Yamashita Tadashi, Quy Pham Nguyen, Nogami Emi, Yamada Chika, Kamiya Kuniyasu, Kato Kenji
Faculty of Nursing, Kobe City College of Nursing, Kobe, Japan.
Department of Medical Oncology, Kyoto Miniren Central Hospital, Kyoto, Japan.
JMA J. 2025 Apr 28;8(2):444-452. doi: 10.31662/jmaj.2024-0134. Epub 2025 Mar 7.
Loneliness is a major factor hindering the health of migrants. There is concern that social changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to the acculturation gap with their host country, exacerbated loneliness among Vietnamese migrants in Japan. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the prevalence of loneliness and to evaluate the relationship with depressive and anxiety symptoms among Vietnamese migrants in Japan.
We used a cross-sectional study design with a self-administered questionnaire. The data were collected from May 2 to June 6, 2022. The target population for this study was Vietnamese migrants living in Japan, 213 of whom were included in the analysis. The questionnaire consisted of items regarding participants' characteristics, socioeconomic status, social support, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scores, and University of California Los Angeles 3-Item Loneliness Scale scores. Logistic regression analysis was performed with depressive and anxiety symptoms as dependent variables and loneliness and other socioeconomic factors as independent variables.
The mean age of the participants was 26.8 ± 4.4 years. The study included 112 men (52.6%) and 101 women (47.4%). Their mean years of residence in Japan was 4.4 ± 2.5 years. The mean score on the University of California Los Angeles 3-Item Loneliness Scale was 7.2 ± 2.4. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that depressive symptoms were associated with loneliness (odds ratio [OR]: 1.797; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.434-2.251). Similarly, factors associated with anxiety disorders included loneliness (OR: 2.051; 95% CI: 0.204-1.750).
Loneliness is a significant factor contributing to depressive and anxiety symptoms among Vietnamese migrants in Japan. Therefore, reducing loneliness is essential to improving the mental health and overall well-being of the rapidly growing Vietnamese migrant population.
孤独是阻碍移民健康的一个主要因素。人们担心，除了与东道国的文化适应差距外，新冠疫情导致的社会变化加剧了在日本的越南移民的孤独感。因此，本研究旨在明确孤独感的患病率，并评估在日本的越南移民中孤独感与抑郁和焦虑症状之间的关系。
我们采用横断面研究设计，使用自填式问卷。数据收集于2022年5月2日至6月6日。本研究的目标人群是居住在日本的越南移民，其中213人纳入分析。问卷包括有关参与者特征、社会经济地位、社会支持、患者健康问卷-9得分、广泛性焦虑障碍-7得分以及加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校3项孤独感量表得分的项目。以抑郁和焦虑症状作为因变量，孤独感和其他社会经济因素作为自变量进行逻辑回归分析。
参与者的平均年龄为26.8±4.4岁。研究包括112名男性（52.6%）和101名女性（47.4%）。他们在日本的平均居住年限为4.4±2.5年。加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校3项孤独感量表的平均得分为7.2±2.4。多因素逻辑回归分析显示，抑郁症状与孤独感相关（比值比[OR]：1.797；95%置信区间[CI]：1.434 - 2.251）。同样，与焦虑症相关的因素包括孤独感（OR：2.051；95% CI：0.204 - 1.750）。
孤独是导致在日本的越南移民出现抑郁和焦虑症状的一个重要因素。因此，减少孤独感对于改善快速增长的越南移民群体的心理健康和整体幸福感至关重要。
