Hobby Engagement and Subjective Well-Being Among Older Adult Stroke Survivors.

OBJECTIVES: Individuals with a history of stroke often face the risk of decreasing a wide range of social relationships and activities, including hobby engagement. Although hobby engagement has been reported to contribute to well-being across cultures, their effects on specific individuals with a history of stroke are not well known. This study examined the association between hobby engagement and subjective well-being in older stroke survivors. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This study was a secondary data analysis of community-dwelling older adults with a history of stroke who were receiving long-term care at home, using the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study-Home Care (JAGES-Home Care), a primary questionnaire survey linked with public long-term care certification data. METHODS: The participants were asked about their engagement in 13 hobby activities. In addition, their engagement numbers and types (cognitive, creative, physical, and receptive engagement) were measured. Subjective well-being was assessed with the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index. RESULTS: Data from 411 stroke survivors were analyzed (mean age = 82.2; 51.4% female). Of the participants, 82.4% engaged in any hobbies. A multivariable linear regression analysis adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, health-related, and care-related factors revealed that hobby engagement was associated with higher levels of subjective well-being (regression coefficients = 0.69; 95% CI, 0.41-0.98; P < .001). Individuals who engaged in a greater number of hobbies exhibited higher well-being. All hobby types were associated with higher levels of well-being. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: These findings suggest a positive role of hobby engagement, including receptive activities, in the well-being of stroke survivors, highlighting the importance of promoting their engagement and removing its barriers.