ORCID Profile
0000-0003-0511-5934
Current Organisation
Nottingham Trent University
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Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 31-08-2022
Abstract: he COVID-19 pandemic impacted older adults' social connections and increased loneliness, but also led to increased technology adoption, providing new opportunities to develop technology interventions to meet their social needs. Existing off the shelf social connection platforms do not contain facilities designed to break the cognitive cycle of loneliness, and loneliness interventions implemented without due process could cause detriments to wellbeing. There is also lack of digital technology designed with older adults. e set out to iteratively design a user-centred smartphone app that could address older adult needs for social connection. The research questions were: how could our prototype smartphone app be used in mitigating loneliness and increasing a sense of social connectedness? What were emergent concerns resulting from use? In what ways could it be improved to better meet user needs? e used technology probes to elicit older adults' reflection on the concept of using the app in two studies: Concept focus groups (N=33) and Concept interviews (N=10), and then conducted a prototype trial with one week of use and follow up interviews (N=12). thematic analysis was conducted to explore the experience and emergent challenges of our app through the design process. This led to the development of four themes occurring in all three qualitative datasets: 1) Reflection on a digital social map is reassuring, 2) App features encourage socialising, 3) Risk of compounding loneliness, and 4) Feeling more control with mutual, socially beneficial activities. martphone apps have the potential to increase older people’s awareness of the richness of their social connections, which may support loneliness reduction. Our qualitative approach to app design enabled the inclusion of older adults' experiences in the technology design. With that, we conclude that our older adults most desired functionalities that can support mutual activities and maintaining or finding new connections, rather than sharing of emotional state. They were wary of the app being used to replace preferred in-person social interactions, and they raised concerns about making the user aware of a lack of connections or support in their social network, unless they are offered specific means of addressing their needs. Further user-centred design work is needed to enhance the app to support mutual activities and socialising. Our study illustrates the continued importance of user-centred design work to ensure that digital interventions are designed for populations like older adults.
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 21-06-2021
Abstract: Older adults face significant challenges in regards to the various stereotypes associated with ageing, which have consequences for their mental health and wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened these age-based stereotypes due to older adults’ proportionally higher vulnerability to the virus. The present research explored how the pandemic has exacerbated the challenges of ageing by impacting on the social identities of older adults and how these challenges have been met. Eleven focus groups were conducted with 32 UK older adults from a range of household compositions. Guided by the social identity approach, a thematic analysis found that participants faced a number of recognisable stereotype threats: loss of opportunities to enact meaningful identities, loss of autonomy and loss of usefulness. Despite these threats, we also found participants used identity management strategies and mobilised existing or new social identities to give and receive of support and to retain a meaningful and purposeful life. The implications of this research are that governments and those supporting older adults can attend to the negative psychology impact of protective policies and know that fostering group connections can be a source of pandemic resilience.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 27-01-2023
DOI: 10.2196/42172
Abstract: Loneliness is a significant well-being issue that affects older adults. Existing, commonly used social connection platforms do not contain facilities to break the cognitive cycle of loneliness, and loneliness interventions implemented without due processes could have detrimental effects on well-being. There is also a lack of digital technology designed with older adults. We aimed to iteratively design a user-centered smartphone app that can address loneliness in older adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the loneliness-related psychological processes that our conceptual smartphone app promotes. We also identified the emergent needs and concerns that older adults raised regarding the potential benefits and detriments of the app. We used technology probes to elicit older adults’ reflections on the concept of using the app in 2 studies as follows: concept focus groups (n=33) and concept interviews (n=10). We then conducted a prototype trial with 1 week of use and follow-up interviews (n=12). Thematic analysis explored the experiences and emergent challenges of our app through the design process. This led to the development of 4 themes as follows occurring in all 3 qualitative data sets: reflection on a digital social map is reassuring app features encourage socializing the risk of compounding loneliness and in iduals feel more control with mutual, socially beneficial activities. Smartphone apps have the potential to increase older adults’ awareness of the richness of their social connections, which may support loneliness reduction. Our qualitative approach to app design enabled the inclusion of older adults’ experiences in technology design. Thus, we conclude that the older adults in our study most desired functionalities that can support mutual activities and maintain or find new connections rather than enable them to share an emotional state. They were wary of the app replacing their preferred in-person social interaction. Participants also raised concerns about making the user aware of the lack of support in their social network and wanted specific means of addressing their needs. Further user-centered design work could identify how the app can support mutual activities and socializing.
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 14-05-2021
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic is worsening loneliness for many older people through the challenges it poses in engaging with their social worlds. Digital technology has been offered as a potential aid, however, many popular digital tools have not been designed to address the needs of older adults during times of limited contact. We propose that the Social Identity Model of Identity Change (SIMIC) could be a foundation for digital loneliness interventions. While SIMIC is a well-established approach for maintaining wellbeing during life transitions, it has not been rigorously applied to digital interventions. There are known challenges to integrating psychological theory in the design of digital technology to enable efficacy, technology acceptance, and continued use. The interdisciplinary field of Human Computer Interaction has a history of drawing on models originating from psychology to improve the design of digital technology and to design technologies in an appropriate manner. Drawing on key lessons from this literature, we consolidate research and design guidelines for multidisciplinary research applying psychological theory such as SIMIC to digital social interventions for loneliness.
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 17-05-2021
Abstract: Older adulthood is often a time of identity change arising from physical decline and social isolation which can increase loneliness. These effects are thought to be exacerbated by public health threats such as COVID-19 which disproportionately restrict older adults, though research has yet to fully explore how this occurs. We used a Qualitative Longitudinal Research (QLR) interview approach to follow nine vulnerable older adults (Mage=79.4) for fourteen months through 2019 and 2020 in order to understand their unfolding experiences of pandemic-related isolation. A theoretically guided thematic analysis found that participants initially experienced “Threatened Social Contact” due to age-related vulnerabilities which reduced their ability to manage “Being Categorised as a Vulnerable Older Person”. Consequently, participants experienced a “Restriction in Ability to Gain or Maintain Identities” leading to “Undermining of Reciprocal Support” and “Wellbeing hindered by Loneliness-Related Fears”. Findings highlighted that COVID-19 exacerbates existing negative age-related categorisations, contributing to a loss of reciprocal support in older adulthood. More generally, interventions to ameliorate loneliness among older adults would benefit from explicitly addressing ageism as well as enhancing group-based connectedness.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-07-2023
DOI: 10.1002/CASP.2724
Abstract: Loneliness is a pernicious problem in older adulthood, associated with physical decline and isolation from valued social groups. However, the long‐term evolving experiences of ageing, identity and loneliness have yet to be elucidated. We use a Qualitative Longitudinal Research interview approach with nine vulnerable older adults (Age mean = 79.4 years), in which five participants were interviewed twice between 2019 and 2020, and four participants were interviewed at three‐time points from 2019 to 2021. This study aims to understand the unfolding experiences of ageing, social identity and loneliness during a prolonged period of social isolation during the Coronavirus pandemic. A theoretically guided thematic analysis highlights that participants initially experience ‘Categorisation as Vulnerable and Loss of Agency’ and ‘Shrinking Social Worlds’, leading to ‘Undermining of Reciprocal Support’ and ‘Fears of Persistent Loneliness’. Findings suggest that interventions to ameliorate loneliness among older adults would benefit from addressing age‐based stereotypes and emphasising the value of reciprocal contributions that older adults can make to their networks, as well as scaffolding and enhancing social identification with new groups. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement .
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Lydia Jo Harkin.