Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Aug 8, 2024
Date Accepted: Apr 10, 2025
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Impact of Economic Deterioration on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Focus on the Protective Role of Social Support and Detrimental Effects of Negative Interactions
ABSTRACT
Background:
Reports have indicated that the socioeconomic impact of the spread of COVID-19 infection has severely impacted the mental health of individuals. However, it is unclear how the impact of deteriorating economic conditions on mental health varies with the amount of social support and negative interactions (eg, criticism and excessive demands from others) individuals have.
Objective:
This study tested two hypotheses, focusing on the association between the worsening economic status due to COVID-19 and mental health. Hypothesis 1: The negative impact on mental health from worsening economic conditions caused by the spread of COVID-19 infection is exacerbated by the amount of social support an individual receives. Hypothesis 2: The negative impact on mental health from a deteriorating economic situation due to the spread of COVID-19 is exacerbated by a greater number of negative interactions.
Methods:
Web-based surveillance was conducted by an Internet research company in Japan. The company recruited 3500 individuals from their active panels from June to July 2020; 250 men and 250 women were recruited for each of the following age groups—primary school students, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. The analysis was conducted on men and women in their 20s to 50s (n=1549). The objective variable was measured using the K6 scale for psychological distress. The explanatory variable, economic deterioration due to COVID-19, was defined as economic deterioration due to COVID-19 if respondents indicated that their income had decreased compared to before the spread of COVID-19. In addition, social support and negative interaction scales were used. Logistic regression analysis was used, and the interaction between economic deterioration due to COVID-19 and social support and the interaction between economic deterioration due to COVID-19 and negative interaction were added sequentially to the model; a likelihood ratio test was used to assess the most improved model. Result: In the significantly improved model, the interaction between economic deterioration due to COVID-19 and social support was significantly associated with K6 scores (Odds ratio 0.909, 95% CI 0.829-0.996). The average marginal effect of economic deterioration due to COVID-19 was calculated and the results revealed that social support scores ranging from 4 to 10 were statistically significant. Conclusion: The negative effect of COVID-19-induced economic deterioration on mental health tended to be stronger with less support. Based on these results, Hypothesis 1 was supported.
Citation
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Copyright
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