Increase in Social Isolation during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Association with Mental Health: Findings from the JACSIS 2020 Study.

Takahiro Tabuchi,Ryo Okubo,Hiroshi Murayama

doi:10.3390/ijerph18168238

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is assumed to have caused an increase in the number of socially isolated people. However, the prevalence of social isolation during the pandemic has not been well studied, particularly among Asian populations. This study investigated changes in the prevalence of social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and examined its association with mental health among the general Japanese population. Data were obtained from a large-scale, web-based nationwide survey conducted from August to September 2020 (n = 28,000; aged 15–79 years). Social isolation was defined as less frequent contact with people other than co-residing family members. We assessed the participants’ frequency of contact in January (before the pandemic) and August 2020 (during the pandemic). Mental health outcomes included psychological distress, suicidal ideation, loneliness, and fear of COVID-19. We analyzed the data of 25,482 respondents. The weighted prevalence (95% confidence interval) of social isolation was 21.2% (20.7–21.7%) and 27.9% (27.3–28.4%) before and during the pandemic, respectively. The prevalence of social isolation increased by 6.7 (6.3–7.0) percentage points during the pandemic. Older people and men had the greatest increase in the prevalence of social isolation. People who became socially isolated during the pandemic had greater loneliness and fear of COVID-19 than those who were consistently not socially isolated since before the pandemic. This study suggested that social isolation had increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Our findings highlight the importance of developing immediate measures against social isolation to maintain good mental health.

Highlights

Introduction published maps and institutional affilSocial isolation has deleterious effects on health outcomes, such as all-cause mortality [1,2], coronary heart disease [3], hypertension [4], depression [5,6], dementia [7], suicidal ideation [8,9,10], smoking behaviors [11], and well-being risk [12]
The prevalence of social isolation was higher among men before and during the pandemic (p < 0.001), and the increase in the prevalence of social isolation was greater among men than among women (7.6 [7.0–8.2] vs. 5.6 [5.2–6.2] percentage points, respectively; p < 0.001)
We found no association between the prevalence of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic and psychological distress and suicidal ideation

Summary

Introduction

Social isolation has deleterious effects on health outcomes, such as all-cause mortality [1,2], coronary heart disease [3], hypertension [4], depression [5,6], dementia [7], suicidal ideation [8,9,10], smoking behaviors [11], and well-being risk [12]. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is assumed to have caused an increase in the number of socially isolated people. Social distancing, which has been recommended by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce the risk of infection, has possibly increased social isolation [13]. People who maintained more social distancing were likely to have poor physical and mental health status, which may have been caused by social isolation [14,15].

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Results

Conclusion