Abstract
The purpose of this research was to examine transcultural stress factors and the mental well-being of female foreign residents in Japan, to provide information which may be of use to women's health services providers. This was a descriptive study, using an original questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire 30, completed anonymously. The questionnaires and GHQ were issued to 638 foreign residents at randomly selected Japanese universities. 144 completed questionnaires were returned by post. 143 questionnaires were analyzed. Female residents were found to be significantly more stressed than males overall, and were significantly more affected than males by 8 stress factors. There were no stress factors by which males were more affected than females. Using a 6/7 cut-off point and a 9/10 cut-off point for GHQ scores, normal, abnormal and seriously abnormal (high-risk) groups were identified. Almost 1 in 3 females in the sample were in the high-risk group, compared with 1 in 6 males. This research suggests that female residents are more vulnerable than males and may need attention from women's health care providers.
