Efficiency of Technical Assistance on Psychological Well-being and Work-life Balance: A Secondary Exploratory Qualitative Research

Abstract

Introduction: The effects of technical support on psychological health and work-life balance have long been a source of discussion. By examining and reviewing the research on technology and its effects on these factors in four major domains-education, organisation, health, and gerontology-this study seeks to investigate this problem. Aim: To understand the impact of technical assistance on psychological well-being and work-life balance. Materials and Methods: The data were collected online by reviewing relevant research papers from the past 22 years, from April 2000 to August 2022, at the Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. The process of data collection began in June 2023 and took two months (until August 2023) to review, refine, analyse, and form conclusions based on the obtained results. Qualitative exploratory research was carried out by reviewing publications about technology and its effects on the specified variables in four major domains-education, organisation, health, and gerontology. To explain the patterns of connections between the variables, the research utilised content analysis. Results: Themes were generated based on the content that was obtained from the extensive review of the articles in each sector. Four themes in each sector were obtained. In the Educational Sector, “Addictive Behaviour”, “Enhancing Support”, “Learning Outcome”, and “Supervisor Support” were obtained; In the Organisational Sector, “Social Capital”, “Social Media Fatigue”, “Schedule Flexibility”, “Remote Working” were obtained; In the Health Sector, “Interventions for Improvement”, “Digital Depression”, “Injury and Health Support”, and “Digital Divide” were obtained; and in the Gerontology Sector, “Technological Readiness and social exclusion”, “Technical Knowledge”, “Social Interaction and Communication”, and “Enhancing Independence” were obtained, accounting for both dimensions, namely psychological well-being and work-life balance. Conclusion: The study’s conclusions imply that rapid technological advancements have both beneficial and detrimental effects on several facets of human functioning. It can also be said that attempts to apply the newest technology to solve human problems efficiently and effectively can lead to the best possible use of technology. The optimal use of technology can help mitigate the negative impacts and maximise the positive impacts.

Keywords

• education
• gerontology
• health
• organisation