Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Apr 28;8(2):444-452.
doi: 10.31662/jmaj.2024-0134. Epub 2025 Mar 7.

Loneliness as a Key Factor in Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms among Vietnamese Migrants in Japan during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Study

Tadashi Yamashita  1 , Pham Nguyen Quy  2 , Emi Nogami  3 , Chika Yamada  4 , Kuniyasu Kamiya  1 , Kenji Kato  5
Affiliations

Loneliness as a Key Factor in Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms among Vietnamese Migrants in Japan during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Study

Tadashi Yamashita et al. JMA J. .

Abstract

Introduction: Loneliness is a major factor hindering the health of migrants. There is concern that social changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to the acculturation gap with their host country, exacerbated loneliness among Vietnamese migrants in Japan. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the prevalence of loneliness and to evaluate the relationship with depressive and anxiety symptoms among Vietnamese migrants in Japan.

Methods: We used a cross-sectional study design with a self-administered questionnaire. The data were collected from May 2 to June 6, 2022. The target population for this study was Vietnamese migrants living in Japan, 213 of whom were included in the analysis. The questionnaire consisted of items regarding participants' characteristics, socioeconomic status, social support, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scores, and University of California Los Angeles 3-Item Loneliness Scale scores. Logistic regression analysis was performed with depressive and anxiety symptoms as dependent variables and loneliness and other socioeconomic factors as independent variables.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 26.8 ± 4.4 years. The study included 112 men (52.6%) and 101 women (47.4%). Their mean years of residence in Japan was 4.4 ± 2.5 years. The mean score on the University of California Los Angeles 3-Item Loneliness Scale was 7.2 ± 2.4. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that depressive symptoms were associated with loneliness (odds ratio [OR]: 1.797; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.434-2.251). Similarly, factors associated with anxiety disorders included loneliness (OR: 2.051; 95% CI: 0.204-1.750).

Conclusions: Loneliness is a significant factor contributing to depressive and anxiety symptoms among Vietnamese migrants in Japan. Therefore, reducing loneliness is essential to improving the mental health and overall well-being of the rapidly growing Vietnamese migrant population.

Keywords: Japan; Vietnamese migrants; anxiety disorders; depression; loneliness.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Trends in COVID-19 case numbers, pandemic waves in Japan, and survey period. COVID-19: coronavirus disease 2019.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Derose KP, Escarce JJ, Lurie N. Immigrants and health care: sources of vulnerability. Health Aff (Millwood). 2007;26(5):1258-68. - PubMed
    1. Carruth L, Martinez C, Smith L, et al. Structural vulnerability: migration and health in social context. BMJ Glob Health. 2021;6(suppl 1):e005109. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Blukacz A, Cabieses B, Mezones-Holguín E, et al. Healthcare and social needs of international migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America: analysis of the Chilean case. Glob Health Promot. 2022;29(3):119-28. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Akombi-Inyang BJ, Byaruhanga J, Boamah SA, et al. Factors associated with psychological distress during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study of sub-Saharan African migrant workers across Australia and Canada. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024;21(9):1127. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Choudhari R. COVID 19 pandemic: mental health challenges of internal migrant workers of India. Asian J Psychiatr. 2020;54:102254. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources