Multiple Roles and Mental Health in Cross-Cultural Perspective: The Elderly in the United States and Japan

2006/03/01 by Saeko Kikuzawa · 53 citations
Health Professions · Medicine · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Affect (linguistics) #Cross-cultural #Cross-cultural studies #Cultural environment #Developmental psychology #Employment and Welfare Studies #Gerontology #Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving #Medicine #Mental health #Perspective (graphical) #Psychiatry #Psychology #Social environment #Social psychology #Social science #Sociology #Work-Family Balance Challenges

paper · doi:10.1177/002214650604700105

published in Journal of Health and Social Behavior 47(1), 62-76 (SAGE Publishing)

openalex publication_date 2006/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

This paper examines how multiple roles affect the mental health of the elderly in Japan and the United States, two countries with vastly different cultures. Hypotheses were drawn based on the cultural differences in role experiences, and these hypotheses are tested by analyzing nationally representative samples of the elderly in these countries. The results show that Americans are more likely to be involved in roles related to family, work, and community, while the Japanese are more likely to be involved in only those roles related to family and work. Multiple roles are also found to be less beneficialfor the mental health of Japanese elderly compared to American counterparts. National differences in the effects of individual roles and role configurations on mental health are also documented. Overall, the results show the importance of broad cultural contexts for understanding the relationship between roles and mental health.

Citations

• A Theory of Role Strain
• Multiple Roles and Role Strain: Some Notes on Human Energy, Time and Commitment
• Toward a Theory of Role Accumulation

Cited by

• Role-Accumulation and Mental Health across the Life Course
• Three Faces of Identity
• Family structure and well-being at older ages in Japan. [europepmc]
• Social integration and healthy aging in Japan: how gender and rurality matter. [europepmc]
• Social roles, basic need satisfaction, and psychological health: the central role of competence. [europepmc]
• Depressive Symptoms, Transitions to Widowhood, and Informal Support From Adult Children Among Older Women and Men in Japan. [europepmc]
• Mental health care and the cultural toolboxes of the present-day Japanese population: Examining suggested patterns of care and their correlates. [europepmc]

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