ArticleArchives of gerontology and geriatrics
Association of social isolation and smartphone use on cognitive functions.
Article in Archives of gerontology and geriatrics. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- A meta-analysis of technology use and cognitive aging.Nature human behaviour · 2025Pooled it
- Development of a Predictive Model for the Onset of Loneliness in Older Adults From the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology-Study of Geriatric Syndromes.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2026Article
- Association between cognitive function and smartphone ownership among Japanese very old adults: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Quantitative Research on Digitalized Treatment Options for Older Adults With Mental Illness: Scoping Review.JMIR mental health · 2025Article
- Multi-trajectories in different domains of social supports and subjective motoric cognitive risk syndrome: a 16-year group-based multi-trajectory analysis.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2024Article
- The association between the diversity of online activities on smartphones and cognitive function among middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults.BMC public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe number of socially isolated older adults has increased owing to the coronavirus disease pandemic, thus leading to a decrease in cognitive functions among this group. Smartphone use is expected to be a reasonable preventive measure against cognitive decline in this social context. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the influence of social isolation and smartphone use on cognitive functions in community-dwelling older adults.
methodsWe divided 4,601 community-dwelling older adults into four groups based on their levels of social isolation and smartphone use. Then, we conducted cognitive functions tests including a word list memory task, trail-making test, and symbol digit substitution task. Social isolation was defined when participants met two or more of the following measures: domestic isolation, less social contact, and social disengagement. We used an analysis of covariance adjusted by background information to measure between-group differences in levels of cognitive functions and social isolation. A linear regression model was used to analyze the association of standardized scores of cognitive function tests with smartphone use.
resultsSmartphone users' scores of the symbol digit substitution task were superior compared with both non-users with social isolation and without. All cognitive functions were associated with smartphone use among non-socially and socially isolated participants. Socially isolated older adults showed an association only between trail making test- part A and smartphone use.
conclusionsSmartphone use was associated with cognitive functions (memory, attentional function, executive function, and processing speed) even in socially isolated community-dwelling older adults.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.