Abstract
Loneliness or social isolation, recently described as a “behavioral epidemic,” remains a long-standing public health issue, which has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of technology has been suggested to enhance social connectedness and to decrease the negative health outcomes associated with social isolation. However, till today, no theory-based studies were performed to examine the determinants of technology use. Therefore, the current study aims to test theory-based determinants in explaining the adoption of new technology in a nationally representative sample during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 382). A psychometrically reliable and valid instrument based on the multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change was administered electronically using a cross-sectional study design. A total of 47.1% of the respondents reported high levels of social isolation, and 40.6% did not use any new technology. Among technology users (59.4%), the three initiation constructs participatory dialogue (b = 0.054, p < 0.05), behavioral confidence (b = 0.184, p < 0.001), and changes in the physical environment (b= 0.053, p < 0.05) were significant and accounted for 38.3% of the variance in the initiation of new technologies. Concerning sustenance in technology users, all three constructs emotional transformation (b = 0.115, p < 0.001), practice for change (b = 0.086, p < 0.001), and changes in the social environment (b = 0.061, p < 0.001) were significant and accounted for 42.6% of the variance in maintaining the use of new technology. MTM offers a powerful framework to design health promotion interventions encouraging the use of new technologies to foster greater social connectedness amid the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond it.
Highlights
Loneliness or perceived social isolation were recently described as a “behavioral epidemic,” which has worsened in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic [1,2,3]
This study explores the determinants of new technology use for promoting social connectedness during the COVID-19 pandemic by utilizing the conceptual paradigm of multi-theory model (MTM)
MTM is a useful model in explaining the promotion and adoption of new technology to address the issue of social isolation and promoting social connectedness
Summary
Loneliness or perceived social isolation were recently described as a “behavioral epidemic,” which has worsened in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic [1,2,3]. Loneliness reflects subjective experiences, while social isolation describes the objective state of an individual’s social interactions [4,5]. A meta-analysis found that both subjective and objective loneliness or social isolation increases the risk of mortality, with a 26% increased likelihood of mortality for individuals reporting loneliness, 29% for those reporting social isolation, and 32% for those living alone [7]. The risk of mortality following loneliness/social isolation was equivalent to the mortality risk among individuals with extreme or severe obesity
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