A New Social Network Scale for Detecting Depressive Symptoms in Older Japanese Adults

Seongryu Bae, Kenji Harada, Ippei Chiba, Keitaro Makino, Osamu Katayama, Sangyoon Lee, Yohei Shinkai and Hiroyuki Shimada
Additional contact information
Seongryu Bae: Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7–430 Morioka, Obu, Aichi 474-8511, Japan
Kenji Harada: Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7–430 Morioka, Obu, Aichi 474-8511, Japan
Ippei Chiba: Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7–430 Morioka, Obu, Aichi 474-8511, Japan
Keitaro Makino: Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7–430 Morioka, Obu, Aichi 474-8511, Japan
Osamu Katayama: Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7–430 Morioka, Obu, Aichi 474-8511, Japan
Sangyoon Lee: Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7–430 Morioka, Obu, Aichi 474-8511, Japan
Yohei Shinkai: Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7–430 Morioka, Obu, Aichi 474-8511, Japan
Hiroyuki Shimada: Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7–430 Morioka, Obu, Aichi 474-8511, Japan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-13

Abstract: Social engagement and networking deter depression among older adults. During the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults are especially at risk of isolation from face-to-face and non-face-to-face interactions. We developed the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology Social Network Scale (NCGG-SNS) to assess frequency of, and satisfaction with, social interactions. The NCGG-SNS consists of four domains: face-to-face/non-face-to-face interactions with family/friends. Each domain score is obtained by multiplying frequency ratings by satisfaction ratings for each item; all scores were summed to obtain a total NCGG-SNS score (range: 0–64). Additionally, face-to-face and non-face-to-face subscores were calculated. Higher scores indicated satisfactory social networking. A cohort of 2445 older Japanese adults completed the NCGG-SNS and the Geriatrics Depression Scale-Short form. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis and logistic regression determined predictive validity for depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were reported by 284 participants (11.6%). The optimal NCGG-SNS cut-off value to identify depressive symptoms was 26.5 points. In logistic regression analysis adjusted for potential confounders, lower NCGG-SNS values were significantly associated with greater prevalence of depressive symptoms. Face-to-face and non-face-to-face subscores were associated with depressive symptoms. The NCGG-SNS is a valid and useful indicator of multidimensional social networking enabling identification of depressive symptoms in older adults.

Keywords: social network scale; older adults; depressive symptoms; social relationships (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/23/8874/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/23/8874/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:23:p:8874-:d:453225

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().