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Chen C, Mochizuki Y, Okawa S, Okubo R, Nakagawa S, Tabuchi T. Postpartum loneliness predicts future depressive symptoms: a nationwide Japanese longitudinal study. Arch Womens Ment Health 2024; 27:447-457. [PMID: 38279068 DOI: 10.1007/s00737-024-01424-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified feelings of loneliness, especially among postpartum women. This nationwide Japanese longitudinal study assessed the impact of such feelings on depressive symptoms and mother-to-infant bonding difficulties (MIBD), two pivotal determinants of maternal and infant well-being. METHODS Starting with a baseline survey conducted between July and August 2021, we tracked 1254 postpartum Japanese women who initially reported minimal depressive symptoms (i.e., Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale < 9) and MIBD (i.e., Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale < 5), over a follow-up period of approximately 6 months. Baseline loneliness was evaluated with the UCLA Loneliness Scale Short-Form (UCLA-LS3-SF3). RESULTS Forty-nine percent of the sample reported the presence of baseline feelings of loneliness. After propensity score matching on sociodemographics and various pregnancy, childbirth, and COVID-19-related aspects, baseline loneliness was associated with increased risks of later depressive symptoms but not MIBD. Using restricted cubic spline logistic regression and considering loneliness as a continuous variable, we found a positive increasing quadratic relationship with depressive symptoms. As loneliness increased, so did the risk of later depressive symptoms. However, there was no significant association between loneliness and MIBD. These results were confirmed through a sensitivity analysis using inverse probability weighting to address attrition bias. CONCLUSION Feelings of postpartum loneliness are associated with future risks of depressive symptoms. The data suggests that addressing loneliness in postpartum women early is crucial to safeguarding their well-being and that of their infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong Chen
- Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.
| | | | - Sumiyo Okawa
- Institute for Global Health Policy Research, Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryo Okubo
- Department of Psychiatry, National Hospital Organization Obihiro Hospital, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Shin Nakagawa
- Division of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan
| | - Takahiro Tabuchi
- Cancer Control Center, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka, Japan
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Sarhaddi F, Azimi I, Niela-Vilen H, Axelin A, Liljeberg P, Rahmani AM. Maternal Social Loneliness Detection Using Passive Sensing Through Continuous Monitoring in Everyday Settings: Longitudinal Study. JMIR Form Res 2023; 7:e47950. [PMID: 37556183 PMCID: PMC10448281 DOI: 10.2196/47950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal loneliness is associated with adverse physical and mental health outcomes for both the mother and her child. Detecting maternal loneliness noninvasively through wearable devices and passive sensing provides opportunities to prevent or reduce the impact of loneliness on the health and well-being of the mother and her child. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to use objective health data collected passively by a wearable device to predict maternal (social) loneliness during pregnancy and the postpartum period and identify the important objective physiological parameters in loneliness detection. METHODS We conducted a longitudinal study using smartwatches to continuously collect physiological data from 31 women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The participants completed the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness questionnaire in gestational week 36 and again at 12 weeks post partum. Responses to this questionnaire and background information of the participants were collected through our customized cross-platform mobile app. We leveraged participants' smartwatch data from the 7 days before and the day of their completion of the UCLA questionnaire for loneliness prediction. We categorized the loneliness scores from the UCLA questionnaire as loneliness (scores≥12) and nonloneliness (scores<12). We developed decision tree and gradient-boosting models to predict loneliness. We evaluated the models by using leave-one-participant-out cross-validation. Moreover, we discussed the importance of extracted health parameters in our models for loneliness prediction. RESULTS The gradient boosting and decision tree models predicted maternal social loneliness with weighted F1-scores of 0.897 and 0.872, respectively. Our results also show that loneliness is highly associated with activity intensity and activity distribution during the day. In addition, resting heart rate (HR) and resting HR variability (HRV) were correlated with loneliness. CONCLUSIONS Our results show the potential benefit and feasibility of using passive sensing with a smartwatch to predict maternal loneliness. Our developed machine learning models achieved a high F1-score for loneliness prediction. We also show that intensity of activity, activity pattern, and resting HR and HRV are good predictors of loneliness. These results indicate the intervention opportunities made available by wearable devices and predictive models to improve maternal well-being through early detection of loneliness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Iman Azimi
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
- Institute for Future Health, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | | | - Anna Axelin
- Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Pasi Liljeberg
- Department of Computing, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Amir M Rahmani
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
- Institute for Future Health, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
- School of Nursing, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
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Takeda T, Yoshimi K, Kai S, Inoue F. Association Between Loneliness, Premenstrual Symptoms, and Other Factors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study with Japanese High School Students. Int J Womens Health 2023; 15:655-664. [PMID: 37131359 PMCID: PMC10149082 DOI: 10.2147/ijwh.s400818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Adolescence is a period of transition from childhood to adulthood where people are vulnerable to stress. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause sustained stress in the population. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation and loneliness have increased. Loneliness is associated with increased stress, psychological distress, and a higher risk of mental illnesses, such as depression. This study examined the association between loneliness, premenstrual symptoms, and other factors in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic among adolescent females in Japan. Patients and Methods A school-based cross-sectional survey of 1450 adolescent female students in Japan was conducted in mid-December of 2021. Specifically, paper-based questionnaires were distributed in class, and the responses were collected. The Premenstrual Symptoms Questionnaire (PSQ), 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, 3-item Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (R-UCLA), and Fear of COVID-19 Scale were used as measurement tools. The prevalence of loneliness was defined as a total R-UCLA score ≥ 6. Results The prevalence of loneliness was 29.0%. The prevalence of serious psychological distress was also high (8.2%), especially in the lonely group (16.0%). Multivariable regression analysis identified the following factors associated with loneliness: second year (odds ratio [OR] 1.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-2.14), longer internet use (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.02-1.20), total PSQ score (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.06-1.11), and psychological distress (OR 1.05; 95% CI 1.01-1.08). Conclusion Adolescent females in Japan showed a high prevalence of loneliness. School year (2nd year), longer periods of internet use, premenstrual symptom severity, and psychological distress were independently associated with loneliness. For clinicians and school health professionals, special concern should be given to the psychological health of adolescent females during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Takeda
- Division of Women’s Health, Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kindai University, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan
- Correspondence: Takashi Takeda, Division of Women’s Health, Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kindai University, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan, Tel +81-72-366-0221 (Ext. 3393), Fax +81-72-366-6661, Email
| | - Kana Yoshimi
- Division of Women’s Health, Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kindai University, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan
| | - Sayaka Kai
- Division of Women’s Health, Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kindai University, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan
| | - Fumi Inoue
- Division of Women’s Health, Research Institute of Traditional Asian Medicine, Kindai University, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, 589-8511, Japan
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Iio Y, Mori Y, Aoyama Y, Kozai H, Tanaka M, Aoike M, Kawamura H, Seguchi M, Tsurudome M, Ito M. A Survey of Living Conditions and Psychological Distress in Japanese University Freshmen during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Healthcare (Basel) 2022; 11:healthcare11010094. [PMID: 36611555 PMCID: PMC9819178 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11010094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, educational institutions have implemented measures such as school closures, raising concerns regarding the increase in psychological distress among university students. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that have influenced psychological distress among college freshmen during the COVID-19 pandemic. A questionnaire survey was conducted at the conclusion of the sixth wave of COVID-19 in Japan. Psychological distress was measured using the six-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6). Factors affecting psychological distress were calculated using regression analysis. Of the 2536 participants, 1841 (72.6%) reported having no psychological distress, while 695 (27.4%) reported having psychological distress. Factors that were identified to contribute to psychological distress were lack of sleep, weight gain or loss, worsening of interpersonal relationships, and physical symptoms and illnesses. A willingness to join an athletic club and having an environment in which it is easy to discuss worries and anxieties with others were factors that were identified to hinder psychological distress. It is necessary for universities to offer enhanced supports for physical and interpersonal activities. Additionally, it is imperative to encourage students to look after their physical health and to actively utilize university-based consultation systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoko Iio
- Graduate School of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
- Department of Lifelong Sports and Health Sciences, College of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
| | - Yukihiro Mori
- Graduate School of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
- Center for Nursing Practicum Support, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
| | - Yuka Aoyama
- Graduate School of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
- Department of Clinical Engineering, College of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
| | - Hana Kozai
- Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
| | - Mamoru Tanaka
- Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
| | - Makoto Aoike
- Graduate School of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
| | - Hatsumi Kawamura
- Graduate School of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
| | - Manato Seguchi
- Graduate School of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
| | - Masato Tsurudome
- Graduate School of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Life and Health Science, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
| | - Morihiro Ito
- Graduate School of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
- Department of Lifelong Sports and Health Sciences, College of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Life and Health Science, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan
- Correspondence:
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