title: Internet use as a predictor of sense of community in older people.
abstract: The Internet opens new options for communication and may change the extent to which older people use other modes of communication. The importance of older adults' participation in cyberspace has increased as Internet use for commerce and communication has increased. The present study explores how older adults' Internet use affects their sense of community. An online survey was conducted at the University of Sydney to determine the associations between Internet use and seniors' sense of community and well-being. Participants were recruited online. There was a positive association between a sense of belonging to an online community, sense of community, and well-being. Seniors' use of the Internet for communication and information, and the frequency and history of their Internet use, were consistently related to a greater sense of community.
authors.affiliation: School of Behavioural and Community Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Faculty of Health, Sydney, Australia. sumshima@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Shima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sum
authors.forename: R Mark
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Mathews
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pourghasem
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001315:Australia; D003142:Communication; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012918:Social Alienation; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment; D012933:Social Identification; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires