Does arts and cultural group participation influence subsequent well-being? A longitudinal cross-country comparison of older adults in Japan and England

Introduction Arts engagement is a positive health behaviour that could support the mental and social well-being of ageing populations globally. However, research is predominantly from Western countries, leaving it unclear whether arts engagement can support well-being in Japan, where arts are differently valued and engaged with. The social gradient in arts engagement and well-being may also have led to an overestimation of the impact of participation on well-being in Western countries. We therefore tested whether participation in community arts and cultural groups was associated with subjective well-being and social support after removing confounding by demographic, socioeconomic and health-related factors in Japan and England.Methods We harmonised longitudinal data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) 2016 and 2019 waves and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) 2014 and 2018 waves to enable cross-country comparisons. We included 9511 adults aged ≥65 years from JAGES and 3133 participants aged ≥65 years from ELSA. Using inverse probability-weighted regression adjustment, we estimated the effect of arts and cultural groups on subsequent life satisfaction, happiness and depressive symptoms (subjective well-being) as well as social support.Results In JAGES, arts and cultural group participation was associated with higher odds of life satisfaction and higher social support scores. In ELSA participants aged ≥65 years, group participation was only associated with higher depressive symptoms. But, in a sensitivity analysis with the full ELSA sample aged ≥50 years (n=5128), this association was no longer present. Instead, group participation was associated with higher social support scores.Conclusion Our findings indicate that arts and cultural group participation can enhance life satisfaction and social support in Japan, with small but more consistent benefits than in England. Facilitating participation in arts and cultural groups could help older adults to maintain a healthy social support network, which may further support their health as they age.