Information technology ability mediates the association between older adults’ subjective age and social activity: A STROBE-compliant cross-sectional analysis

Background The association between subjective age and social activity has been reported in the extant literature, but whether this association is mediated by information technology ability and its domains (i.e., internet use assessment, packaged software use assessment, and innovativeness attitude) has not been examined. Aim To assess the association between subjective age and social activity and to ascertain whether this association is mediated by information technology ability. Methods This study adopted a cross-sectional design characterising sensitivity analyses and common methods bias. The participants were 895 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years or higher in Accra, Ghana. We measured subjective age, information technology ability, and social activity with previously validated Likert scales, each of which was internally consistent at a Cronbach's α ≥0.7. The data were analysed with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and hierarchical linear regression (HLR) analysis. Results Subjective age was positively associated with social activity, and this association was partially mediated by information technology ability but none of the three domains of information technology ability mediated this relationship. Subjective age was positively associated with information technology ability and its three domains. Information technology ability (but not its domains) was positively associated with social activity. Conclusion Older subjective age was associated with higher social activity through information technology ability. Social activity and information technology ability levels among older adults depend on subjective age, which has implications for ageing and gerontology as reported in this paper.