Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University, Building No. 3, Nishiwaseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169 8050, Japan; Department of Preventive Intervention for Psychiatric Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University, Building No. 3, Nishiwaseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169 8050, Japan.
Psychiatry Res. 2022 Jan;307:114318. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114318. Epub 2021 Nov 29.
Loneliness, which is increasingly recognised as an important public health problem, may have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in the wake of social distancing measures. This study examined loneliness in Japan during the ongoing pandemic and its association with mental health. Cross-sectional online survey data that were collected at monthly intervals from April to December 2020 were analysed. Loneliness was assessed with the Three-Item Loneliness Scale. Information was also obtained on depressive (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) symptoms. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations. For the combined sample (N = 9000), 41.1% of the respondents were categorised as lonely when using ≥ 6 as a cutoff score, and 16.5% when the cutoff was ≥ 7. The prevalence of loneliness changed little across the period. Younger age, male sex and socioeconomic disadvantage (low income, deteriorating financial situation, unemployment) were associated with loneliness. In fully adjusted analyses, loneliness was linked to depressive (odds ratio [OR]: 5.78, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.08-6.57) and anxiety symptoms (OR: 5.34, 95% CI: 4.53-6.29). Loneliness is prevalent in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated with socioeconomic disadvantage and poorer mental health. A focus on loneliness as a public health issue in Japan is now warranted.
孤独感日益被视为一个重要的公共卫生问题，可能在社交隔离措施之后，随着 COVID-19 大流行而加剧。本研究调查了日本在当前大流行期间的孤独感及其与心理健康的关系。对 2020 年 4 月至 12 月期间每月收集的横断面在线调查数据进行了分析。使用三项目孤独量表评估孤独感。还获取了抑郁（PHQ-9）和焦虑（GAD-7）症状的信息。使用逻辑回归分析来检查关联。对于合并样本（N=9000），当使用≥6 作为截断值时，有 41.1%的受访者被归类为孤独，当截断值为≥7 时，有 16.5%的受访者被归类为孤独。孤独感在整个期间变化不大。年龄较小、男性和社会经济劣势（低收入、财务状况恶化、失业）与孤独感有关。在完全调整的分析中，孤独感与抑郁症状（比值比[OR]：5.78，95%置信区间[CI]：5.08-6.57）和焦虑症状（OR：5.34，95% CI：4.53-6.29）相关。在 COVID-19 大流行期间，日本的孤独感普遍存在，并与社会经济劣势和较差的心理健康有关。现在有必要将孤独感作为日本的一个公共卫生问题加以关注。
