Development of a measure to examine social network site use in older adults

The focus of this thesis is the use of Social Networking Sites (SNSs) in older adults, in the context of social wellbeing in later life. The literature review (Part 1) is a review of SNSs from an older adult perspective, encompassing characteristics of older adults who use SNSs, attitudes towards SNSs and the relationship between SNS use and social wellbeing (social isolation and loneliness), and SNS use and cognitive function. The empirical paper (Part 2) describes the development of a measure to understand SNS use in older adults, according to measure development guidelines (including consultation with the target population, piloting, and evaluation of the measure’s psychometric properties). The relationship between the measure and social wellbeing is also explored. The critical appraisal (Part 3) is comprised of two parts: a follow-up study to further investigate the limitations of the measure as found by the analysis in Part 2, and challenges encountered in undertaking research in this field