This study examines the impact of a disaster awareness education program on general disaster preparedness beliefs in Türkiye, utilizing the Health Belief Model as a theoretical framework.

A quasi-experimental, single-group design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up measurements was employed. Participants were enrolled in a Disaster Awareness Education course at a Public Education Center. Data were gathered using a demographic questionnaire and the General Disaster Preparedness Belief (GDPB) Scale. Repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to assess changes over time.

Significant improvements were observed in perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy following the intervention. While male participants showed no significant changes, female and middle-income participants experienced substantial improvements. Perceived susceptibility initially increased but reverted to baseline at follow-up. Perceived severity decreased and remained low, whereas perceived barriers declined post-education but were not sustained. Cues to action showed a steady increase, suggesting ongoing motivation. Self-efficacy improved significantly and was maintained over time.

Disaster education has a positive impact on general disaster preparedness beliefs. Tailored interventions may be especially beneficial for specific demographic groups such as males and lower-income individuals. It is recommended that future studies investigate the mechanisms underlying demographic disparities in educational impact, particularly among male and low-income participants.

Longitudinal evidence on how Internet use affects the psychological wellbeing of older adults has been mixed. As policymakers invest in efforts to reduce the digital divide, it is important to have robust evidence on whether encouraging Internet use among older adults is beneficial, or potentially detrimental, to their wellbeing.

We observe depressive symptoms and loneliness of adults aged 50 + in the nationally representative English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, from before (2018/19) to during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (June/July and November/December 2020). Our quasi-experimental difference-in-differences strategy compares within-individual wellbeing changes between older adults who desired to use the Internet more but experienced barriers including lack of skills, access, and equipment, with regular Internet users who did not desire to use the Internet more. To reduce selection bias, we match both groups on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics that are predictive of Internet use. We assume that in the absence of COVID-19 – a period of increased reliance on the Internet – the wellbeing trajectories of both groups would have followed a common trend.

Compared with matched controls (N = 2983), participants reporting barriers to Internet use (N = 802) experienced a greater increase in the likelihood of depressive symptoms from before to during the pandemic, but not worse loneliness levels. This effect was stronger for women, those aged above 65 years, and those from lower-income households.

Besides enabling access to digital services, efforts to ensure older adults continue to be engaged members of an increasingly digital society could deliver returns in terms of a buffer against psychological distress.