14 DAY TRIAL // Michigan State University (MSU) scientists have determined in a new study that seniors who use the Internet for short periods of time daily are at a 30 percent lower risk of developing depression or depression-related symptoms. This discovery highlights a cost-effective, easy intervention against senior depression, a condition thought to affect around 10 million elderly people in the US right now.
These results are based on an analysis led by MSU professor of telecommunication Shelia Cotten, PhD, whose team surveyed more than 22,000 senior Americans over a two-year period. Data used in this study were collected from the US Health and Retirement Survey, PsychCentral reports. “The 30 percent reduction is a very strong effect,” Cotten comments.
“And it all has to do with older persons being able to communicate, to stay in contact with their social networks, and just not feel lonely. This is one of the largest and most comprehensive surveys of its kind,” the professor adds. One of the things that makes this research unique is that it also took into account depression levels exhibited by seniors before they were enrolled in the study.
Internet usage patterns were found to be most beneficial for seniors who lived at home alone, unattended by others. This makes sense, since loneliness – in all of its forms – is one of the main drivers of depression. Details of the new study were published in the latest issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences.