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Background: This study tested a hypothesised model of the effects of adverse life events on the mental health of middle‐aged and older adults living alone, as mediated by thought suppression and help‐seeking behaviours, considering gender differences. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted on a sample of 1202 (622 men; 580 women) individuals from 247445 residents aged 50–79 in District A of Tokyo. The questionnaire items covered parameters on adverse life events, help‐seeking behaviour, thought suppression, and mental health status. Results: Multiple group structural equation‐modelling analysis revealed that the seriousness of adverse life events, help‐seeking behaviours, and mental health scores were higher in women than in men. No significant gender differences were observed in thought suppression. The findings support all three proposed hypotheses: severe adverse life events will: (a) give rise to help‐seeking behaviours, which will have a positive effect on mental health; (b) intensify thought suppression, which will harm mental health; and (c) inhibit help‐seeking behaviour, especially in single middle‐aged and older adult men. Conclusion: There is a need to develop interventional programs based on the theory of replacement thinking to encourage help‐seeking behaviours in middle‐aged and older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the effects of intergenerational programs on high school students' development of self-efficacy. We used a quasi-experimental ex-post facto design with several follow-ups and conducted a questionnaire survey with 236 high school students. Results showed that the self-efficacy of students who experienced community activities increased over time after the intergenerational programs. Conversely, self-efficacy for students who had not participated in community activities did not change over the three years of the study. Findings indicate that participating in intergenerational programs promotes the development of adolescent self-efficacy through the experience of interaction with different generations in local activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to clarify patterns of poverty among single older men and examine this population's help‐seeking preferences. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 83 older single men in poverty. Three main patterns of poverty were identified: lifelong, job turnover, and retirement. A common characteristic among these patterns indicated that they did not recognize their difficulties as problems. Furthermore, we identified five groups of help‐receiving preferences: independent, resignation, mutual‐aid, other‐oriented, and seeking. Among these, the independent and resignation groups were influenced by past experiences of failing to seek help, which was characteristic of the lifelong pattern type. Furthermore, the mutual‐aid and seeking groups were oriented toward positive help‐seeking, which was characteristic of the job turnover and retirement pattern types. However, neither group actively sought help for social isolation or lack of social support, suggesting that it would have been challenging to establish social relationships early on in life. Thus, it is important to establish initiatives that enable older people to understand their current state and to think about their future depending on three patterns of poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to clarify patterns of poverty among single older men and examine this population's help‐seeking preferences. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 83 older single men in poverty. Three main patterns of poverty were identified: lifelong, job turnover, and retirement. A common characteristic among these patterns indicated that they did not recognize their difficulties as problems. Furthermore, we identified five groups of help‐receiving preferences: independent, resignation, mutual‐aid, other‐oriented, and seeking. Among these, the independent and resignation groups were influenced by past experiences of failing to seek help, which was characteristic of the lifelong pattern type. Furthermore, the mutual‐aid and seeking groups were oriented toward positive help‐seeking, which was characteristic of the job turnover and retirement pattern types. However, neither group actively sought help for social isolation or lack of social support, suggesting that it would have been challenging to establish social relationships early on in life. Thus, it is important to establish initiatives that enable older people to understand their current state and to think about their future depending on three patterns of poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTBackground:Social isolation and homebound statuses are possible risk factors for increased mortality among older adults. However, no study has addressed the impact of accumulation of these two factors on mortality. The aim of this study was to examine whether such accumulation increased the risk of all-cause mortality.Methods: The analyzed sample was drawn from a mail survey of 1,023 older adults without instrumental activities of daily living disability. Participants were classified into four groups according to the frequency of both face-to-face and non-face-to-face interactions with others (social isolation and non-social isolation) and the frequency of going outdoors (homebound and non-homebound). Social isolation and homebound statuses were defined as having a social interaction less than once a week and going outdoors either every few days or less, respectively. All-cause mortality information during a six-year follow-up was obtained.Results: In total, 78 (7.6%) participants were both socially isolated and homebound. During the follow-up period, 65 participants died, with an overall mortality rate of 10.6 per 1000 person-years. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses demonstrated that older adults who were socially isolated and homebound showed a significantly higher risk of subsequent all-cause mortality compared with healthy adults who were neither socially isolated nor homebound, independent of potential covariates (aHR, 2.19; 95% CI: 1.04-4.63).Conclusion: Our results suggest that the co-existence of social isolation and homebound statuses may synergistically increase risk of mortality. Both active and socially integrated lifestyle in later life might play a major role in maintaining a healthy status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: A growing body of literature indicates that social engagements, such as intergenerational programs, are effective strategies to improve a range of cognitive abilities. The present study examined whether the intergenerational program-REPRINTS-prevents age-related hippocampal atrophy.Methods: After comprehensive baseline assessment, participants were allowed to decide whether to participate in the REPRINTS intervention or in the control group, which required only completion of assessments. REPRINTS participants engaged in group activities that involved reading picture books to children at kindergarten and elementary schools, once every 1 to 2 weeks. A follow-up assessment was conducted after 6 years. Two MRI scans were performed, one immediately after baseline assessment and the other after 6 years. Volumes of the hippocampus, thalamus, and caudate nucleus were derived from automated segmentation. The analysis included 17 REPRINTS and 42 control-group participants.Results: There was no significant difference in any variable of participants' characteristics at baseline between the REPRINTS and control groups. Hippocampal volume significantly declined in the control group but was maintained in the REPRINTS group. No significant differences between groups in thalamus or caudate nucleus volume were observed. Although cognitive function was unaffected by the program, greater decreases in hippocampal volume were significantly correlated with greater decreases in cognitive performance scores.Conclusions: Our results suggest that the REPRINTS intergenerational program has protective effects on age-related hippocampal atrophy in older adults. These changes precede improvements in cognitive performance, suggesting the validity of the concept of brain plasticity in later life following social engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Low frequency of going outdoors (e.g. being homebound) is associated with depressive mood; however, the underlying neural mechanism of this association is unclear. We therefore investigated the neural substrate involved in the relationship between frequency of going outdoors and depressive mood using positron emission tomography (PET), focusing on the frontal lobe and the limbic system.Methods: One hundred fifty-eight community-dwelling older adults aged 65-85 years underwent PET with 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose to evaluate regional cerebral metabolic rates of glucose normalized in reference to cerebellar glucose metabolic value (normalized-rCMRglc) in six regions of interest. We also assessed depressive mood, frequency of going outdoors, and potential covariates. Depressive mood was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).Results: The proportion of participants who reported low frequency of going outdoors (LG, every 2-3 days or less) was 36.1%. The LG group showed significantly higher GDS scores than those who reported high (once a day or more) frequency of going outdoors. A multiple linear regression analysis adjusted for potential covariates showed higher GDS scores were associated with lower normalized-rCMRglc in the ventrolateral prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices. Adjusting for frequency of going outdoors, the association between GDS score and normalized-rCMRglc in the orbitofrontal cortex was attenuated.Conclusions: Our results suggest that the orbitofrontal cortex may mediate the relationship between low frequency of going outdoors and depressive mood among community-dwelling older adults. These findings may help disentangle the role of going outdoors in regulating brain function to improve and/or maintain mental health among community-dwelling older adults. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of an intergenerational program on elderly persons’ symptoms of depressive mood and in improving their sense of coherence, which is an element for successful coping with stressors. Method:We evaluated an intervention research project (Research of Productivity by Intergenerational Sympathy [REPRINTS]), in which volunteers >65 years old read picture books to children in a school setting. The intervention group (REPRINTS) was recruited through intensive weekly training seminars for three months. The no-contact control group members were also recreated to participate in health checks and surveys for data collection purposes. Eventually, 26 participants in the intervention group and 54 in the control group were included for data analysis. Results:The age or gender was not significantly different between the intervention and control groups. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA shows a time × group significant interaction effects. Analyses of the simple main effects showed that sense of meaningfulness significantly increased for members of the intervention group at all terms, with no changes in the control group over time. Multiple mediation analysis revealed that participation in the intergenerational program was associated with a sense of manageability which was also significantly related to depressive mood. Conclusion:Intergenerational programs could serve as key health promoters among elderly people by decreasing the risk of social isolation and loneliness due to the greater sense of meaningfulness. However, given our limited sample size, generalizability was restricted and studies with larger cohorts are required to further validate our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an ageing society with fewer children, negotiating the socialization of adolescents is rather challenging. At the same time, the socialization function of families during the transition from adolescence to adulthood and greater independence has weakened. Given these circumstances, socialization in local communities has been a pressing issue, particularly when one expects support from the elderly. One potential link between the two generations is suggested by Erikson's life span ego-development task (1950), wherein generativity refers to an adult's concern with establishing and guiding the next generation. However, this theory is not applicable in the case of communication between the elderly and children in Japan, because, as Suzuki (2008) has pointed out, Erikson's life span stages are not supposed to be fixed according to age but are flexible and depend on the environment. The aim of the present study is, therefore, to explore (1) how we can identify the exchanges between the elderly and children in local communities, (2) how an aged person's generativity contributes to the socialization of children in the local community, and (3) how it has been accepted by the people in that community. First, a cluster analysis of 133 articles on exchanges between aged persons and children reveal three clusters of inter-generational exchanges: inter-generational exchanges by NPOs or volunteer groups (Cluster 1), inter-generational exchanges by the government (Cluster 2), and inter-generational exchanges by groups of aged persons (Cluster 3). Most importantly, Cluster 3 is applicable to my subject-generativity and the socialization of children. It was suggested that an aged person's generativity contributes to the socialization of children in the local community through exchanges. Second, I focused on exchanges by senior volunteers in order to consider generativity and child socialization in local communities. Qualitative interviews with senior volunteers in two local communities-Terakoya activities in City A and School Support Volunteers in City B-reveal three types of constructive styles of generativity in the inter-generational exchanges in local communities. First, senior volunteers consider themselves the transmitters of socially contributory activities. Second, they see themselves as being involved in raising their grandchildren. Third, certain senior volunteers tended to describe their motivation as emerging from individual concerns such as healthcare, companionship, and resources. It is noteworthy that almost all volunteers broaden their interest in their grandchildren to include all the children in the local community through various activities. Third, I examined the social background that enables the elderly people in two communities to identify how they perceive the inter-generational exchanges. It is revealed that the trust relationship among schools, the local government, and volunteers in local communities is constructed through activities. Hence, the challenge for local communities is to support and arrange for social backgrounds, taking into consideration the various types of motivation for getting involved in volunteer work and making use of senior volunteer's generativity to ensure that the right person is in the right place for the socialization of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Isolation and anxiety among child-rearing mothers in Japan are a current social problem. Involving diverse people in the community is recognized as an important factor in successful child rearing. This study aimed to develop a scale to measure supportive behavior for child rearing among older adults in the community and examine its reliability and validity., Methods: Items were selected to measure supportive behaviors for child rearing in the community in accordance with constructs introduced via literature reviews and a preliminary investigation. Participants were asked to evaluate the frequency of each behavior on a four-point scale in a mail-based survey. Of a random sample of 1,500 individuals aged 60-69, living in the Tokyo metropolitan area, 813 (54%) responded. Construct validity and reliability of the scale were examined by a confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach's reliability coefficient. The validity was also examined by clarifying whether the assumed positive associations between the scale and the following variables were observed: frequency of contact with community residents; the generativity scale, which measured concern for the next generation; and experience of child rearing measured by number of own children and level of support for grandchildren. Pearson's correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed for the analysis of the results., Results: The literature review and preliminary investigation revealed three constructs of supportive behaviors: "children's security and sound growth," "instrumental support to parents," and "emotional support to parents." A second-order factor analysis that modeled "child-rearing support in the community" as a higher-order factor above these three factors showed a good model fit when one item was deleted. The reliability coefficient was high enough (alpha=0.87) with the remaining seven items. As expected, the total score positively and significantly correlated with the frequency of contact with residents, especially with the younger generation, including children and their parents; generativity score; number of children; and care for grandchildren. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the measured child-rearing support in the community was largely explained by the frequency of contact with the younger generation. However, being female, taking care of grandchildren, and a higher generativity correlated with a higher child-rearing support score even after controlling for the frequency of contact., Conclusion: Reliability and validity of the community child-rearing support scale, consisting of seven items, were confirmed. Further studies are required to show applicability of the scale to diverse communities and age groups, and investigate the effects of the measured supportive behaviors on the child-rearing generation.

Objectives: To examine the usage conditions and intentions to use monitoring services for independent living by the elderly living alone., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a mail-in, self-administered questionnaire in September 2011. The target population comprised 2,569 elderly people living in Ota Ward, Tokyo. The data of individuals living alone were extracted from the data of all respondents. The response rate was 67.8%. The sample consisted of 1,095 elderly people living alone. Logistic regression analyses were conducted with the usage conditions and intention to use monitoring services set as dependent variables. The factors related to the usage conditions and the intention to use monitoring services were examined. Gender, age, medical histories, existence of children living in the neighborhood, advanced activities of daily living, frequency of going outdoors, social relations, economic status, education, and mental factors were set as independent variables., Results: The monitoring services used to facilitate independent living included the following: emergency communication service = 124 (11.3%), information registration service = 197 (18.0%), monitoring by people = 113 (10.3%), and monitoring by sensor = 51 (4.7%). The number of respondents who indicated their intention to use monitoring services included the following: emergency communication service = 525 (47.9% of the entire sample, 81.4% of non-users), information registration service = 396 (36.2% of the entire sample, 75.1% of non-users), monitoring by people = 357 (32.6% of the entire sample, 60.0% of non-users), monitoring by sensor = 335 (30.6% of the entire sample, 53.1% of non-users). The respondents' ages and medical histories were related to the usage of monitoring services. Their level of anxiety was related to the intention to use monitoring services., Conclusion: Usage and intention to use services was greater in conditions in which the elderly needed help to cope with emergent situations than usage and intention to use services that monitored daily life. The elderly who were aware of their need tended to use monitoring services. A future challenge is to expand the use of monitoring services to foster independent living of the elderly living alone.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were (1) to clarify changes in social concern in intergenerational programs and (2) to determine the current state of and issues affecting intergenerational programs., Methods: Articles including the words "intergenerational programs" were selected from 3 major Japanese newspapers (Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, and Mainichi Shimbun) using an online database (399 articles). Content analysis was conducted to check changes in the number and content of articles. A total of 56 cases of intergenerational programs were selected, and a questionnaire survey was conducted with the responsible organization. The problems were classified using cluster analysis., Results: Content analysis revealed that the number of articles relating to this topic increased towards the end of the 1990s, which corresponds with a change in social policy. The questionnaire survey revealed that most of the intergenerational programs were either annual or periodic activities. Furthermore, it was shown that the 4 main issues facing current intergenerational programs were the intergenerational gap, operating problems, activity selection, and lack of participants., Conclusion: In summary, social concern regarding the intergenerational programs has increased. However, most intergenerational programs were infrequent and quite time-intensive. Furthermore, the 4 issues mentioned above must be addressed in order to create programs that have wide-ranging benefits for each community. Resolving the problem of compartmentalized administration and appointing local coordinators is necessary to solve these problems.