational fear of computers, robots, artificial intelligence, weapons, and other such objects that seem advanced in scientific thought [5]

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