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

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  • Author(s): Murayama H;Murayama H; Okubo R; Okubo R; Tabuchi T; Tabuchi T
  • Source:
    International journal of environmental research and public health [Int J Environ Res Public Health] 2021 Aug 04; Vol. 18 (16). Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Aug 04.
  • Publication Type:
    Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: MDPI Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101238455 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1660-4601 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 16604601 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Environ Res Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: Basel : MDPI, c2004-
    • Subject Terms:
      COVID-19*/psychology ; Mental Health* ; Pandemics* ; Social Isolation*; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Japan ; Male
    • 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.
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    • Grant Information:
      17H03589, 19K10671, 19K10446, 18H03107, 18H03062, and 21H04856 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: COVID-19; Japan; mental health; prevalence; social isolation
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20210827 Date Completed: 20210906 Latest Revision: 20220531
    • Publication Date:
      20221213
    • Accession Number:
      PMC8394951
    • Accession Number:
      10.3390/ijerph18168238
    • Accession Number:
      34443988