Economic crisis and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

Background: The economic crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic can have a serious impact on population mental health. This study seeks to understand whether the economic shocks associated with the pandemic have a differential impact by sex because the current pandemic may have disproportionally affected women compared to men.

Methods: We analyzed data from original online monthly surveys of the general population in Japan conducted between April 2020 and February 2021 (N = 9000).

Acute stress does not affect economic behavior in the experimental laboratory.

We report statistical results from a laboratory experiment in which participants were required to make decisions with monetary consequences in several solitary and interactive situations under acute stress. Our study follows the tradition of behavioral and experimental economics in selecting the experimental situations and incorporates elements from medical and psychological research in the way stress is induced and measured. It relies on a larger sample, with 192 volunteers, than previous studies to achieve higher statistical power.

Loneliness and COVID-19 preventive behaviours among Japanese adults.

Background: There is some evidence that loneliness may be linked to poorer health behaviours. Despite this, there has been little research to date on the relationship between loneliness and COVID-19 preventive behaviours. We studied these associations in a sample of the Japanese population.

Age relative to school class peers and emotional well-being in 10-year-olds.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of age relative to school (i.e., class or grade level) peers on emotional well-being and the role of possible mediators of this effect in early adolescence using a large set of individual-level data from a community survey.

Minimum Legal Drinking Age and Youth Health: Evidence From Japan.

Objective: Recent studies showed that reducing the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) could cause negative health outcomes among youth. This evidence was drawn primarily from a limited set of geographical regions. This study seeks to widen available evidence by using data from Japan, where the government started considering reducing the MLDA from 20 to 18.

Disability and voting.

Background: For millions of people with disabilities in the United States, exercising the fundamental right to vote remains a challenge. Over the last few decades, the U.S.