ArticlePloS one2015
How Possibly Do Leisure and Social Activities Impact Mental Health of Middle-Aged Adults in Japan?: An Evidence from a National Longitudinal Survey.
Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 41 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
41 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 100 citations in OpenAlex.
- Domain-specific physical activity and mental health: an updated systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis in a combined sample of 3.3 million people.British journal of sports medicine · 2026Pooled it
- The effects of cultural engagement on health and well-being: a systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2024Pooled it
- COVID-19 stress and coping strategies among older adults: a systematic review of qualitative evidences.BMC psychology · 2023Pooled it
- A Single Session of Beach Tennis with Recreational Athletes Improves Anxiety Symptoms in Women but Not in Men: A Randomized Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Trial
- The effectiveness of participation in group sports-recreational activities on the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia.Discover mental health · 2026Article
- Cognitive and behavioral benefits of newspaper reading in community-dwelling older adults: a feasibility randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in aging · 2026Article
- Perceptions of "Healthy Life Expectancy" of Individuals With Diseases: An Online Survey in Japan.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Association of Concurrent Clusters of Physical Inactivity and Unhealthy Lifestyle Habits with Common Mental Disorders among Primary Healthcare Workers: Insights from a large sample cross-sectional analysis in Brazil.Safety and health at work · 2025Article
- Measuring the Association Between Sports and Mental Health Among Mexican LGBTQ People: Psychological Distress Among Athletes, Spectators/Volunteers, and Non-Attendees During the 2023 Gay Games.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- The Evolving Role of Grit: Shifts in Depression Risk Among High- and Low-Grit Individuals During COVID-19.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Association between occupational participation and depressive symptoms among middle-aged adults: A cross-sectional study in Hokkaido, Japan.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOT · 2024Article
- Article
- Context of walking and loneliness among community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional study.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Participation in leisure activities and quality of life of people with psychosis in England: a multi-site cross-sectional study.Annals of general psychiatry · 2023Article
- Exercise Promotion in Saudi Arabia: Understanding Personal, Environmental, and Social Determinants of Physical Activity Participation and Well-Being.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Relationship between specific leisure activities and successful aging among older adults.Journal of exercise science and fitness · 2023Article
- Longitudinal Association of Physical Activity, Mastery and Psychological Distress in Mid-Aged Adults over 9-Years.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Subjective Exercise Experience and Group Cohesion among Chinese Participating in Square Dance: A Moderated Mediation Model of Years of Participation and Gender.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Frequency, Intensity, and Partner of Exercise Habit Is Inversely Associated with Functional Dyspepsia in Young Japanese Population.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2022Article
- Self-Esteem, Happiness, and Flourishing in Times of COVID-19: A Study During the Lockdown Period in Ecuador.International journal of public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThis study aimed to investigate longitudinal relations between leisure and social activities and mental health status, considering the presence or absence of other persons in the activity as an additional variable, among middle-aged adults in Japan. This study used nationally representative data in Japan with a five-year follow-up period.
methodsThis study focused on 16,642 middle-aged adults, age 50-59 at baseline, from a population-based, six-year panel survey conducted by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. To investigate the relations between two leisure activities ('hobbies or cultural activities' and 'exercise or sports') and four social activities ('community events', 'support for children', 'support for elderly individuals' and 'other social activities') at baseline and mental health status at follow-up, multiple logistic regression analysis was used. We also used multiple logistic regression analysis to investigate the association between ways of participating in these activities ('by oneself', 'with others', or 'both' (both 'by oneself' and 'with others')) at baseline and mental health status at follow-up.
resultsInvolvement in both leisure activity categories, but not in social activities, was significantly and positively related to mental health status in both men and women. Furthermore, in men, both 'hobbies or cultural activities' and 'exercise or sports' were significantly related to mental health status only when conducted 'with others'. In women, the effects of 'hobbies or cultural activities' on mental health status were no differences regardless of the ways of participating, while the result of 'exercise or sports' was same as that in men.
conclusionsLeisure activities appear to benefit mental health status among this age group, whereas specific social activities do not. Moreover, participation in leisure activities would be effective especially if others are present. These findings should be useful for preventing the deterioration of mental health status in middle-aged adults in Japan.
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