Association between social roles and inactive mental health promotion behaviors by age group: A cross-sectional study in Japan

Abstract

Background: This cross-sectional study examines the association between social roles (employment, parenting, and nursing care for family members) and mental health promotion behaviors (physical activity, weekday and holiday cultural activities, communication, relaxation, volunteer activity, activity challenge, and group affiliation) among the Japanese general population.

Methods: Overall, 3,597 people (age: M = 49.48, SD = 16.49) responded to the web-based questionnaire. The participants were asked about their social roles, demographic characteristics, and practice of mental health promotion behaviors. Data analysis was conducted for three age groups: 20–39, 40–59, as well as 60 and above. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted, with social role as the independent variable and mental health promotion behaviors as the dependent variable.

Results: Regarding employment, homemakers had a lower ratio of people who practiced mental health promotion behaviors and this held true among all age groups (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.28 to 0.63); participants who had parenting roles had a lower ratio of people who practiced mental health promotion behaviors (AOR = 0.30 to 0.60) among the younger and middle-aged. The study could not determine a clear association between mental health promotion behaviors and informal nursing care for family members. Additionally, participants who had parenting and nursing care had a lower ratio of participants who had practiced physical activity in the 20–39-year-old range (AOR = 0.56).

Conclusion: To encourage mental health promotion behaviors, the findings suggest the necessity to provide support for homemakers who simultaneously hold a parenting role to encourage mental health promotion behaviors.