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. 2022 Nov 21:10:981592.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.981592. eCollection 2022.

Limited social support is associated with depression, anxiety, and insomnia in a Japanese working population

Chie Omichi  1   2 , Yuki Kaminishi  1 , Hiroshi Kadotani  1 , Yukiyoshi Sumi  1 , Ayaka Ubara  1   3 , Kohei Nishikawa  1   4 , Arichika Matsuda  1 , Yuji Ozeki  1
Affiliations

Limited social support is associated with depression, anxiety, and insomnia in a Japanese working population

Chie Omichi et al. Front Public Health. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: Lack of social support is associated with depression, anxiety, and insomnia. This study aimed to determine the source of support related to depression, anxiety, and insomnia among Japanese workers.

Methods: As part of a cohort study, we conducted a questionnaire survey among city government employees in Koka City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, from September 2021 to March 2022. We used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) to assess depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and insomnia, respectively. We used the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) to assess job stressors and social support (from supervisors, colleagues, and family).

Results: A total of 1,852 Japanese employees (38.4% male, 45.9 ± 12.9 years) participated in the survey, with 15.5, 10.8, and 8.2% of the participants having depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥ 10), anxiety symptoms (GAD-7 ≥ 10), and insomnia (ISI ≥ 15), respectively. The logistic regression analysis suggested that job stressors were associated with depressive symptoms (p < 0.001), anxiety symptoms (p < 0.001), and insomnia (p = 0.009). In contrast, support from co-workers (p = 0.016) and family members (p = 0.001) was associated with decreased depressive symptoms. Support from family members was associated with decreased insomnia (p = 0.005).

Conclusion: Social support from co-workers and family may be associated with reduced depressive symptoms, and family support may be associated with reduced insomnia in the Japanese working population.

Clinical trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03276585.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; insomnia; job stress; occupational health; social support.

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Conflict of interest statement

This work was supported in part by a research grant from the Investigator-Initiated Studies Program of Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC/MSD K.K. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC / MSD K.K. HK received grants from Eisai Co., Ltd., and the SECOM Science and Technology Foundation. HK reports consulting fees from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., HK, AU, and AM were associated with a laboratory that was supported by donations from Fukuda Lifetech Co., Ltd., and Fukuda Life Tech Keiji Co., Ltd., to Shiga University of Medical Science. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results. JSPS KAKENHI grant number 22K18384. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of the participant selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Histogram of stressors and support scores in 2021, classified according to the presence (orange) or absence (blue) of high stress levels in 2020. Job stressors (A) and support from supervisors (B), co–workers (C), and family (D) are presented. A smaller number of job stressors suggests less job stress. Smaller scores in the responses to the questions about support suggest a better support situation.
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