Internet Use as a Moderator of the Relationship Between PersonalResources and Stress in Older Adults:Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Internet use has dramatically increased worldwide, with over two-thirds of the world's population using it,including the older adult population. Technical resources such as internet use have been shown to influence psychological processessuch as stress positively. Following the Conservation of Resources theory by Hobfoll, stress experience largely depends onindividuals'personal resources and the changes in these resources. While personal resource loss has been shown to lead to stress,we know little regarding the role that technical resources may play on the relationship between personal resources and stress. Objective: This study aims to investigate the moderating effect of technical resources (internet use) on the relationship betweenpersonal resources and stress in younger and older adults.Methods: A total of 275 younger adults (aged 18 to 30 years) and 224 older adults (aged >= 65 years) indicated their levels ofstress; change in personal resources (ie, cognitive, social, and self-efficacy resource loss and gain); and internet use. Varianceanalyses, multiple regression, and moderation analyses were performed to investigate the correlates of stress. Results: Results showed that older adults, despite experiencing higher levels of resource loss (questionnaire scores: 1.82 vs1.54; P<.001) and less resource gain (questionnaire scores: 1.82 vs 2.31; P<.001), were less stressed than younger adults(questionnaire scores: 1.99 vs 2.47; P<.001). We observed that the relationship among resource loss, resource gain, and stress inolder adults was moderated by their level of internet use (beta=.09; P=.05). Specifically, older adults who used the internet morefrequently were less stressed when they experienced high levels of both loss and gain compared to their counterparts who usedinternet the less in the same conditions. Furthermore, older adults with low resource gain and high resource loss expressed lessstress when they used the internet more often compared to those with low internet use. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of internet use in mitigating stress among older adults experiencingresource loss and gain, emphasizing the potential of digital interventions to promote mental health in this population