A multidimensional structure of digital anxiety in older people with scale development and validation

Inroduction As digital technologies become increasingly embedded in everyday life, older people may experience persistent psychological challenges when engaging with complex and evolving digital systems. This study examines digital anxiety as a multidimensional construct in later life and develops a corresponding measurement scale. Drawing on technostress theory and related gerontological perspectives, digital anxiety is conceptualized as comprising four dimensions: operational learning anxiety, technological risk anxiety, ability-based exclusion anxiety, and privacy and institutional anxiety. Methods Data were collected from three independent samples. The main sample ( N = 691) was split for exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Additional model comparisons were conducted to examine alternative factor structures. Reliability and validity were evaluated through internal consistency, test–retest reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and associations with external constructs. Results Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a correlated four-factor structure with acceptable model fit. Additional model comparisons indicated that the substantial covariance among ability-based exclusion anxiety, operational learning anxiety, and privacy and institutional anxiety could also be represented by a partial second-order factor, whereas technological risk anxiety remained a separate first-order dimension. The scale demonstrated high internal consistency, satisfactory test–retest reliability, acceptable convergent validity, and generally supportive but not unequivocal evidence of discriminant validity. Criterion-related validity was supported through associations with technostress-related constructs and weak correlations with life satisfaction. Discussion The findings provide a psychometrically promising instrument for examining digital anxiety among older people. The results support the multidimensional conceptualization of digital anxiety while highlighting the need for further examination of the relationships among its constituent dimensions.