Multidimensional digital literacy and quality of life among informal care dyads in Malaysia: cross-sectional survey

Background: Digital literacy (DL) is a key determinant of health and social participation in later life. In Malaysia, where population aging and family caregiving are rising, limited digital engagement among older adults may widen the gray digital divide. As caregivers and care recipients are interdependent, their digital capacities may jointly shape each other’s quality of life (QoL). Objective: This study examined the multidimensional associations between DL and QoL among informal caregivers and care recipients in Malaysia and explored dyadic actor-partner effects. Methods: A cross-sectional dyadic survey was conducted with 72 caregiver-care recipient dyads (N=144) recruited from 4 sites across Klang Valley, Malaysia, through purposive sampling. Dyads were the unit of analysis. DL was measured using the 22-item Everyday Digital Literacy Questionnaire across 3 dimensions (information and communication, content creation and management [CCM], and safety and security [SS]), while QoL was assessed with the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF. Partial least squares structural equation modeling tested dimension-specific links, and the actor-partner interdependence model examined bidirectional effects. Results: Caregivers reported higher DL and QoL than care recipients. Among caregivers, only “SS” significantly predicted QoL (β=.44, P<.001); among care recipients, all 3 dimensions were significant, with “CCM” showing the strongest effect (β=.53, P<.001). The actor-partner interdependence model indicated significant actor and partner effects (caregiver actor β=.53, partner β=.34; care recipient actor β=.60, partner β=.45; all P<.001), explaining 62% and 60% of variance in QoL. Conclusions: DL shows a clear actor-partner pattern. For actor effects, caregivers’ QoL was linked to their own SS skills, while care recipients’ QoL was linked to their own CCM skills. Partner effects showed that care recipients’ CCM skills also predicted caregivers’ QoL. Both effects were significant, indicating interdependence within the caregiving dyad. These findings can inform dyad-focused and dimension-specific DL interventions to enhance mutual well-being.

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