Seniors : Achievements, activities : Online Pen Pal Study Looks at Self-Esteem
The Morningside retirement community has been chosen for a six-month study being conducted jointly by USC’s gerontology and communications departments.
The study will measure the effects online communication has on Morningside residents’ sense of self-worth, involvement in the community, feelings of loneliness and isolation, and other issues related to mental health, researchers said.
Twelve Morningside residents have online addresses and are sending weekly e-mail messages to student pen pals ranging in age from 9 to 15.
Professors conducting the study said the program aims to develop relationships between the youngsters and the seniors, then study the results of those ties.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
