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Leveling Up Social Support: The Role of Online Communication Attitudes and Video Game Co-Play in Older Adults’ Intergenerational Relationships
ABSTRACT
Background:
Social isolation among older adults is a growing public health concern. While Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) offer opportunities for social engagement, few studies have examined how video game co-play, a form of interactive digital media, supports intergenerational connection and perceived social support among older adults.
Objective:
Guided by Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), this study investigates whether older adults' online communication attitudes predict video game co-play with younger family members and whether such co-play enhances perceived social support.
Methods:
A total of 433 older adults (aged ≥60) were recruited through a snowball sampling method facilitated by undergraduate students. Participants completed an online survey measuring online social connection (OSC), online self-disclosure (OSD), video game co-play with younger relatives, and perceived informational, instrumental, and emotional support. Mediation and regression analyses were conducted using PROCESS Model 4 and hierarchical regression.
Results:
OSD was positively associated with video game co-play behavior (β = .11, p = .001), while OSC was not significantly related (β = .06, p = .06). Video game co-play was positively associated with perceived informational (β = .11, p = .01) and instrumental (β = .16, p < .001) social support, but not with emotional support (β = .07, p = .053). Mediation analyses indicated that video game co-play mediated the relationship between OSD and informational and instrumental social support, with partial mediation for informational support and full mediation for instrumental support.
Conclusions:
While not interventional, findings highlight the potential of video game co-play as a culturally relevant digital strategy to strengthen intergenerational bonds and enhance social support. These insights inform digital health efforts to reduce social isolation and underscore the importance of integrating digital literacy and attitudinal readiness into age-inclusive policy and program design. However, the small subsample of older adults who reported co-play behavior warrants caution in generalizing findings and underscores the need for broader inclusion in future research.
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