VIDEO CALLING REDUCES LONELINESS FOR HEARING IMPAIRED OLDER US ADULTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. (20th December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Amanda; Wroblewski, Kristen; McClintock, Martha; Hawkley, Louise; Pinto, Jayant
• Is Part Of: Innovation in aging. Volume 6(2022)Supplement 1
• Page Start: 31
• Page End: 32
• Publication Date: 2022-12-20
• Subjects: Aging -- Periodicals; Gerontology -- Periodicals; 612.67
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igac059.117
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2399-5300

Abstract

Abstract: Older adults with hearing impairment (HI) experience communication challenges that may result in increased loneliness exacerbated by social distancing during COVID-19. Video-calling may mitigate isolation-related loneliness. We addressed this hypothesis in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), a longitudinal, nationally representative study of home-dwelling older US adults. Hearing ability was determined by interviewer-rating and loneliness/video-calling use by self-report. Fewer older adults (≥55 years) with HI (n=221) reported regular use of video-calling during the pandemic vs. those without HI (n=2337) (14% vs. 30%, p<0.001). Older adults with HI reported greater loneliness during COVID-19 (p=0.031), with video calls mitigating this relationship through a dose-dependent effect in adjusted analyses (interaction p=0.001). Video-calling decreases HI-related loneliness, despite potential barriers those with sensory impairment face using this technology. Promoting greater adoption of video-calling could be a strategy to protect against HI-related loneliness in aging.