A way to aging well: A qualitative study to identify psychological barriers and facilitators to the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) by older adults

Using information and communication technologies (ICT) can be a major challenge for older people. Some data exists in the literature on the elements that enable their use, but none has focused specifically on the elderly. ICT provide individuals with a means to interact with each other, thus, ICT represent a factor facilitating interactions. However, although such technologies are ever more present in our physical environment, some older adults still do not use ICT, suggesting that other barriers could exist. The aim of this study was therefore to identify the psychological barriers that prevent older people from using ICT and to identify the facilitators. These facilitators could promote the use of ICT and thus enable older adults to age well through maintaining a high level of social interactions. Thirteen older adults participated in a semi-structured interview and Nvivo 12 software was used to analyze the content. Three themes were identified: sense of self-efficacy, perception of available resources, and individual and environmental components. Each of these themes included sub-themes which were either facilitators or barriers and those of the first two themes (sense of self-efficacy, and individual and environmental components) can fluctuate from facilitator to barrier depending on the individual. By identifying psychological facilitators and barriers to older adults' use of ICT can help public and not-for-profit organizations to develop training designed for this public. Promoting older adults' use of ICT could provide a means to maintain social interactions and, thus, contribute to successful aging.