Table 2.
Descriptive Statistics for Explanatory Variables
| Variables | Min–Max | Proportion (%)/Mean (SD) |
|---|---|---|
| Level-1 variables (n = 9,016) | ||
| Changes in living arrangements [t − 1 to t]: | ||
| Continuous coresidence (ref.) | – | 86.0 |
| Continuously lived alone | 0–1 (dummy) | 9.3 |
| Started living alone | 0–1 (dummy) | 3.6 |
| Started coresidence | 0–1 (dummy) | 1.1 |
| Age (years) [t − 1] | 60–95 | 69.8 (6.45) |
| Annual income [t − 1]: <1.2 million yen (ref.) | – | 22.5 |
| 1.2 to <3 million yen | 0–1 (dummy) | 39.5 |
| 3 to <5 million yen | 0–1 (dummy) | 25.6 |
| 5 million yen and over | 0–1 (dummy) | 12.4 |
| Working [t − 1] | 0–1 (dummy) | 34.7 |
| Functional limitations [t − 1] | 0–9 | 0.65 (1.53) |
| Self-rated health [t − 1] | 1–5 | 3.58 (1.00) |
| Freq. contact with children living apart [t − 1] | 1–6 | 3.87 (1.78) |
| Changes in contact with children living apart [t − 1 to t] | −5 – +5 | −0.03 (1.57) |
| Freq. meetings with friends and neighbors [t − 1] | 1–6 | 3.90 (1.78) |
| Depressive symptoms [t − 1] | 0–7 | 0.99 (1.58) |
| Level-2 variables (n = 4,655) | ||
| Gender: Female | 0–1 (dummy) | 55.8 |
| Education (years) | 0–17 (17 = 17 or more) | 9.66 (2.80) |
| Drop-out status: remained (ref.) | – | 70.4 |
| Death | 0–1 (dummy) | 8.4 |
| Relocation | 0–1 (dummy) | 2.0 |
| Other reasons | 0–1 (dummy) | 19.2 |
| Level-3 variables (n = 575) | ||
| Level of urbanization: DID-PR (%) | 0–100 | 60.9 (35.1) |
| Period (census year): around 1990 (ref.) | – | 33.4 |
| Around 2000 | 0–1 (dummy) | 33.6 |
| Around 2015 | 0–1 (dummy) | 33.0 |
Notes: DID-PR = percentage of population living in Densely Inhabited Districts. All Level-1 explanatory variables except those for “Changes” were measured at t − 1.