Productive Activities and Loneliness Among Japanese Middle Aged and Older Adults

Background: Loneliness among older adults is a public health concern worldwide. Using motivational theory for life-span development, this study examined associations between loneliness (social and emotional) and productive activities among middle aged and older adults in Japan. Methods: The Japanese National Data on Lifestyle and Mental Health, a nationally representative sample of middle aged and older adults (2011, N = 1,575), were used to examine how employment, formal and informal volunteering, and informal caregiving were associated with social and emotional loneliness, controlling for multiple risk and protective factors. Results: Working, helping family, and formal volunteering were related to less emotional loneliness, while family caregiving was related to more emotional loneliness. Male caregivers reported more social isolation than female caregivers. As expected, face-to-face interactions reduced emotional loneliness among caregivers. Discussion: Findings underscored nuanced differences between social loneliness and emotional loneliness. Social policies that advance productive aging should recognize unintended consequences and aim to protect older adults from social and emotional loneliness. Counselling services and social support programs specifically for Japanese male caregivers are warranted.