The Relationship between Social Activity and Emotional Well-Being by Age Group: The Moderating Effect of Technology Literacy

Abstract

This study verified the moderating effect of technology literacy on the relationship between social activities and the emotional well-being of the middle-aged, young-old, and old-old groups. To this end, we conducted the ｢2019 Technology Adoption Study of Middle-aged and Older Koreans(TASK)｣. We collected data from 500 community-dwelling Koreans aged 55 years and older. After that, performed analysis of variance(ANOVA) and controlled regression analysis by dividing the age group into 247 middle-aged(55-64 years old), 140 young-old groups(65-74 years old), and 113 old-old groups(75 years or older). As a result, in the case of middle-aged and young-old groups, social activity and technology literacy had a significant effect on emotional well-being. The middle-aged found technology literacy to have a moderating effect. However, the case of the old-old group found that social activities did not have a statistical relationship with emotional well-being. Therefore, this study expanded the academic discussion by examining the effects of social activities on the emotional well-being of middle-aged, young-old, and old-old. In particular, the practical and policy implications of promoting a high level of emotional well-being by enhancing technology literacy for middle-aged people and maximizing the positive impact of social activities on emotional well-being were proposed.