Dandan Jiao

This study examined the relationship between changes in social interactions and sleep status, specifically sleep duration and restoration, among older adults in Japan to inform interventions for healthy aging. A 6-year longitudinal study (2017–2023) was conducted under the Community Empowerment and Care Project in suburban Japan. A total of 473 older adults with normal sleep in 2017 were followed. Sleep duration (< 6 h defined as deprivation) and sleep restoration (subjective restfulness) were assessed according to national guidelines. Social interaction was measured using the 18-item Index of Social Interaction (ISI). Changes in the ISI were analyzed continuously and categorically. Lo-gistic regression models were used to examine the association between ISI changes and sleep outcomes. After six years, 16.3% of the participants experienced sleep deprivation, and 26.2% reported non-restorative sleep. Declining ISI scores were significantly asso-ciated with a higher risk of sleep deprivation and non-restorative sleep. Persistently low or declining ISI scores increased the odds of poor sleep. A one-point ISI increase re-duced the risk of sleep deprivation and non-restorative sleep, even after adjusting for confounders. Negative or persistently low social interaction is linked to worse sleep outcomes; maintaining or improving social interaction may protect sleep quality.

Background/Objective: This study investigated the associations between dietary patterns and subjective cognitive function among older Japanese adults and examined whether these associations differed according to sleep duration. Methods: This longitudinal cohort study was conducted using data from the Community Empowerment and Care study (2017–2020). Data were obtained from the Community Empowerment and Care Study of the T-Village, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Latent class analysis was used to identify dietary patterns based on the intake frequencies of seven food groups. Logistic regression models assessed the associations between dietary patterns and subjective cognitive function stratified by sleep duration (optimal: 7–8 h; unfavorable: 8 h). Results: Three dietary patterns were identified (diverse, balanced, restricted). Compared with the restricted pattern, the diverse (odds ratio = 0.13, 95% confidence interval: 0.07–0.26; p < 0.0001) and balanced patterns (odds ratio = 0.33, 95% confidence interval: 0.18–0.62; p = 0.0006) were associated with lower odds of poor subjective cognitive function. Associations were broadly similar across sleep groups, and interaction testing was not significant. Conclusions: Dietary quality was associated with better subjective cognitive function, particularly among older adults with unfavorable sleep duration. The study findings underscore the need for integrated lifestyle interventions that target both nutrition and sleep in aging populations.

Background: End‐of‐life care is often delivered in nonspecialist palliative care settings. However, challenges in end‐of‐life care practice persist in such settings, and associated factors remain underexplored. Aims: To examine how capability‐, opportunity‐, and motivation‐related factors are associated with end‐of‐life care practice among nurses and physicians working in nonspecialist palliative care settings. Design: A cross‐sectional survey. Methods: Nurses and physicians employed at a tertiary hospital in China and providing direct patient care were recruited. Measures assessed capability‐related factors (end‐of‐life care competence and self‐rated physical health), opportunity‐related factors (social and organizational environments), and motivation‐related factors (outcome expectations and compassion satisfaction), with end‐of‐life care practice as the outcome. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results: A total of 342 participants were included in the analysis, of whom 82.7% were nurses. End‐of‐life care competence showed both direct ( β = 0.413, p < 0.001) and indirect associations with end‐of‐life care practice through outcome expectations ( β = 0.059, 95% CI [0.010, 0.138]). The social environment was indirectly associated with practice through outcome expectations ( β = 0.082, 95% CI [0.024, 0.189]). Poor or fair self‐rated physical health showed a small negative association with practice through outcome expectations ( β = −0.022, 95% CI [–0.056, −0.001]). Organizational environment and compassion satisfaction were not significantly associated with practice in the structural model. Overall, the model explained 32% of the variance in end‐of‐life care practice. Conclusion: End‐of‐life care competence was associated with end‐of‐life care practice, while outcome expectations were involved in the indirect associations of both competence and the social environment with practice. These findings highlight the potential relevance of competence and outcome expectations to end‐of‐life care practice in nonspecialist palliative care settings. Implications for Nursing Management: Nursing managers may consider prioritizing competency‐based education and continuing professional development, while considering the social environment and healthcare professionals’ outcome expectations related to end‐of‐life care practice.

Background/Objective: This study investigated the associations between dietary patterns and cognitive function among older Japanese adults and examined whether these associations differed according to sleep duration. Methods: This longitudinal cohort study was conducted using data from the Community Empowerment and Care study (2017–2020). Data were obtained from the Community Empowerment and Care Study of the T-Village, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Latent class analysis was used to identify dietary patterns based on the intake frequencies of seven food groups. Logistic regression models assessed the associations between dietary patterns and cognitive function stratified by sleep duration (optimal: 7–8 h; unfavorable: 8 h). Results: The following three dietary patterns were identified: diverse, balanced, and restricted. Diverse (odds ratio [OR], 0.44) and balanced (OR, 0.39) diets were associated with lower odds of cognitive decline. Stratified analysis revealed stronger protective effects of these diets in those with unfavorable sleep. Conclusion: Dietary quality plays a key role in cognitive health and may be particularly beneficial for older adults with suboptimal sleep durations. The study findings underscore the need for integrated lifestyle interventions that target both nutrition and sleep in aging populations.

Background: Maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may lead to increased behavioural problems in children. However, the mediating roles of psychological distress and corporal punishment, two common mechanisms underlying the intergenerational transmission of maternal ACEs, in these relations have not been examined in Chinese samples. Multigenerational homes (MGH) are the dominate living arrangement in China; however, limited research focuses on the effects of MGHs on the intergenerational transmission of maternal ACEs.

This study aimed to explore all the relevant subtypes of cognitive frailty among Japanese community-dwelling older adults with multimorbidity. Moreover, it examined the associations between these potential subtypes of cognitive frailty and social relationships. This study targeted relevant cross-sectional data regarding community-based older adults with multimorbidity. It employed a person-centered method to perform a latent class analysis and explore the subtypes of cognitive frailty among older adults. Moreover, a multinominal logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the association between potential subtypes of cognitive frailty and social relationships. Data for 396 participants (mean age, 75.8 [SD, 7.3] years; 51.3% females) were analyzed. Three cognitive frailty subtypes were subsequently revealed: the robust group (42.0%), the group with partial cognitive frailty (38.6%), and the group with cognitive frailty (19.4%). People with high levels of social relationships were more likely to be in the robust and the partial cognitive frailty groups. This study identified different subtypes of cognitive frailty among multimorbid older adults and highlighted the significance of social relationships. These findings could serve as a reference for conceptualizing cognitive frailty through the person-centered method. Promoting a high level of social relationships could be useful to prevent the cognitive frailty among older adults with multimorbidity.

Strong relationship exists between loneliness and depression in older adults. However, the effect of multifaceted social relationships on the relationship between loneliness and depression has not been explored. The purpose of the current study was to find out how multifaceted social relationships affect the aforementioned processes. We investigated and evaluated the loneliness status, depression symptoms, social relationships, and demographic information of 1116 older adults aged ≥65 years living in rural Japan. The final 555 participants were included in the analysis. Statistical evidence showed a direct effect between loneliness and depression symptoms. Additionally, the mediation model found that social curiosity and participation acted as mediators between loneliness and depression symptoms. Further, independence and participation, independence, and feeling safe played a conditional moderating role in the model of loneliness–social curiosity–depression symptoms and loneliness–participation–depression symptoms, respectively. Interaction can be an individual moderator in the link between loneliness and depression symptoms without any mediator. The moderated mediation model suggests that social curiosity and participation could mediate the association between loneliness and depression symptoms. In this process, independence, participation, and feeling safe may act as moderators.

Background: Social relationships are associated with physical function. However, little scholarly attention has been focused on the effect of changing social factors on physical function. Purpose: This study was designed to examine the effects on physical function of changes in social relationships in adults aged 65 years and older. Methods: This study is part of a longitudinal, prospective cohort study that was conducted on community-dwelling older adults in a suburban area of central Japan. Baseline self-report data were collected in 2011, and a follow-up survey was conducted in 2017. Social relationships were assessed using the Index of Social Interaction, and physical function was evaluated using a subscale of the Kihon Checklist. Chi-square tests, Mann–Whitney U tests, and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to analyze data from 442 older adults who were functionally independent at baseline. Results: After controlling for covariates in 2011, negative changes in social relationships (odds ratio [OR] = 3.20, 95% CI [1.18, 8.69]) were found to be associated with physical function decline. Moreover, 1-point increases in the different social-relationship values between baseline and follow-up were associated with protective effects against functional decline (OR = 0.71, 95% CI [0.63, 0.80]). Furthermore, median trends between baseline and follow-up revealed associations between decreasing (OR = 4.18, 95% CI [1.53, 11.39]) and continuously low (OR = 2.98, 95% CI [1.42, 6.28]) social relationships and physical function decline. Conclusions/Implications for Practice: The findings support a strong association between negative changes in social relationships and physical function decline and highlight the importance of promoting social relationships to delay physical function decline in older adults.

The diversity of child social skills development is not well detected among Asian countries. Culturally validated assessments are needed for practitioners to evaluate child social skills. This study tested the measurement invariance of the Social Skill Scale (SSS) across Japanese and Chinese samples and explored country differences in child social skills development. The SSS utilizes a widely used factor structure (assertion, self-control, and cooperation subdomains) and has established Japanese and Chinese versions. We conducted investigations with an identical process and materials with different language versions, collecting data from 931 Japanese kindergarten children (M_age = 4.35, SD_age = 1.07; 53.6% boys) and from 1130 Chinese kindergarten children (M_age = 4.47, SD_age = 1.00; 52.3% boys). We used multiple confirmatory factor analysis to test measurement invariance of the SSS and established the validity, reliability, and scalar measurement invariance for the first-order factor structure of the SSS across the two country samples. We also examined country differences on the associations between demographics, parenting practice, and child social skills development. We found that, compared to the Chinese sample, cooperation skills significantly increased more with age among the Japanese sample. However, spanking was negatively related to self-control skills development in both countries. Our findings contribute to the demonstration of the diversity of child social skills development and have important implications for assessing and developing child social skills using culture-specific strategies.