Negative Mood, Hope for the Future and Social Capital among Young Japanese:

A Secondary Analysis of Individual Data

抄録

Background: In recent years, many young Japanese people have suffered from mental health problems leading to suicide. Social capital is considered to be an important factor affecting mental health and well-being.

Objective: We aimed to clarify how social capital is related to negative mood and hope for the future among Japanese youth.

Methods: A secondary analysis of individual data from a web-based survey (13–29 years old, 1175 Japanese respondents) was conducted. The data for this secondary analysis, “International Survey of Youth Attitude, 2013” (Office for Policy Planning on Youth Affairs, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan) was provided by the Social Science Japan Data Archive, Center for Social Research and Data Archives, Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo.

Results: Female respondents had a higher proportion of negative mood than males did. However, male respondents had a lower proportion of hope for the future than females did. Logistic regression analysis showed that negative mood was inversely correlated with trust in both males and females. Hope for the future was positively correlated with trust, reciprocity, the number of close friends, and the number of people with whom the individual wanted to consult.

Conclusion: The present study suggests that the attempt to enhance social capital would improve mental health and hope for the future among Japanese youth.