Factors Associated With Worsened or Improved Mental Health in the Great East Japan Earthquake Survivors.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify factors contributing to the worsening or improved mental health of long-term evacuees over three years following the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Method: The Japanese version of the K6 questionnaire was used as a measure of mental health. The first- and third-year survey results were compared and differences in mental health status calculated.

A Comparative Study of Self-Efficacy for Social Participation of People with Mental Illness in Japan and China.

Self-efficacy for social participation (SESP) of people with mental illness was examined in urban areas of Japan and China. The subjects were 266 people (140 Japanese, 126 Chinese) with mental illness who were living in their local community. Our SESP scale (SESP27) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ), Sense of Coherence measure (SOC13), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12), and a self-administered questionnaire related to living conditions were used for data collection.

Development of an instrument to measure self-efficacy for social participation of people with mental illness.

Promoting social participation is consistent with the principles of psychiatric rehabilitation of people with severe mental illness, but lack of self-efficacy in social participation is a major barrier to the community integration of these people. The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument in the form of a mental illness scale (self-efficacy for social participation [SESP]) to measure self-efficacy in social participation among Japanese people and to evaluate the scale's reliability and validity. Devised from a content analysis of interviews with 12 patients regarding their participation in socialization programs, the scale consisted of 37 items.

Factors related to self-efficacy for social participation of people with mental illness.

This study investigated factors related to self-efficacy for social participation of individuals with severe mental illness (SMI). A total of 142 people with SMI recruited from a variety of rehabilitation programs completed an anonymous self-report questionnaire that assessed self-efficacy for social participation, general self-efficacy, self-esteem, general mental health, social support, and life satisfaction. Employed participants reported significantly greater self-efficacy for social participation, general self-efficacy, and life satisfaction than those who did not work.

Family caregiving in dementia in Japan.

Family caregivers were interviewed to describe their caregiving experience with their older relatives who were afflicted with Alzheimer's disease at home. Three elements were identified to contribute toward a caregiving career: (a) good prior relationships between caregivers and care recipients, (b) positive interpretations of the relative's condition, and (c) utilization of resources. Some caregivers were identified as high risk: husbands caring for their wives and daughters-in-law caring for their mothers-in-law.