How Can Online Communities Support Resilience Factors among Older Adults

ABSTRACT

Recent gerontology studies emphasize resilience, the process of bouncing back from adversity as a significant factor of wellbeing. Further, advancements in technology such as online communities benefit older adults in various ways. Despite the evidence demonstrating the importance of resilience in wellbeing and specifically in later life, the relationship between online communities’ potential benefits and resilience factors among older adults is understudied. This study undertakes a systematic review of studies on potential benefits of online communities for older adults followed by an inductive thematic analysis to uncover the potential benefits of online communities for older adults. Next, the findings were compared with resilience factors of older adults to identify the potential benefits of online communities that can support resilience factors among older adults. Three potential benefits of online communities are identified: social support, self-empowerment, and wellbeing improvement. Findings show that these benefits can support resilience factors including meaningfulness, grit, self-care, external connection, health status, positive perspective on life, and independence. Our study provides a foundation based on the current literature and suggests future research directions to advance knowledge on the role of online communities in the resilience of older adults.

Disclosure of potential conflict of interest

There is no potential conflict of interest by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mostafa Kamalpour

Mostafa Kamalpour is currently a PhD candidate at School of Information Systems at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia. He has received his Master degree in IT Management from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in 2013. His current research interests include social media, service science, gerontology, and health informatics.

Jason Watson

Jason Watson is a senior lecture at School of Information Systems at Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. He has worked as a researcher and lecturer in both the UK and Australia. His main research interests are social media, co-creation, knowledge management, and social technology

Laurie Buys

Laurie Buys is an experienced social science researcher and director of Healthy Ageing Initiative at Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences at University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Her main research interests fall under the broad headings of social sustainability and social gerontology, focusing on issues associated with community engagement, sustainable buildings, and active ageing.