Loneliness and its Determinants in Mothers Raising Infants in Central Tokyo

In Japan, suicide is the most common cause of death among women who die in the first year after childbirth. This study aimed to analyze the loneliness of mothers raising infants in central Tokyo and to provide evidence for improving maternal mental health.

Fieldwork was conducted from June to September 2024, and questionnaire surveys were administered to 104 mothers who visited childcare support groups in Setagaya ward, Tokyo. Survey items were socioeconomic indicators and the Japanese version of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness Scale Version 3 (UCLA-LS3-J), containing 20 items. Structured equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to analyze differences in loneliness by mother and infant characteristics.

The average age of the mothers was 34.4 years, and that of their youngest child was 9.8 months. Among them, 24.0% of the mothers had a UCLA-LS3-J score >40 (which is considered moderate to high in terms of loneliness). SEM identified three factors independently associated with loneliness: health status, daily use of a nursery school or kindergarten, and the number of people the mothers could consult (p <0.05). Specifically, loneliness of the mothers was significantly higher when they were feeling less healthy, not using a nursery school or kindergarten, and having fewer people that they could consult.

Some mothers felt particularly isolated, and an intervention to strengthen consultation could be effective in improving loneliness of the mothers living in central Tokyo. Moreover, promotion of the use of nursery schools or kindergartens is also expected to improve the mothers' mental health.