Factors Associated With Psychological Distress in a Community-Dwelling Japanese Population: The Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study

Abstract

BackgroundIn Asia, there has been no population-based epidemiological study using the K6, a 6-item instrument that assesses nonspecific psychological distress.MethodsUsing cross-sectional data from 2006, we studied 43 716 (20 168 men and 23 548 women) community-dwelling people aged 40 years or older living in Japan. We examined the association between psychological distress and demographic, medical, lifestyle, and social factors by using the K6, with psychological distress defined as 13 or more points out of a total of 24 points.ResultsThe following variables were significantly associated with psychological distress among the population: female sex, young and old age, a history of serious disease (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, stroke, myocardial infarction, or cancer), current smoking, former alcohol drinking, low body mass index, shorter daily walking time, lack of social support (4 of 5 components), and lack of participation in community activities (4 of 5 components). Among men aged 40 to 64 years, only “lack of social support for consultation when in trouble” and a history of diabetes mellitus remained significant on multivariate analysis. Among men aged 65 years or older, age was not significantly associated with psychological distress, and the significant association with current smoking disappeared on multivariate analysis. Among women aged 40 to 64 years, a history of stroke was not associated with psychological distress. Among women aged 65 years or older, the significant association with current smoking disappeared on multivariate analysis.ConclusionsA number of factors were significantly associated with psychological distress, as assessed by the K6. These factors differed between men and women, and also between middle-aged and elderly people.

Social network disruption as a major factor associated with psychological distress 3 years after the 2004 Niigata–Chuetsu earthquake in Japan

“…The association between age and psychological distress is not clear in the general Japanese population [19]. Interestingly, our results are in contrast to those of Toyabe et al [2], who clearly showed that General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)-assessed psychological distress was higher in older adults living in temporary housing 5 months after the NiigataChuetsu earthquake.…”

Epidemiology of Psychological Distress

“…It roughly ranges between 5% and 27% in the general population (Benzeval and Judge 2001, Chittleborough et al 2011, Gispert et al 2003, Kuriyama et al 2009, Phongsavan et al 2006) but it can reach higher levels in some segments of the population exposed to specific risk factors such as workers facing stressful work conditions and immigrants who must adapt to the host country while holding family responsibilities in the homeland. The International Labour Office stated that psychological distress affected between 15 and 20% of workers in Europe and North America (International Labour Office 2000) and one out of five workers may experience repeated episodes of psychological distress (Marchand, Demers, and Durand 2005a).…”

“…Some factors are not considered in this summary of the epidemiology of distress either because the evidence is lacking or because they are usually interpreted in terms of social and economic factors that can be assessed more directly. Health behaviour such as smoking and alcohol intake are associated with increased odds and mean level of distress (Chittleborough et al 2011, Kuriyama et al 2009, , Myklestad, 2011Phongsavan et al 2006) but the interpretation of this association is awkward. Smoking and alcohol may be a form of selfmedication to dilute the burden of distress but they may also generate some distress.…”

“…In addition, there is some evidence that the type and source of support may act differently in women and men and across the lifespan. The study conducted by Kuriyama et al (Kuriyama et al 2009) in Japanese aged 40 and over illustrates the complexity of the relationship between the type of support and psychological distress. In this study, the odds of psychological distress were higher in women and men who lacked someone to provide advice when in trouble, and in women who had no one to consult about their health, to drive them to hospital and to take care of them.…”

Factors Associated with Psychological Characteristics in Patients with Hepatic Malignancy before Interventional Procedures

“…Several studies have shown, as compared to men, women had a higher risk of psychological distress (Pratt et al, 2007;Hagman et al, 2008;Kuriyama et al, 2009). They suggested that many factors, such as personality, coping skills, and sociocultural roles, play a direct role in psychiatric disorders (Piccinelli et al, 2000;Afifi et al, 2007).…”