Connecting despite instrumental activities decline: The role of internet use

Functional decline is often associated to the aging and can often lead to reduced social interaction particularly with friends. However, internet use may compensate this situation. This study investigates the moderating role of internet use in the relationship between Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) and the presence of friends in the confidant networks. Participants were 68,192 individuals aged 50+ from 27 countries who participated in Wave 9 of the SHARE survey. Logistic regression analyses were performed. Our finding reveals that the majority of participants do not have friends in their confidant network. The main finding is that older adults experiencing 1+ IADL limitations who also use the internet are 32% more likely to have friends in their network. This indicates that internet use significantly buffers the negative impact of IADL limitations on maintaining friendships. The primary contribution of this research is highlighting the internet’s crucial role as a compensatory mechanism, enabling older adults to sustain social connections with friends despite functional challenges.