Lau, Shi Ting;
(2022)
Intergenerational Interactions and the Psychological Health of Internet Users in Later Life.
Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Intergenerational interactions have the potential to benefit older adults psychologically and remains an area warranting further investigation. The growing prevalence of internet use and intergenerational programmes has increased the opportunities for accessing intergenerational interactions in the familial and non-familial settings respectively. This thesis sought to elucidate older adults’ experiences of intergenerational interactions in both realms. Part 1 comprises a systematic review considering the impact of internet-mediated familial intergenerational contact on older adults’ psychological health. Based on the 20 included studies, the five broad areas related to remote familial intergenerational contact are: social connections and isolation, broader psychological well-being, sense of self and meaning, emotions and safety. Owing to limitations of the literature and the review, these findings are preliminary and merit further research. Part 2 comprises an empirical qualitative study exploring older internet users’ experiences of non-familial intergenerational interactions and intergenerational programmes, with a focus on their psychological well-being. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed inductively in a process guided by the reflexive thematic analysis approach. Findings illustrated that participants were able to form social connections, reconnect with their younger selves, fulfil their passion for learning, contribute to others and occupy their time meaningfully through intergenerational programmes. Future research should continue to study factors influencing the usefulness of intergenerational programmes for this increasingly heterogeneous population. Part 3 comprises a critical appraisal of issues related to this research process. Reflections about conducting qualitative research and research more generally will be discussed, with an emphasis on subjectivity and practicality.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Clin.Psy |
| Title: | Intergenerational Interactions and the Psychological Health of Internet Users in Later Life |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2021. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10157049 |
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