Survey of Midlife Development in Japan (MIDJA) (2008+)

Probability sample of Japanese adults aged 30 to 79 from the Tokyo metropolitan area. Survey data were collected on sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, marital status, educational status), psychosocial characteristics (e.g., independence/interdependence, personality traits, sense of control, goal orientations, social support, family obligation, social responsibility), mental health (depression, anxiety, well-being, life satisfaction), and physical health (chronic conditions, health symptoms, functional limitations, health behaviors). These measures parallel those in a national longitudinal sample of midlife Americans known as Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) Series. The central objective is to compare the Japanese sample with the United States sample to test the hypothesis that the construct of interdependence predicts well-being and health in Japan, whereas the construct of independence predicts well-being and health in the United States. Cultural influences on age differences in health and well-being are also of interest.