title: The Mental Health Impact of Computer and Internet Training on a Multi-ethnic Sample of Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Results of a Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We preliminarily explored the effects of computer and internet training in older age and attempted to address the diversity gap in the ethnogeriatric literature, given that, in our study's sample, only one-third of the participants self-identified as White. The aim of this investigation was to compare two groups - the control and the experimental conditions - regarding theme 1) computer attitudes and related self-efficacy, and theme 2) self-esteem and depressive symptomatology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty non-institutionalized residents of Los Angeles County (mean age ± SD: 69.12 ± 10.37 years; age range: 51-92) were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n=30) or the waitlist/control group (n=30). The experimental group was involved in 6 weeks of one-on-one computer and internet training for one 2-hour session per week. The same training was administered to the control participants after their post-test. Outcome measures included the four variables, organized into the two aforementioned themes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant between-group differences in either post-test computer attitudes or self-esteem. However, findings revealed that the experimental group reported greater computer self-efficacy, compared to the waitlist/control group, at post-test/follow-up [F(1,56)=28.89, p=0.001, η2 =0.01]. Additionally, at the end of the computer and internet training, there was a substantial and statistically significant decrease in depression scores among those in the experimental group when compared to the waitlist/control group [F(1,55)=9.06, p<0.004, η2 =0.02].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were significant improvements in favour of the experimental group in computer self-efficacy and, of noteworthy clinical relevance, in depression, as evidenced by a decreased percentage of significantly depressed experimental subjects from 36.7% at baseline to 16.7% at the end of our intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology, California State University Northridge, Northridge, California, USA;
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lagana
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Garcia
keywords: Computer attitudes; Computer self-efficacy; Computer technology training; Depression; Ethnic diversity; Older adults; Self-esteem