1
|
Cala VC, Ortega F. Understanding the Sociocultural Dynamics of Loneliness in Southern Spanish Youth. Cult Med Psychiatry 2024:10.1007/s11013-024-09861-9. [PMID: 38864972 DOI: 10.1007/s11013-024-09861-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Loneliness among young people has been increasing in recent years and is considered a major public health problem. This article delves into the sociocultural dynamics that favour the experiences of loneliness. For this purpose, 40 students between 19 and 24 years of age were interviewed using the photo elicitation interview (PEI) strategy. The results show a gradual normalization of the experience of loneliness and an effort to become accustomed to it. Virtual relationships and isolation linked to the COVID-19 pandemic are considered the two factors that have most enabled a climate prone to loneliness. Young people identify a few elements that feed social loneliness, such as an understanding of instrumental relationships, a scarcity of intimate relationships, a demand for hyperconnectivity, a fantasy of independence and a culture of positivity that hinders the establishment of quality social ties. Faced with hostile relational conditions, youth are sent into a cycle of loneliness. The greater the distrust of the environment is, the greater the defensive reactions and social distancing, and the greater the search for nearby spaces of refuge, security and shelter. Social withdrawal makes in-person relationships difficult and strengthens the need to isolate and become accustomed to loneliness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Verónica C Cala
- Research Methods Department, University of Almeria, Crtra sacramento s/n 04120 (2.11 office, central building), Almería, Spain.
| | - Francisco Ortega
- Medical Anthropology Research Center (MARC), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kotozaki Y, Tanno K, Otsuka K, Sasaki R, Sasaki M. Longitudinal changes in depressive symptoms associated with social isolation after the Great East Japan Earthquake in Iwate Prefecture: findings from the TMM CommCohort study. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1154. [PMID: 37337230 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16082-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Whether past disaster experiences affect the association between changes in social isolation and depressive symptoms is largely unknown. This study examined the association between changes in social isolation and depressive symptoms among survivors who experienced earthquake damage in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE). METHODS We analyzed longitudinal data from 10,314 participants who responded to self-report questionnaires on the Lubben Social Network Scale-6 (LSNS-6) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depressive Scale (CES-D) in both the baseline survey (FY2013 to FY2015) and follow-up survey (FY2017 to FY2019) after the GEJE. According to changes in the presence of social isolation (< 12 of LSNS-6) at two time points, participants were categorized into four groups: "not socially isolated," "improved socially isolated," "newly socially isolated," and "continuously socially isolated." At the follow-up survey, a CES-D score of ≥ 16 indicates the presence of depressive symptoms. The adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using the logistic regression analysis to examine the influence of the change in social isolation over four years on depressive symptoms. RESULTS Participants who were newly socially isolated had a significantly higher prevalence of depressive symptoms than those who were not socially isolated (AOR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.61 - 2.23). In addition, AORs were highest for those who were continuously socially isolated and had experienced house damage (AOR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.73 - 2.72) and those who were newly socially isolated and had not experienced the death of family members due to the GEJE (AOR = 1.88, 95%CI = 1.60 - 2.22). CONCLUSION Our longitudinal findings suggest that being newly or continuously socially isolated is associated with a risk of depressive symptoms, not only among those who had experienced house damage or the death of a family member, but also those who had not, in the disaster-affected area. Our study underlines the clinical importance of social isolation after a large-scale natural disaster and draws attention to the need for appropriate prevention measures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuka Kotozaki
- Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan.
| | - Kozo Tanno
- Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan
- Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan
| | - Kotaro Otsuka
- Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan
| | - Ryohei Sasaki
- Division of Physical Education, Department of Human Sciences, Iwate Medical University Center for Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iwate, Japan
| | - Makoto Sasaki
- Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan
- Division of Ultrahigh Field MRI, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Iwate Medical University, Iwate, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Shiba K, Hikichi H, Okuzono SS, VanderWeele TJ, Arcaya M, Daoud A, Cowden RG, Yazawa A, Zhu DT, Aida J, Kondo K, Kawachi I. Long-Term Associations between Disaster-Related Home Loss and Health and Well-Being of Older Survivors: Nine Years after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2022; 130:77001. [PMID: 35776697 PMCID: PMC9249145 DOI: 10.1289/ehp10903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little research has examined associations between disaster-related home loss and multiple domains of health and well-being, with extended long-term follow-up and comprehensive adjustment for pre-disaster characteristics of survivors. OBJECTIVES We examined the longitudinal associations between disaster-induced home loss and 34 indicators of health and well-being, assessed ∼9y post-disaster. METHODS We used data from a preexisting cohort study of Japanese older adults in an area directly impacted by the 2011 Japan Earthquake (n=3,350 and n=2,028, depending on the outcomes). The study was initiated in 2010, and disaster-related home loss status was measured in 2013 retrospectively. The 34 outcomes were assessed in 2020 and covered dimensions of physical health, mental health, health behaviors/sleep, social well-being, cognitive social capital, subjective well-being, and prosocial/altruistic behaviors. We estimated the associations between disaster-related home loss and the outcomes, using targeted maximum likelihood estimation and SuperLearner. We adjusted for pre-disaster characteristics from the wave conducted 7 months before the disaster (i.e., 2010), including prior outcome values that were available. RESULTS After Bonferroni correction for multiple testing, we found that home loss (vs. no home loss) was associated with increased posttraumatic stress symptoms (standardized difference=0.50; 95% CI: 0.35, 0.65), increased daily sleepiness (0.38; 95% CI: 0.21, 0.54), lower trust in the community (-0.36; 95% CI: -0.53, -0.18), lower community attachment (-0.60; 95% CI: -0.75, -0.45), and lower prosociality (-0.39; 95% CI: -0.55, -0.24). We found modest evidence for the associations with increased depressive symptoms, increased hopelessness, more chronic conditions, higher body mass index, lower perceived mutual help in the community, and decreased happiness. There was little evidence for associations with the remaining 23 outcomes. DISCUSSION Home loss due to a disaster may have long-lasting adverse impacts on the cognitive social capital, mental health, and prosociality of older adult survivors. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10903.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Koichiro Shiba
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hiroyuki Hikichi
- Division of Public Health, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Sakurako S. Okuzono
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tyler J. VanderWeele
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mariana Arcaya
- Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Adel Daoud
- Institute for Analytical Sociology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Division of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Richard G. Cowden
- Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Aki Yazawa
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Center for Clinical Sciences, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - David T. Zhu
- Faculty of Science, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jun Aida
- Department of Oral Health Promotion, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Katsunori Kondo
- Department of Gerontological Evaluation, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Aichi, Japan
- Department of Social Preventive Medical Sciences, Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Ichiro Kawachi
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|