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Uchida Y, Kanamori M, Fukushima S, Takemura K. Interdependent culture and older adults' well-being: Health and psychological happiness in Japanese communities. Curr Opin Psychol 2024; 55:101729. [PMID: 38096782 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
This review article examined perspectives on the well-being and health of older adults in Japan, a nation renowned for its longevity. We emphasized the impact of social capital and social relationships in local communities, considering both individual and societal factors. The prevailing values in Japanese culture tend to foster a sustained and stable form of interdependent happiness among older adults, suggesting that communal support systems play an important role. This article highlights the value of multi-level datasets, such as the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) dataset, for understanding the influence of social participation on the health and well-being of older adults. A growing body of evidence underscores the central role of social relationships in the health and well-being of older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukiko Uchida
- Institute for the Future of Human Society, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
| | - Mariko Kanamori
- Institute for the Future of Human Society, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Shintaro Fukushima
- School of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo Woman's Christian University, Tokyo, Japan
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Jeong JA, Kim SA, Yang JH, Shin MH. Urban-Rural Differences in the Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms in Korean Adults. Chonnam Med J 2023; 59:128-133. [PMID: 37303821 PMCID: PMC10248393 DOI: 10.4068/cmj.2023.59.2.128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression among Koreans living in urban and rural areas, stratified by socioeconomic status. The study included 216,765 participants from the 2017 Korean Community Health Survey. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the PHQ-9, with a score of 10 or higher indicating depressive symptoms. Residences with the words Eup and Myeon in their addresses were categorized as rural areas, and residences with Dong in their addresses as urban areas. Socioeconomic status was evaluated by household income and education level. A Poisson regression analysis with sampling weights was conducted and adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and comorbidity. The adjusted prevalence rate of depressive symptoms was 3.33% (95% CI, 3.21-3.45) in urban areas and 2.59% (95% CI, 2.43-2.74) in rural areas. The prevalence of depressive symptoms in urban areas was 1.29 times (95% CI, 1.20-1.38) higher than in rural areas. The prevalence rate ratio for depressive symptoms in urban areas compared to rural areas sorted by monthly incomes was 1.39 (95% CI, 1.28-1.51) for less than 2 million won, 1.22 (95% CI, 1.06-1.41) for 2 to 3.99 million won, and 1.09 (95% CI, 0.90-1.32) for more than 4 million won, and the urban-rural difference was more evident in lower household income subjects (p for interaction=0.033). However, urban-rural differences did not differ according to sex, age, or education level. In conclusion, we found urban-rural differences in depressive symptoms in a representative sample of Koreans, and revealed that these differences may vary according to income level. These results suggest that mental health policy must consider the health disparities according to residence and income.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-An Jeong
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun, Korea
| | - Sun A Kim
- Honam Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gwangju, Korea
| | - Jung Ho Yang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun, Korea
| | - Min-Ho Shin
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun, Korea
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Shioya R, Nakagomi A, Ide K, Kondo K. Video call and depression among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: The JAGES one-year longitudinal study. Soc Sci Med 2023; 321:115777. [PMID: 36841222 PMCID: PMC9933485 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
Evidence of video call on preventing late-life depression during the COVID-19 pandemic is limited. We examined the associations of social contact (in-person, voice call, and video call) with incidence of depressive symptoms and evaluated whether specific factors (particularly, age and change in the frequency of in-person contact) affect these associations. We used longitudinal data from the 2019 and 2020 waves of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, including 10,523 participants aged ≥65 years in 10 municipalities. Depressive symptoms were measured by the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) score ≥5 in main analysis, and GDS-15 score ≥4, 10, or continuous variable in sensitivity analyses. Social contact represented frequency changes before and during the pandemic: non-contact (reference), decreased-contact, maintained-contact, and increased-contact. We employed modified Poisson regression analysis. Compared to non-contact of video call, the association of increased-contact of video call with depressive symptoms was insignificant in main analysis (GDS-15 ≥ 5: risk ratio (RR) = 0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.79-1.01), whereas significant in sensitivity analyses (GDS-15 ≥ 4: RR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.82-0.98; GDS-15 ≥ 10: RR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.53-0.97; GDS-15 = continuous variable: Β = -0.17, 95% CI: -0.33 to -0.002). In-person contact was significantly associated with lower incidence of depressive symptoms (non-contact: reference; maintained-contact: RR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.85-0.99; increased-contact: RR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.77-0.91), whereas voice call was not. Age and change in the frequency of in-person contact did not show significant effect modifications on the associations of video call with incidence of depressive symptoms after Bonferroni correction for multiple testing. In conclusion, this study suggests that the evidence supporting video call as a way to protect against depressive symptoms among older adults during the pandemic appears weak compared to the evidence for in-person contact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryunosuke Shioya
- Department of Social Preventive Medical Sciences, Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-33, Yayoi-Cho, Inage-Ku, Chiba-Shi, Chiba, 263-8522, Japan
| | - Atsushi Nakagomi
- Department of Social Preventive Medical Sciences, Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-33, Yayoi-Cho, Inage-Ku, Chiba-Shi, Chiba, 263-8522, Japan.
| | - Kazushige Ide
- Department of Social Preventive Medical Sciences, Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-33, Yayoi-Cho, Inage-Ku, Chiba-Shi, Chiba, 263-8522, Japan
| | - Katsunori Kondo
- Department of Social Preventive Medical Sciences, Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-33, Yayoi-Cho, Inage-Ku, Chiba-Shi, Chiba, 263-8522, Japan; Department of Gerontological Evaluation, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, Research Institute, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430, Morioka-Cho, Obu-Shi, Aichi, 474-8511, Japan
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Yamaoka Y, Doi S, Isumi A, Fujiwara T. Health and social relationships of mothers of children in special education schools. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2022; 131:104374. [PMID: 36395685 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The number of children in special education schools has increased in Japan. This study aimed to examine the association between special education school enrollment and the health and social relationships of mothers with children in these schools using population-based samples in Japan. METHODS AND PROCEDURES This study used data from the Kochi Child Health Impact of Living Difficulty (K-CHILD) study in 2016. First, fifth, eighth, and eleventh-grade children in all schools in Kochi prefecture were included (n = 12,623). Associations between school type (regular or special education school) and maternal physical and mental health and social relationships were investigated by multivariate regression models. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS There were 134 children in special education schools (1.1 %) and 12,489 children in regular schools. Mothers of children in special education schools were more likely to have higher body mass index (BMI), poorer mental health and lower neighborhood relations score. Mothers of children in regular schools had higher BMI when their children had higher behavioral problems. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Mothers of children in special education schools are at risk of obesity, poor mental health, and having fewer social networks. Services and support should be expanded for caregivers based on their child's behavioral problems and school system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yui Yamaoka
- Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satomi Doi
- Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Aya Isumi
- Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeo Fujiwara
- Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
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Zhou S, Li K, Ogihara A, Wang X. Association between social capital and depression among older adults of different genders: Evidence from Hangzhou, China. Front Public Health 2022; 10:863574. [PMID: 36033749 PMCID: PMC9412187 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.863574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
In China, it is critical to help older adults cope with depression due to the emerging impacts of factors such as increased life expectancy and the "one-child" family planning policy. Meanwhile, differences in retirement age have different effects on health in older adults of different gender. The relationship of gender differences in social capital and depression across the elderly population was unclear. Focusing on this demographic, this study conducted a telephone survey to explore the relationship between social capital and depression. Referring to electronic medical records, we randomly selected 1,042 elderly respondents (426 men, 616 women) from four areas in Hangzhou. We used social capital measurements and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) to assess social capital and depression, respectively, then employed a multivariate logistic regression and structural equation modeling to examine the associations between factors, along with a consideration of gender. This study was discovered that differences in both income and morbidity contributed to differences in social capital and depression. In our sample of elderly respondents, we also found gender-based differences in cognitive and structural social capital. Compared to men, women were more likely to attain higher social capital and less likely to develop depression. At the same time, social networking and social engagement had negative impacts on depression in women, which was not the case for men. We found that lower reciprocity (men and women), social work (men), and trust (women) indicated higher risks of depression. Reciprocity and social networks were significantly and negatively correlated with depression among male respondents; in the male model, factors of trust, reciprocity, and social participation had positive effects on reducing the risk of depression, while social networks had a negative effect. For elderly persons, these findings suggest that mental health is affected by differences in social capital caused by policy differences and cultural differences caused by gender differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Zhou
- School of Public Health, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Kai Li
- School of Medical Technology, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Atsushi Ogihara
- Department of Health Sciences and Social Welfare, Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Japan
| | - Xiaohe Wang
- School of Public Health, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China,*Correspondence: Xiaohe Wang
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The frequency of job participation and well-being of older people in Japan: Results from JAGES study. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2022; 102:104720. [DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2022.104720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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