Abstract
ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate longitudinal relations between leisure and social activities and mental health status, considering the presence or absence of other persons in the activity as an additional variable, among middle-aged adults in Japan. This study used nationally representative data in Japan with a five-year follow-up period.MethodsThis study focused on 16,642 middle-aged adults, age 50–59 at baseline, from a population-based, six-year panel survey conducted by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. To investigate the relations between two leisure activities (‘hobbies or cultural activities’ and ‘exercise or sports’) and four social activities (‘community events’, ‘support for children’, ‘support for elderly individuals’ and ‘other social activities’) at baseline and mental health status at follow-up, multiple logistic regression analysis was used. We also used multiple logistic regression analysis to investigate the association between ways of participating in these activities (‘by oneself’, ‘with others’, or ‘both’ (both ‘by oneself’ and ‘with others’)) at baseline and mental health status at follow-up.ResultsInvolvement in both leisure activity categories, but not in social activities, was significantly and positively related to mental health status in both men and women.Furthermore, in men, both ‘hobbies or cultural activities’ and ‘exercise or sports’ were significantly related to mental health status only when conducted ‘with others’. In women, the effects of ‘hobbies or cultural activities’ on mental health status were no differences regardless of the ways of participating, while the result of ‘exercise or sports’ was same as that in men.ConclusionsLeisure activities appear to benefit mental health status among this age group, whereas specific social activities do not. Moreover, participation in leisure activities would be effective especially if others are present. These findings should be useful for preventing the deterioration of mental health status in middle-aged adults in Japan.
Highlights
The prevalence rate of mental disorders has been increasing in Japan
Mental health problems are an important contributor to the risk of suicide [2], which was the third most common cause of death among middle-aged Japanese adults in 2013 [3]
A cross-sectional study in Japan, Wada et al reported that regular leisure activity was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms among workers age 20 to 69 [6], and Wakui et al, using two-year longitudinal data, reported that doing leisure activities at least once per week was inversely related with depression among middle-aged and older caregivers [7]
Summary
The prevalence rate of mental disorders has been increasing in Japan. The total number of people with mood disorders (including bipolar disorder) was estimated as 958,000 in 2011, of whom 426,000 people were middle-aged adults aged 40 to 64 [1]. Growing evidence has indicated that leisure activities (e.g. hobbies, cultural activities, exercise and sports) and social activities (e.g. volunteering and community activities) benefit mental health status among middle-aged and older adults. Some cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have reported positive relations between certain types of hobbies or cultural activities, such as going to the cinema or reading newspapers or books, and mental health status among middle-aged and older adults [4, 5]. A cross-sectional study in Japan, Wada et al reported that regular leisure activity was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms among workers age 20 to 69 [6], and Wakui et al, using two-year longitudinal data, reported that doing leisure activities at least once per week was inversely related with depression among middle-aged and older caregivers [7]
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