The use of digital technology and its impacts on subjective wellbeing of adult populations

Authors

  • Dr Sabitra Kaphle Central Queensland University, Melbourne, Australia Author
  • Alejandra Fernandez Torres Central Queensland University, Melbourne, Australia Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65544/77vx5x87

Keywords:

public health, pandemic, digital technologies, subjective wellbeings, adult, populations, Australia

Abstract

Subjective wellbeing (SWB) reflects to how individual experience and evaluate their life and often refers as self-reported measures of wellbeing.  It has been recognised that increasing use of digital technology has impacts on the sense of wellbeing. This study was operated in the course of the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic which aimed to investigate the outcomes of the utilization of digital technologies on SWB among the adult populations residing in Metropolitan Melbourne areas of Victoria region in Australia.  

This study used a mixed-methods approach for data collection which incorporated an online survey and Semi-structured in-depth interviews. Both survey and interviews focused on exploring the critical domains that included changes in use of digital technology and its relationship to life satisfaction, sense of social connection, and outcomes on mental health. The results of this research demonstrate a significant decline in SWB which was linked to hard restrictions for social movements during lockdown, increased level of stress, and changes in relationships. 

While utilization of digital technologies has been beneficial to manage the work from home and social connections with families and friends, the significant increased in screen time didn’t help to address the feelings of loneliness among adults. Overall, the results of this study suggest a balance use of digital technology that helps to manage the wellbeing and social connections in the adverse life situations.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Dr Sabitra Kaphle, Central Queensland University, Melbourne, Australia

    Dr Sabitra Kaphle has over 20 years of international experience in research, education, gender equity, and health policy. She is a qualitative and cross-cultural researcher specialising in designing culturally safe and effective interventions for low-resource, socially complex, remote, and disadvantaged communities.

    Her work advocates for amplifying the voices of vulnerable groups to promote equity and access to education, economic resources, and health services. Dr Kaphle's research explores the intersections of gender, social inequities, health, culture, and structural disadvantage. She also serves in advisory roles on gender-based policy and health systems across multiple countries.

    Dr Kaphle is widely published in her areas of expertise, including her book Socio-cultural Insights of Childbirth in South Asia (Routledge, 2022). She currently works as a Senior Lecturer with School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences at Central Queensland University, Australia.

    DECLARATION

    All visual illustrations included in this article were produced using DALL-E, a text-to-image generative system developed by OpenAI. Each image was created specifically for this publication and constitutes an original visual composition. The illustrations do not reproduce, adapt, or derive from any pre-existing copyrighted works and are free from third-party copyright restrictions. The images may be used, reproduced, and distributed as part of this article in accordance with standard academic and scholarly use.

  • Alejandra Fernandez Torres , Central Queensland University, Melbourne, Australia

    Alejandra Fernandez Torres holds a Master of Public Health from Central Queensland University with expertise in information technology, communications, data science and public health.

    DECLARATION
    All visual illustrations included in this article were produced using DALL-E, a text-to-image generative system developed by OpenAI. Each image was created specifically for this publication and constitutes an original visual composition. The illustrations do not reproduce, adapt, or derive from any pre-existing copyrighted works and are free from third-party copyright restrictions. The images may be used, reproduced, and distributed as part of this article in accordance with standard academic and scholarly use.

References

Downloads

Published

26-01-2026

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): Inaugural Issue of Integrated Perspectives

Section

Articles

Categories

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Dr Sabitra Kaphle, Alejandra Fernandez Torres (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

Under this license, anyone is free to read, download, copy, distribute, share, reuse, adapt, translate, and build upon the article, including for commercial purposes, without seeking prior permission.

The only requirement is that appropriate credit must be given to the author(s) and the journal.
This includes citing the author name(s), article title, journal name, and a link to the CC Attribution 4.0 license, and indicating if any changes were made.

How to Cite

The use of digital technology and its impacts on subjective wellbeing of adult populations. (2026). Integrated Perspectives: A Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.65544/77vx5x87

Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.