On death and dying

Strategic Asset Allocation: Portfolio Choice for Long‐Term Investors.

OBJECTIVE
The authors examined the prospective relationship between physical activity and incident depression and explored potential moderators.


METHOD
Prospective cohort studies evaluating incident depression were searched from database inception through Oct. 18, 2017, on PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, and SPORTDiscus. Demographic and clinical data, data on physical activity and depression assessments, and odds ratios, relative risks, and hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals were extracted. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted, and the potential sources of heterogeneity were explored. Methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.


RESULTS
A total of 49 unique prospective studies (N=266,939; median proportion of males across studies, 47%) were followed up for 1,837,794 person-years. Compared with people with low levels of physical activity, those with high levels had lower odds of developing depression (adjusted odds ratio=0.83, 95% CI=0.79, 0.88; I2=0.00). Furthermore, physical activity had a protective effect against the emergence of depression in youths (adjusted odds ratio=0.90, 95% CI=0.83, 0.98), in adults (adjusted odds ratio=0.78, 95% CI=0.70, 0.87), and in elderly persons (adjusted odds ratio=0.79, 95% CI=0.72, 0.86). Protective effects against depression were found across geographical regions, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 0.65 to 0.84 in Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania, and against increased incidence of positive screen for depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio=0.84, 95% CI=0.79, 0.89) or major depression diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio=0.86, 95% CI=0.75, 0.98). No moderators were identified. Results were consistent for unadjusted odds ratios and for adjusted and unadjusted relative risks/hazard ratios. Overall study quality was moderate to high (Newcastle-Ottawa Scale score, 6.3). Although significant publication bias was found, adjusting for this did not change the magnitude of the associations.


CONCLUSIONS
Available evidence supports the notion that physical activity can confer protection against the emergence of depression regardless of age and geographical region.

Physical activity and incident depression: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies

Carolyn Saarni’s book is one of a very practical series of titles by Guilford Press examining emotional and social development. The author stated a number of goals for the book including: writing about emotional development in mid-childhood and adolescence, examining emotion as a part of culture, and establishing a pattern of studying emotion within the lives of children. The book was organized into three parts: research and theories of emotional competence; skill levels of emotional competence and the clinical application of emotional competence.

In the first part, Dr. Saarni defined emotional competence as the functional capacity wherein a human can reach their goals after an emotion-eliciting encounter. She defined emotion as a building block of self-efficacy. She described the use of emotions as a set of skills achieved which then lead to the development of emotional competence. Attainment of the skills of emotional competence is crucial to self-efficacy. Dr. Saarni outlined her theoretical position in relation to theories of emotion and social learning and cognitive development. Her approach to theory in each of these fields was integrative and focussed on self-development with a strong social-contructivist perspective. I enjoyed the culture and folk theories of emotional regulation in chapter three. Also, chapter three contained an interesting section on parent and peer influences on emotional regulation, very useful for child psychiatrists who work to discern abnormal emotional regulation and mood patterns in context.

The bulk of the book was devoted to the eight emotional competence skills:


Awareness of one’s own emotions,


Ability to discern and understand other’s emotions,


Ability to use the vocabulary of emotion and expression,


Capacity for empathic involvement,


Ability to differentiate subjective emotional experience from external emotion expression,


Adaptive coping with aversive emotions and distressing circumstances,


Awareness of emotional communication within relationships, and


Capacity for emotional self-efficacy.



Skills one through six are based on developmental research on emotions but the final two skills are based on her experience as a clinical developmental psychologist. Each chapter contained organizing subtitles and ended with culture, developmental stage and gender information. In keeping with her leanings to Lewis and Michaelson, her most basic skill, ‘awareness of one’s own emotions,’ is one that requires cognitive ability. She stipulated that, to accomplish the first skill, (Lewis’ argument) the child must know how the body feels to have an emotion. A child needs to be age four or five to demonstrate this skill reliably. Of all the skills, skill four, the capacity for empathic involvement appears to be an outlier. While the material she presented was interesting to read, the role of empathy as a skill of emotional competence wasn’t argued convincingly. On the other hand, skill 7 had a great deal of face validity. It suggested that there is a skill of emotional meta-communication.

A strength of the book is its comprehensive examination of the skills she proposed. She covered many practical issues in emotional competence. The book conveyed a strong sense of children in their world and thus it was easy and enjoyable to read. A limitation of the book related to Dr. Saarni’s description of the differences between the theoretical models and how she applied them. There is a distinct difference between the social constructivists and functionalists. If child psychiatrists or residents are not familiar with the difference, this book will confuse their understanding. The former see emotions as arising from the development of cognition and the latter see emotion as not developmentally dependent upon cognition, rather, an organizing principle in development in its own right. Despite this, the effort and breadth of the treatment of emotional competence as illustrated in this book makes it well worth the read.

The Development of Emotional Competence

1. Name and territory of the Union ................................................................... 2 2. Admission or establishment of new States ................................................ 2 2A. [Repealed.] .............................................................................................................. 2 3. Formation of new States and alteration of areas, boundaries or names of existing States ................................................................................................ 2-3 4. Laws made under articles 2 and 3 to provide for the amendment of the First and the Fourth Schedules and supplemental, incidental and consequential matters ....................................................................................... 3

Constitution of India

This study investigates the factors affecting financial literacy in Japan using data from Osaka University's Preference Parameter Study We examine several demographic, socio-economic, and psychological variables drawn from the social learning, consumer socialization, and psychological theories of learning The results indicate that the demographic factors of gender, age, and education; the socio-economic factors of income and occupation; and the psychological factor of perceptions of the future significantly affect the level of financial literacy The results are robust to different measures of financial literacy and emphasize that social contact and people's future orientation can improve financial literacy levels in Japan

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/F4D9851FF30450317147A7E8CDB58F99/S1474747218000379a.pdf/div-class-title-what-determines-financial-literacy-in-japan-div.pdf

What determines financial literacy in Japan

The worldwide COVID-19 vaccination program is already underway, raising hopes and aspirations to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic that halted economic and social activities. However, the issue of vaccine effectiveness and its side-effects is influencing the potential acceptance of vaccines. In this uncertain situation, we used data from a nationwide survey in Japan during February 2021, following the Japanese government's initial phase of COVID-19 vaccination. Our results show that 47% of the respondents are willing to take a vaccine once it is available, while 22% are not willing and another 31% remain indecisive. Our ordered probit regression results show that demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral variables such as gender, age, subjective health status, children, household income, household assets, financial literacy, future anxiety, and myopic view of the future are associated with willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Our findings suggest that Japan's government should not adopt a one-size-fits-all policy to promote the vaccination program, but rather target people with specific socioeconomic backgrounds who are less willing and more hesitant to take a vaccine.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/9/4864/pdf

Willing or hesitant? A socioeconomic study on the potential acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine in Japan

This study examines the role of financial literacy in reducing anxiety about life in old age. We hypothesize that financial literacy increases preparedness for old age through better savings and investment decisions, leading to the accumulation of more assets and earning more income, which enhances financial capacity and reduces anxiety. Using data from a nationwide panel survey in Japan, we provide evidence that financial literacy can reduce anxiety about life in old age by making people capable of accumulating more assets and earning more income. Moreover, the interaction of financial literacy with age and spouse reduces anxiety, while living with children increases anxiety about life during old age. We check the robustness of our results using an alternative measure of financial literacy, changing composition of the sample, controlling for residents’ geographical dispersion, and testing for endogeneity bias. The major findings remain unchanged after considering these factors.

/pdf/can-financial-literacy-reduce-anxiety-about-life-in-old-age-43rdymm7ib.pdf

Can financial literacy reduce anxiety about life in old age

Success in the current complex and sophisticated financial marketplaces depends on the ability of people to make sustainable financial decisions to improve their future well-being, for which financial literacy is a pathway. This study examines the relationship between the demographic and socio-economic factors and financial literacy in Japan by segregating financial literacy into financial knowledge, attitude, and behavior, and providing a deeper understanding of the relationships. The methodology included using data from the Financial Literacy Survey 2016 by the Central Council for Financial Services Information of Japan. We used a linear regression model to explain how demographic and socio-economic factors relate to financial knowledge, attitude, and behavior. Results show that education, the balance of financial assets, and the use of financial information are positively related, while the experience of financial trouble is negatively related to financial knowledge, attitude, and behavior. We show that males are more financially knowledgeable than females, but females are more positive than males with regard to financial behavior and financial attitude. Age is positively related to financial knowledge but negatively related to financial attitude, thus suggesting that middle-aged people in Japan are more financially knowledgeable, but younger and older people are more positive with regard to financial behavior and attitude. The findings have implications for policymakers.

/pdf/financial-literacy-in-japan-new-evidence-using-financial-44msekduf5.pdf

Financial Literacy in Japan: New Evidence Using Financial Knowledge, Behavior, and Attitude

According to a survey by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare in 2017, 3.6% of Japanese adults—equivalent to about 3.2 million people—have suffered from problem gambling at some point in their lifetime. This study examines the relationship between financial literacy, financial education, and gambling behavior (measured as gambling frequency) among the Japanese population. We hypothesize that financially literate and financially educated people who use their knowledge to make sound financial decisions are less likely to gamble. The data used in this study are from a nationwide survey in Japan from the Preference Parameters Study of Osaka University in 2010 (n = 3687). To control for endogeneity bias between financial literacy and gambling behavior, we use the education of respondents’ fathers as an instrumental variable. The results from the probit-instrumental variable model show that financial literacy has a significantly negative relationship with gambling frequency, while financial education has no significant relationship with gambling frequency. Our findings suggest that problem gambling may be mitigated by promoting financial literacy, but no such conclusion can be drawn for financial education.

/pdf/financial-literacy-and-gambling-behavior-evidence-from-japan-jne337jlwm.pdf

Yoshihiko Kadoya

Papers

What determines financial literacy in Japan

Willing or hesitant? A socioeconomic study on the potential acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine in Japan

Can financial literacy reduce anxiety about life in old age

Financial Literacy in Japan: New Evidence Using Financial Knowledge, Behavior, and Attitude

Financial Literacy and Gambling Behavior: Evidence from Japan