Previous studies have indicated that older men often experience disconnection from the community after retirement. Social activities have been shown to be effective in preventing social isolation among older urban men. Nevertheless, it has been reported that they often do not participate in community social activities and tend to be reluctant to do so. We explored the values and meanings of social activities for retired older men living in an urban area of Japan to understand support using social activities that are more suitable for them. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 older men (aged 68–80 years; M = 74.6 ± 3.79 years) about their interactions with family and non-family members, and their participation in various community social activities. The grounded theory approach was used for the analysis. As a result, the following five categories were derived as the values that participants place on the social activities that they engage in: “health as a resource and reward for social activities,” “feeling I am still useful,” “feeling that something is my responsibility,” “feeling of time well spent,” and “finding interest through interactions.” In addition, the following three categories were extracted as meanings of social activities: “fulfilling social life,” “maintaining stable family relationships,” and “maintaining safety and peace in the community.” When considering the social activities that older urban retired men are interested in and likely to participate in, these five values can be considered indicators. In contrast, to maintain stable family relationships and safety and peace in the community, participants sometimes used strategies to stop or abandon social activities. Therefore, in situations where a peaceful life within a family or neighborhood is threatened, it may be useful to help set aside sufficient time and allow for psychological leeway in advance to incorporate social activities into their lives.

先前的研究表明，退休后，老年人通常会与社区脱节。事实证明，社交活动可有效防止老年城市男性的社会孤立。然而，据报道，他们经常不参加社区社交活动，并且往往不愿参加。我们探索了生活在日本城市地区的退休老人的社交活动的价值和含义，以了解通过使用更适合他们的社交活动获得的支持。对15名年龄较大的男性（年龄68-80岁； M = 74.6±3.79岁）进行了半结构式访谈，以了解他们与家庭成员和非家庭成员的互动以及他们参与各种社区社交活动的情况。扎根的理论方法用于分析。结果是，以下五个类别是参与者对他们所参与的社会活动的重视：“健康是社会活动的一种资源和奖励”，“觉得我仍然有用”，“觉得某事是我的责任” “花时间的感觉”和“通过互动找到兴趣”。此外，还提取了以下三类作为社会活动的含义：“实现社会生活”，“维持稳定的家庭关系”和“维护社区的安全与和平”。在考虑老年人退休人员可能感兴趣并可能参加的社会活动时，这五个值可以视为指标。相反，为了维持稳定的家庭关系以及社区的安全与和平，参与者有时会使用策略来停止或放弃社交活动。因此，在家庭或邻里的和平生活受到威胁的情况下，帮助预留足够的时间并提前留有心理余地将社交活动融入他们的生活中可能是有用的。