Computer Anxiety and Interaction: A Systematic Review

Abstract

With the increasing use of technology in everyday life, one would expect that the use of computers would be comfortable and straightforward for everyone. However, some people still feel intimidated when using computers. Those people experience multiple levels of anxiety and, for high levels of anxiety, manifest what is known as Computer Anxiety. People with Computer Anxiety (PwCA) face problems when using computers/technology at home, in the workplace, or for study purposes, which might result in multiple forms of barriers. This work contributes with a systematic review, summarizing the main approaches related to Computer Anxiety and the understanding of the contexts of use involving PwCA. The main results are that Computer Anxiety Rating Scale (CARS) is the most popular scale for measuring Computer Anxiety, Computer Self-Efficacy has a negative strong relationship with Computer Anxiety, experience in using computers reduces Computer Anxiety, PwCA tend to take more time to complete tasks, and that higher education levels are related with lower levels of Computer Anxiety. The results obtained are valuable for researchers working on identifying and removing barriers in systems targeting the population of older adults, given that they are greatly impacted by factors leading to Computer Anxiety.