The Impact of Health Problems on Depression and Activities in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Age and Social Interactions as Moderators

Yasuyuki Fukukawa*, Chiori Nakashima, Satomi Tsuboi, Naoakira Niino, Fujiko Ando, Shotaro Kosugi, Hiroshi Shimokata

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this study, we compared the impact of health problems (HPs) on everyday activities and depressive symptoms between middle-aged and older adults. We also examined what type and source of social interactions moderate the noxious effects of HPs. Longitudinal analyses of data with 1,802 Japanese community-dwelling adults indicated that HPs were significantly related to (a) an increase in depressive symptoms among middle-aged adults and (b) a decline in everyday activities among older adults. The former was buffered by emotional family support, whereas the latter (b) was buffered by instrumental family support and, surprisingly, by negative interactions with family. In contrast, social interactions with other friends and acquaintances did not show any moderating effect.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)P19-P26
JournalJournals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
Volume59
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2004 Jan
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Life-span and Life-course Studies

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