Partner- and Mode-Specific Social Contact and Poor Mental Health Among Older Adults in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the 2024 JACSIS Study.

Authors

Kazumi Kubota, Miya Aishima, Yukiko Matsumura, Takeshi Miura, Takahiro Tabuchi

Published in

Geriatrics & gerontology international. Volume 26. Issue 9. Pages e70840.

Abstract

To examine whether social contact frequency is differentially associated with poor mental health by interaction partner and contact mode among older adults in Japan.
We analyzed the 2024 Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS; December 2024-January 2025). All respondents aged ≥ 65 years in the analysis-ready dataset were included; no analytic variables had missing values. Poor mental health was defined as ≥ 1 versus 0 poor mental health days in the past 30 days (CDC Healthy Days item). Eight past-month partner-mode exposures (family or friends by in-person, phone, email/messages, or video call) were categorized as none, 1-3 times/month, or ≥ 1 time/week. Logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusting for demographic, health, lifestyle, physical activity, employment, education, and household income. False discovery rate control was applied across 16 prespecified contrasts.
Among 6786 older adults (mean age 72.7 years; 50.4% men), 11.8% reported ≥ 1 poor mental health day. In fully adjusted models, more frequent in-person contact was associated with lower odds of poor mental health for friends/acquaintances (vs none: 1-3/month OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.59-0.84; ≥ 1/week 0.59, 0.48-0.73) and non-cohabiting family/relatives (0.84, 0.71-0.99; 0.71, 0.57-0.89). Remote modes were not clearly associated. After multiplicity control, weekly in-person family contact and both friend in-person frequencies remained significant.
Frequent in-person contact, especially with friends, was associated with lower odds of poor mental health, whereas most remote modes were not, even after adjustment for education and household income.

PMID:
42732913
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 14 Sep 2026.

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