JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Currently, the number of single-living workers who are separated from spouses and families has been increasing due to the development of information and communication technology (ICT) and the achievement of mobility. At the same time, concerns have emerged about the mental and physical health status of solitary members living apart from family members. The development of media for interpersonal communication through ICT tools and the Internet system has been remarkable and has enabled two-way communication across distances and borders. Thus, easy access to this simultaneous form of communication has been expected to contribute to and mitigate the psychosocial status of isolated individuals.

Objective:

This study aims to elucidate the health benefits of ICT by providing a psychosocial health assessment and determining the characteristics of ICT tools and the frequency of communication.

Methods:

This study is cross-sectional in nature. The study subjects are adults living separately from family members or those who have such family members living separately due to work and other reasons. The participants were requested to fill up a web response-system questionnaire about the status of their ICT use and health status and their evaluation of life and society. They were divided into two groups according to their communication tools and frequency of use and statistically compared in terms of living alone, health, and psychosocial status.

Results:

In total, 15 of 73 participants were categorized in the highly skilled in ICT tools (HSI) group, which uses two types of ICT tools, namely, live, such as video chat and voice call, and text, such as short message service and e-mail, to communicate frequently. A simple comparison between the HSI and reference groups exhibited significant differences in neighborhood social cohesion, perceived social position, and life satisfaction but not in health, lifestyle, and dyadic trust in families with members living separately. Multivariate regression analysis was adjusted for confounding factors, such as level of education, age, gender, and job status. The results indicate that poor subjective health tended to show an odds ratio of less than 1 (OR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.03–1.02). Moreover, the HCT group demonstrated significant positive relationships with neighborhood social cohesion (β = 2.40, 95% CI: 0.56–4.24), perceived social position (β = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.11–2.23), and life satisfaction (β = 1.46, 95% CI: 0.58–2.34) using the same multivariate regression model.

Conclusions:

The findings study suggested that people who frequently communicate with separated family members by taking advantage of various ICT tools can maintain a positive mental state and better social relations among those living alone and away from their families.