Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Applying Topic Modeling in Daily Life Descriptions

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic poses significant risks to both physical and mental well-being.
• Existing quantitative studies offer insights but cannot capture all mental health-related variables.
• A novel approach is needed to explore diverse factors influencing mental health during the pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between daily life experiences during the pandemic and mental health outcomes.
• To identify specific topics within personal narratives that correlate with psychological well-being.
• To utilize a bottom-up, text-mining approach to uncover nuanced mental health factors.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 776 Japanese adults (over 18) provided narrative descriptions of their pandemic experiences.
• Topic modeling was applied to analyze 2,594 unique words from participant narratives.
• Nine distinct topics were identified: mask, physical symptoms, children, infection anxiety, disinfection items, economic influence, remote work, going out, and change of lifestyle.

Main Results:

• Mention of economic influence, physical symptoms, and disinfection items was associated with lower life satisfaction and increased depression and negative affect.
• Conversely, participants who wrote about their children reported higher life satisfaction.
• The identified topics provide a granular understanding of pandemic-related psychological impacts.

Conclusions:

• Monitoring the mental health of individuals experiencing economic impacts and physical symptoms is crucial for mitigating COVID-19's adverse effects.
• Personal narratives offer valuable data for understanding the multifaceted impact of pandemics on mental health.
• This study underscores the importance of considering diverse life experiences in mental health assessments during public health crises.