Enhancing Effect of eHealth Use on the Associations Between Social Supports and Well-Being in Japanese Employed Women Providing Childcare or Care: Bayesian Structural Equation Modeling Study

Abstract

Background: The increasing prevalence of information and communication technologies has made health-related information and social support more accessible on the web. However, limited evidence exists on how eHealth and social support affect the well-being of employed women who also serve as caregivers in Japan. Objective: This study aimed to assess the relationship between social support and well-being among employed Japanese women providing childcare or caregiving and explore eHealth use’s role in enhancing this relationship. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using secondary data analysis from a nationwide web-based questionnaire survey of 10,000 employed women aged 20-65 years, administered from February 28, 2023, to March 7, 2023. The primary study used a quota random sampling approach based on age and geographic area from the research company’s panel. For this analysis, we focused on a subgroup of 2456 women who reported either caring for children less than 7 years old or providing other caregiving responsibilities. We employed a Bayesian structural equation model to estimate the enhancing effect of eHealth on the relationship between social support and 4 well-being indicators: life satisfaction, worthwhileness, happiness, and anxiety. Results: Among the 2456 employed women included, 1784 (72.6%) received social support and 1635 (66.6%) obtained health-related information via eHealth. Bayesian structural equation model analysis revealed that the standardized total effects of social support on well-being were 0.20 (95% CI 0.13-0.27) in the group without eHealth use and 0.47 (95% CI 0.45-0.50) in the group with eHealth use. Conclusions: The findings suggest that eHealth may enhance the positive impact of social support on the well-being of employed Japanese women providing childcare or caregiving. This study highlights the potential of eHealth interventions in supporting social support and well-being among working women with caregiving responsibilities in Japan.