Index of Social Interaction

Description of Measures

Purpose

To measure the social interaction.

Objects

ISI is appropriate for the assessment of social interactions over twelve years old.

Conceptual Organization

ISI was developed for evaluating social interactions of various types and includes 18 items. Factor analysis revealed 5 subscales: 1) Independence, which includes having a motivation to live an active lifestyle, taking an active approach towards one’s life, being motivated to live a healthy life, and having a regular or routine lifestyle; 2) Social curiosity, which comprised reading newspapers, reading books, trying to use new equipment, having a hobby, and having a feeling of importance; 3) Interaction, composed of communication within the family, communication with non-family persons, and interactions with non-family persons; 4) Participation in society, made up of participation in social groups, participation in neighborhood affairs, watching television and having an active role in society; and 5) Feelings of safety, meaning having counsel, and having someone to give support in an emergency (see Table 1).

Materials

Non-copyrighted TCS (Tobishima Cohort Study) version of the form is included in this manual

Time Required

Less than five minutes

Scoring

Score Types

Each item’s score was rated one point for a positive response (yes, I do this or yes, I have this) and zero for a negative response. Thus, both subscale scores and the total ISI score were calculated simply by summing the positive responses. For missing data, the mean score of the rest of the items was used to replace the missing score.

Score Interpretation

Higher scores reflect higher level of social interaction.

Psychometric Support

Reliability and Validity

The Index of Social Interaction (ISI) was tested on 1,064 community dwelling elderly in Japan and it show highly significant correlations with future health decline and dementia.
Cronbach’s alpha for the subscales ranged from .78-.81 (Anme, 2007).

Norms and/or Comparative Data

TCS (Tobishima Cohort Study) Use
Cohort research in the “Tobishima Cohort Study” in Japan used the ISI for more than twenty years.

References

1. Amarsanaa GY, Anme T, et al. SSelf-assessed Health and its Aspects in the Case of Mongolia, Health, 4(7), 415-422, 2012.
2. Anme T, et al. Social interaction and dementia prevention: Six-year follow-up study, Public Health Frontier, 1(2), 2012.
3. Anme T, et al. Continuity of social interaction and mortality: Eight-year population-based prospective study for the elderly, Japanese Journal of Human Science of Health-Social Services, 7(2), 2011.
4. Anme T, McCall M. Empowerment in health and community settings, In Muto T. Edited, Asian Perspectives and Evidence on Health Promotion and Education, 162-172, Springer, 2010.
5. Sawada Y, Anme T. et al. Maintenance of Physical Function and Related Factors for Community Dwelling Elderly: A Nine-Year Follow-Up. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 21(3), 2009.
6. Anme T, et al. Social Interaction and Longevity: An Eleven-Year Longitudinal Study of Older Persons in a Japanese Village. Hallym International Journal of Aging. 9(2). 2007.
7. Anme T, et al. An exploratory study of abuse among frail elders using services in a small village in Japan. Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect. 17(2). 1-20. 2006.
8. Anme T, et al. Positive Aging: Cross Cultural perspectives　Social Affiliation and Healthy Longevity, BOLD United Nations International Institute on Aging, 16(3), 24-27,2006.
9. Anme T, et al. A study of elder abuse and risk factors in Japanese families: focused on the social affiliation model, Geriatrics and Gerontology International, 4(4), 262-263, 2004.
10. Anme T, et al. Retaining and Expanding Empowerment in the Transition to a Community-Oriented Support System: Japan in the 21st Century, In Heumann L, Empowering Frail Elderly People: Opportunities and Impediments in Housing, Health and Support Services Delivery, Prager, 2001.
11. Anme T, et al. Positive Aging: Cross Cultural perspectives, British Society of Gerontology, 29, 6-9,2000.
12. Anme T, et al. Predicting Mortality and the importance of social interaction: A five year follow-up study in Japan, International Journal of Welfare for the Aged, 1, 34-48, 1999.
13. Anme T, et al. The introduction of long-term care insurance retaining and expanding empowerment in the transition from a family to a community-oriented support system, International Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, 2, 42-46, 1999.
14. Anme T, et al. Study on the relation between self assessment of daily life activities and instrumental activity of daily living of three years later, International Rehabilitation Medicine, 8, 721-725, 1997.
15. Anme T, et al. The factors related to the feeling of well-being among the middle age in Japan, Health Promotion and Education, 15, 344-345, 1996
16. Anme T, et al. Social service need of privately housed elderly persons in Japan and the supportive systems to allow them to age in place, Systems Science in Health-Social Services for the Elderly and the Disabled, 5, 112-128, 1994.
17. Anme T, et al. Managing the transition from a family to a community-oriented support system in Japan, Aging in place with dignity, Prager, 154-164, 1993.

【Questionnaire】Index of Social Interaction (ISI)

1. Do you often communicate with your family members?

1)every day
2)twice a week
3)once a week
4)rare

2. Do you communicate with people outside your family regularly?

1)every day
2)twice a week
3)once a week
4)rare

3. Do you interact with people outside your family regularly?

1)every day
2)once a week
3)once a month
4)rare

4. Do you have chances to participate in social groups?

1)every day
2)once a week
3)once a month
4)rare

5. Do you watch television or internet videos (such as YouTube)?

1)every day
2)twice a week
3)once a week
4)rare

6. Do you read newspapers regularly?

1)every day
2)twice a week
3)once a week
4)rare

7. Do you read books or magazines regularly?

1)every day
2)twice a week
3)once a week
4)rare

8. Do you have an active role in the society or social affairs?

1)always
2)often
3)sometimes
4)rare

9. Do you have someone to counsel with in difficult situation?

1)always
2)often
3)sometimes
4)rare

10. Do you have someone to support you in emergency?

1)always
2)often
3)sometimes
4)rare

11. Do you have chances to participate in your neighborhood affairs?

1)always
2)often
3)sometimes
4)rare

12. Do you have any hobby? Do you enjoy it?

1)always
2)often
3)sometimes
4)rare

13. How often do you use internet, smartphones or other electronic equipments?

1)always
2)often
3)sometimes
4)rare

14. Do you have health motivation?

1)always
2)often
3)sometimes
4)rare

15. Do you lead a regular life style?

1)always
2)often
3)sometimes
4)rare

16. Do you have life style motivation?

1)always
2)often
3)sometimes
4)rare

17. Do you approach everything actively?

1)always
2)often
3)sometimes
4)rare

18. Do you have feeling of importance in the society?

1)always
2)often
3)sometimes
4)rare

Table 1 Index of Social Interaction (ISI)