The Transition of Social Isolation and Related Psychological Factors in 2 Mild Lockdown Periods During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Longitudinal Survey Study
BackgroundLockdowns and stay-at-home orders announced internationally for COVID-19 have led to physical and social distancing, with reports of many individuals experiencing social isolation (SI) and loneliness. Although the emergency declaration in Japan was declared as a “mi...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
JMIR Publications
2022-03-01
|
| Series: | JMIR Public Health and Surveillance |
| Online Access: | https://publichealth.jmir.org/2022/3/e32694 |
| _version_ | 1797735301228003328 |
|---|---|
| author | Nagisa Sugaya Tetsuya Yamamoto Naho Suzuki Chigusa Uchiumi |
| author_facet | Nagisa Sugaya Tetsuya Yamamoto Naho Suzuki Chigusa Uchiumi |
| author_sort | Nagisa Sugaya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
BackgroundLockdowns and stay-at-home orders announced internationally for COVID-19 have led to physical and social distancing, with reports of many individuals experiencing social isolation (SI) and loneliness. Although the emergency declaration in Japan was declared as a “mild” lockdown requested by the government without penalties for violations, the lockdown measures, including SI, had several influences on people’s lives and mental health as in other countries. Furthermore, Japan declared a state of emergency multiple times; thus, it is necessary to examine the influence of the transition of SI caused by repeated emergency declarations and the deterioration of mental health associated with these changes.
ObjectiveThis study longitudinally investigated the transition of SI and its related factors during the mild lockdown under 2 declared states of emergency in Japan and analyzed psychosocial characteristics by extracting clusters where people with specific transition patterns of SI predominated.
MethodsWe collected data on 7893 inhabitants (3694 [46.8%] women, 49.6 [SD 13.7] years old) living in the 7 prefectures where the initial emergency declaration was applied. The investigations took place online in the final phase of the first and second states of emergency: phase 1 (between May 11 and 12, 2020) and phase 2 (between February 24 and 28, 2021). Nonparametric Bayesian coclustering was used to visualize the exhaustive interaction structure between the transition pattern of SI and the psychosocial variables.
ResultsThere were no improvements in social networks and loneliness between the 2 phases, although psychological distress significantly improved and depression slightly decreased. Overall, 3868 (49%) of the 7893 participants remained socially isolated through phases 1 and 2, and 947 (12%) were socially isolated in phase 2, even though they were not socially isolated in phase 1. More participants experienced persistent SI in unmarried, childless, and low-household-income groups. The persistent-SI group had fewer cohabitants than other transition pattern groups. The nonparametric Bayesian coclustering results showed that most clusters, including participants without SI throughout phases 1 and 2, had healthy behaviors, more interactions, good relationships, and less loneliness and psychological stress. Furthermore, the cluster in which relationships deteriorated in phase 1 recovered in phase 2. Comparatively, the clusters with SI throughout phases 1 and 2 were divided into clusters with increased loneliness and psychological stress; clusters were close to participants’ average scores in this study. The clusters with increased loneliness and psychological stress were notable for deteriorating relationships and less online interaction.
ConclusionsThis study revealed the actual state of transition of SI and related psychological, social, and behavioral factors under repeated declarations of a state of emergency. These results should help construct intervention methods that fit individual characteristics of people in SI during a pandemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T12:57:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f2e58c39da9842609e63560d50ecdab3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2369-2960 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T12:57:02Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Public Health and Surveillance |
| spelling | doaj.art-f2e58c39da9842609e63560d50ecdab32023-08-28T21:01:47ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Public Health and Surveillance2369-29602022-03-0183e3269410.2196/32694The Transition of Social Isolation and Related Psychological Factors in 2 Mild Lockdown Periods During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Longitudinal Survey StudyNagisa Sugayahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4803-3907Tetsuya Yamamotohttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4241-532XNaho Suzukihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5191-8669Chigusa Uchiumihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0854-8842 BackgroundLockdowns and stay-at-home orders announced internationally for COVID-19 have led to physical and social distancing, with reports of many individuals experiencing social isolation (SI) and loneliness. Although the emergency declaration in Japan was declared as a “mild” lockdown requested by the government without penalties for violations, the lockdown measures, including SI, had several influences on people’s lives and mental health as in other countries. Furthermore, Japan declared a state of emergency multiple times; thus, it is necessary to examine the influence of the transition of SI caused by repeated emergency declarations and the deterioration of mental health associated with these changes. ObjectiveThis study longitudinally investigated the transition of SI and its related factors during the mild lockdown under 2 declared states of emergency in Japan and analyzed psychosocial characteristics by extracting clusters where people with specific transition patterns of SI predominated. MethodsWe collected data on 7893 inhabitants (3694 [46.8%] women, 49.6 [SD 13.7] years old) living in the 7 prefectures where the initial emergency declaration was applied. The investigations took place online in the final phase of the first and second states of emergency: phase 1 (between May 11 and 12, 2020) and phase 2 (between February 24 and 28, 2021). Nonparametric Bayesian coclustering was used to visualize the exhaustive interaction structure between the transition pattern of SI and the psychosocial variables. ResultsThere were no improvements in social networks and loneliness between the 2 phases, although psychological distress significantly improved and depression slightly decreased. Overall, 3868 (49%) of the 7893 participants remained socially isolated through phases 1 and 2, and 947 (12%) were socially isolated in phase 2, even though they were not socially isolated in phase 1. More participants experienced persistent SI in unmarried, childless, and low-household-income groups. The persistent-SI group had fewer cohabitants than other transition pattern groups. The nonparametric Bayesian coclustering results showed that most clusters, including participants without SI throughout phases 1 and 2, had healthy behaviors, more interactions, good relationships, and less loneliness and psychological stress. Furthermore, the cluster in which relationships deteriorated in phase 1 recovered in phase 2. Comparatively, the clusters with SI throughout phases 1 and 2 were divided into clusters with increased loneliness and psychological stress; clusters were close to participants’ average scores in this study. The clusters with increased loneliness and psychological stress were notable for deteriorating relationships and less online interaction. ConclusionsThis study revealed the actual state of transition of SI and related psychological, social, and behavioral factors under repeated declarations of a state of emergency. These results should help construct intervention methods that fit individual characteristics of people in SI during a pandemic.https://publichealth.jmir.org/2022/3/e32694 |
| spellingShingle | Nagisa Sugaya Tetsuya Yamamoto Naho Suzuki Chigusa Uchiumi The Transition of Social Isolation and Related Psychological Factors in 2 Mild Lockdown Periods During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Longitudinal Survey Study JMIR Public Health and Surveillance |
| title | The Transition of Social Isolation and Related Psychological Factors in 2 Mild Lockdown Periods During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Longitudinal Survey Study |
| title_full | The Transition of Social Isolation and Related Psychological Factors in 2 Mild Lockdown Periods During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Longitudinal Survey Study |
| title_fullStr | The Transition of Social Isolation and Related Psychological Factors in 2 Mild Lockdown Periods During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Longitudinal Survey Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Transition of Social Isolation and Related Psychological Factors in 2 Mild Lockdown Periods During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Longitudinal Survey Study |
| title_short | The Transition of Social Isolation and Related Psychological Factors in 2 Mild Lockdown Periods During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Longitudinal Survey Study |
| title_sort | transition of social isolation and related psychological factors in 2 mild lockdown periods during the covid 19 pandemic in japan longitudinal survey study |
| url | https://publichealth.jmir.org/2022/3/e32694 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nagisasugaya thetransitionofsocialisolationandrelatedpsychologicalfactorsin2mildlockdownperiodsduringthecovid19pandemicinjapanlongitudinalsurveystudy AT tetsuyayamamoto thetransitionofsocialisolationandrelatedpsychologicalfactorsin2mildlockdownperiodsduringthecovid19pandemicinjapanlongitudinalsurveystudy AT nahosuzuki thetransitionofsocialisolationandrelatedpsychologicalfactorsin2mildlockdownperiodsduringthecovid19pandemicinjapanlongitudinalsurveystudy AT chigusauchiumi thetransitionofsocialisolationandrelatedpsychologicalfactorsin2mildlockdownperiodsduringthecovid19pandemicinjapanlongitudinalsurveystudy AT nagisasugaya transitionofsocialisolationandrelatedpsychologicalfactorsin2mildlockdownperiodsduringthecovid19pandemicinjapanlongitudinalsurveystudy AT tetsuyayamamoto transitionofsocialisolationandrelatedpsychologicalfactorsin2mildlockdownperiodsduringthecovid19pandemicinjapanlongitudinalsurveystudy AT nahosuzuki transitionofsocialisolationandrelatedpsychologicalfactorsin2mildlockdownperiodsduringthecovid19pandemicinjapanlongitudinalsurveystudy AT chigusauchiumi transitionofsocialisolationandrelatedpsychologicalfactorsin2mildlockdownperiodsduringthecovid19pandemicinjapanlongitudinalsurveystudy |