Transitions in Living Arrangements Among Elders in Japan: Does Health Make a Difference?

OBJECTIVE: This research evaluates the hypothesis that poor health triggers a change in living arrangements among elderly adults in Japan. METHODS: Data came from a national probability sample of 2,200 Japanese people aged 60 or older. Four surveys of this sample were conducted over a period of 9 years, from 1987 to 1996. Multinomial logit regression analyses were used to analyze the effects of demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, and health on changes in living arrangements. RESULTS: Living arrangements among the Japanese elderly people remained quite stable over the 9-year period. Physical and mental health conditions were found to exert both direct and indirect effects on transitions in living arrangements. DISCUSSION: Poor health does trigger changes in living arrangement. Both physical (i.e., chronic conditions and functional status) and mental (i.e., depressed affect) health conditions play a role in such transitions. Because health conditions are correlated with competing risks of mortality, attrition, and proxy interview, health effects on changes in living arrangement are likely underestimated.