الفهرس 
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Abstract
Digital literacy is becoming increasingly important for older adults as more services and
information are transition online. Having strong digital skills can help older adults stay
socially connected to family and friends, manage their health, and access important resources
,social technology use facilitating the older adults integration into digital age and promoting
social connectedness (Sen et al.,2022).
The aim of this study was to:
Identify the relationship between digital literacy and social connectedness among
community- dwelling older adults.
Material and method
A. Material:
Study design: A descriptive correlational research design was used to carry out this
study.
Setting: The study was conducted at two older adult clubs, namely: Al Wafaa Club, and
Al Hayaht and Al Amal Club, Alexandria, Egypt.
Subjects: The study included a convenience sample of ninety (90) older adult clients
who were aged 60 years and above, able to read and write, have DCTDs such as a mobile
phone, tablet, IPad, or computer, have normal cognitive function on the Saint Louis
University Mental Status (SLUMS) Examination, have no depression (score less than 3) on
the Patient Health Questionnaire - 2 (PHQ-2).
Tools: Five tools were used for data collection.
Tool (I): Saint Louis University Mental Status Examination (SLUMS) :
This tool was developed by Tariq et al. (2006).it is used to assess the cognitive
function of older adults and identify those with cognitive impairment. The scoring of the
items depends on the level of education of the respondents. For high education, normal
response takes a score from 27 to 30.While for respondents with less than a high school
education, normal response takes a score from 25 to 30.
Tool (II): Patient Health Questionnaire- 2 (PHQ-2):
This tool was developed by Li et al. (2007). It is used to assess the frequency of
depressed mood and anhedonia over the past two weeks included in 2 questions using 4-
points Likert scale from (0) Not at all to nearly every day (3). If the score was 3 or greater,
major depressive disorder is likely. If the score is less than three (3), no depression is likely.
Tool (III): Older Adults’ Socio-Demographic and Clinical Data Structured Interview
Schedule:
This tool was developed by the researcher based on the review of relevant literature, it
was consist of two parts as follows:
1. Part I: - Socio-demographic data of the older adults such as age, gender, marital status,
level of education, type of digital communication technology devices (DCTDs) the older
adult have, occupation prior to retirement, and monthly income.
2. Part II: - Clinical data of the older adult such as medical diagnosis, medical health
history including hearing and vision problems, signs and symptoms of the disease, and the
presence of health problems impede the use of DCTDs.
Tool (IV): The social connectedness scale - Revised (SCS-R):
This tool was developed by Lee&Robbins (1995). It is used to measure social
connectedness as a psychological sense of belonging. Responses to the scale range from 1
(strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree). Some modifications made to the Likert scale to
enhance its suitability for older adults, and responses were measured using a 3-point Likert
scale, where 1 indicates strong disagreement, 2 indicates mild agreement, and 3 indicates
strong agreement. Items are summed, a higher score indicates a higher level of social
connectedness. Scoring system of SCS-R is as follows: a score of less than 33.33% indicates
low level of social connectedness. A score of 33.33% to less than 66.67% indicates moderate
level of social connectedness, while a score of 66.67% or more indicates high level of social
connectedness.
Tool (V): Older Adults’ digital literacy structured interview schedule:
This tool was developed by the researcher based on the review of relevant literature to
evaluate the digital literacy of older adults. This tool assesses the ability of older adults to
perform various operations on DCTDs, It includes questions related to older adults‘
proficiency in performing the fundamental device functions as turning the device on and off,
proficiency in performing communication tasks as opening emails, proficiency of data and file
storage tasks as transferring files such as (photos) from portable device to the computer, and
utilizing the internet as use search engines (Google). Additionally, questions related to
efficiency in utilizing calendar software as adding events into a calendar, engagement in
entertainment activities as watching movies and videos, and maintaining privacy as setting up
a password to lock/unlock the device. Additionally questions related to troubleshooting and
software management as restarting the device when it is malfunction Responses to the
questions: Yes, No and Never tried. Yes take a score of one (1), No, and Never tried take a
score of zero (0). The higher the scores on this tool, the greater the level of digital literacy of
the respondents .Scoring system of the tool is as follows: A score of less than 33.33%
indicates low level of DL, while a score of 33.33 % to less than 66.67% indicates moderate
level of DL, and a score of 66.67% and more indicates high level of DL.
B. Method:
The study was carried out in two phases:
1- Preparation phase:
The necessary approvals for the study were obtained from responsible authorities.
The Arabic version of tool I and tool II were used to select the study subjects included
in the study.
Tool III and Tool V was developed by the researcher.
Tool IV was translated into the Arabic language by the researcher.
Tool IV and V were tested for content validity by five experts and necessary
modifications was done.
Tool IV were tested for reliability using Cronbach‘s Alpha, yielding an α value of
(0.794).
Tool V were tested for reliability using Cronbach‘s Alpha, resulting an internal
consistency of α (0.954).
A pilot study was conducted on a sample of older adults comprising 10% (9) of the
study subjects to evaluate the applicability, clarity, and feasibility of the research
instruments.
Based on the findings from the pilot study, necessary adjustments were implemented.
2- Data collection stage:
For Al Hayaht and Al Amal clubs, the researcher used to attend two days per week
(Sundays and Tuesdays) from 12 pm to 4 pm. For El Wafaa Club, the researcher used to
attend two days per week (Mondays and Thursdays) from 10 am to 1 pm.
Each study subject was interviewed individually by the researcher. The researcher used
to start the interview by introducing herself and the purpose of the study.
The researcher conducted interviews with 5 to 10 elderly individuals daily. The duration
of each interview varied between 20 and 40 minutes.
Data collection commenced on mid April 2023 and ended in mid July 2023.
The main results obtained from this study are as follows:
Regards sex, 51.1% of participants were males. In terms of age, 80% of study subjects their
age was range from 60 to 70 years, with a mean age of 66.37±6.00. 64.5% of the study
subjects were married, additionally 46.7% were have secondary education, and 45.6% were
employee.
Concerning the current work status, 68.9% of participants did not have a current work, and
84.4% demonstrate have enough income, all study subjects 100% were using mobile phone,
and majority of them were use DCTDs on a daily basis since more than three years.
As for the clinical data, 68.9% of the study subjects were found to have chronic diseases
where among them, hypertension and diabetes mellitus were reported by 56.5% and 54.8%
of the study subjects; respectively.Additionally 36.7% of the study subjects reported
experiencing health problems impede DCTDs use, among these problems, visual
impairments were the most prevalent, as reported by 94% of the study subjects.
With respect to levels of social connectedness of study subjects, 92.2% were have a high
level of social connectedness, while 1.1% demonstrate a low level of social connectedness.
In terms of levels of digital literacy of participants, 44.4% were have a high level of digital
literacy, while 23.4% were have a low level.
With respect to the relationship between DL and social connectedness, it was noted that
there was a positive statistically significant correlation between DL and social
connectedness (p<0.001).
Conclusion:
In Conclusion, the present study aimed to identify the relationship between digital
literacy and social connectedness among community-dwelling older adults. The study
findings revealed that high level of digital literacy have a positive significant correlation with
high level of social connectedness. Moreover significant correlations were found between
digital literacy and several characteristics of the study older adults, these are level of
education, residential area, living conditions, occupation before retirement, the type of
DCTDs used, the duration of using DCTDs, the frequency of utilizing these devices, and the
availability of internet connection. Overall the findings of this study provide important
insights into the relationship between digital literacy and social connectedness.
The main recommendations:
1. Provide digital literacy training programs for older adults that address their needs in
their attendance days to the clubs. These programs should focus not only on technical
skills but also on critical thinking, information literacy, and online safety and also
explain its importance to maintain social connectedness.
2. Clubs administration facilitates the availability of DCTDs at the clubs for the older
adults who attend the club. Assistance in this regard to be provided by a professional in
the club.