ACS90 had been developed as a scale for personality characteristics (action orientation/state orientation) and it was modified an item by developer. The purpose of this study was to provide a Japanese version of the Action Control Scale (J-ACS) and to examine its reliability and validity. Action orientation has been defined as the ability to exert volitional control over one's feeling, which has a greater tendency to move into volitional action. In contract, state orientation has been defined as the inability to exert volitional control over one's feeling, which has a greater tendency of no action. The original scale (ACS90) was translated into Japanese along with back-translation and we drew up J-ACS. A survey was conducted in 354 university students in January for June, 2008. Factor analyses for J-ACS were performed. Then, 3 factors (AOF, AOD, AOP) were extracted from J-ACS, factor structure was nearly identical to the previous studies. Although two item of high factor loading different from the factor designated by the ACS90 developer were also extracted, this result had also agreed with the previous studies. J-ACS seemed to be useful at large because the results approximately matched ACS90, it had high reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.76〜0.49, split-half reliability test 0.82〜0.46) and internal validity. In addition, the internal correlation was low, suggesting that subscales are mutually independent. However, a subscale with Cronbach's alpha (0.49) and split-half reliability test (0.46) should be investigated further. The individuals with a tendency to be easy to put an intention into an action and with the control of negative affects and the swift change of one's way of thinking were also related to health behaviors. Health education considering the personality of each participant may elicit more efficient and appropriate health behaviors. The application of J-ACS in concrete health behaviors should be investigated further.

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(Objective) The aim of this study was to clarify the correlation between the characteristics of the child-rearing environment of infants at 4 months of age and their responsiveness at 18 months of age. (Methods) To do this, we used the Japanese Longitudinal Study with Interaction Rating Scale (IRS) that structurally evaluates children's social skills. One hundred and sixty-three infants and parents/guardians who were registered in the JST project participated in the study. At 4 months after the birth of their child, parents/guardians filled out a questionnaire regarding the child's sex, siblings, family structure and financial condition, parents' age, educational background, occupation, and feelings towards child-rearing (spousal cooperation in child-rearing and parenting stress). At 18 months after the birth of their child, we used the IRS to evaluate each child's responsiveness and the characteristics of the parents/guardians. (Results) The responsiveness of children at 18 months of age correlated significantly with mothers' satisfaction with husbands' participation in raising the child at 4 months of age. (Conclusion) The results of this study therefore suggest that satisfaction with spousal support in child-rearing is a factor affecting the social development of children at 18 months of age.

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Purpose: this study is to clarify the relation between social interaction and medical expenditure among the elderly by their demographic. Methods: those who participated are 65 years or older, living in a farming community near a major urban center in Japan (n=882). The analysis is based on the 563 participants who completed the data. The contents of questionnaire were social interaction (using the "Index of Social Interaction"), physical function, age and gender. Results: Wilcoxon's rank sum test indicated that greater social interaction was positively related to reducing medical expenditure. Especially, communicate with in the family or with outsiders, having someone to give support in emergency, health motivation, regular life style and Active approach. Conclusion: social interaction plays an important role in holding down medical expenditure. And supporting the surrounding living environment of the elderly and making a decision by themselves are expected.

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The more specialized and advanced the world of medicine has been, and the more its professionalism, has been required for the role of nurses and the autonomy of nurses has been discussed as an issue to acquire. In this study, we translate "Nursing Activity Scale (NAS)" (1992) into Japanese and verified its reliability and validity. 1. A survey in which the Japanese version of NAS (1992) was conducted upon 400 nurses who work at Japanese average size hospitals. The results are as follows; Pearson's correlation coefficient is 0.68, Cronbach's α is 0.86 in the first and 0.83 in the second test, and the correlation coefficient in the split-half method marks 0.80 in the first and 0.78 in the second test. Thus we can see the strong reliability. As concerns of the validity, we can see the correlation in the level of person's satisfaction on his/her profession as the criterion-related validity, and there is a significant probability by difference of the position at work as concurrent validity (p<0.01). 2. To measure the construct validity, we had 940 nurses who work at four different public hospitals in Japan to join the survey and analyzed the factors on NAS for the first time. As the results, we extract five factors and label each of them as 'taking a new action as nurse specialists,' 'developing an activity as nurse specialists,' 'judgment based on consciousness of nurse specialists,' 'responsibility as nurse specialists,' and 'improvement in activities as nurse specialists.' In addition to that, there is a probability between the total points of NAS and all elements, and the correlation was seen. Thus we may say that the Japanese version of NAS (1992) is valid as a criterion to measure the professional autonomy of nurses.

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Recently, the aims of rehabilitation for individuals with mental health problems have changed among clinical experts to allow the patient to live in society while using clinical services. Psychiatric day-care offers support to individuals with mental health problems, to facilitate life within society. This research aimed to reveal daily living functions among psychiatric day-care users. Subjects comprised 116 day-care users at a large-scale day-care facility attached to a hospital. Fourteen staff members used the Daily Living Function Rating Scale for People with Mental Health Problems and twice rated daily living functions for day-care users. The research period extended from September 2006 to February 2007. The second rating was performed 3 months after the first. Paired t-tests were used to compare daily living function, activity and participation scores from the first and second ratings. Mean age of day-care users was 48.4±13.1 years, and mean period of day-care use was 61.0±48.8 months. Among the subjects, 98 users (84.5%) were diagnosed with schizophrenic disorder. Mean daily living function, activity and participation scores were 89.5±20.5, 44.5±8.0 and 45.0±14.7 from the first rating, and 90.4±21.6, 44.1±8.3 and 46.3±15.2 from the second rating, respectively. Participation scores were higher in the second rating than in the first. Furthermore, day-care users for whom period of day-care use was >2 years also displayed increased participation scores from the second rating compared to the first research. Psychiatric day-care thus appears to increase the curiosity and interests of day-care users.

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Aim: To consider the effectiveness and problems about the plan to import Foreign nurses and care givers on EPA (Economic Partnership Agreements). Method: Document investigation. Results: the actual first importing of nurses and care givers from the Philippines was postponed after 2008 because the bill for the export plan in the Philippines was not yet approved, though the plan was advanced in Japan after the agreement on EPA was concluded in 2005. Japan and Indonesia concluded EPA in August 2007 and the nurses and care givers from Indonesia are going to be accepted in 2008. Individual income average in ASEAN countries was so lower than that in the advanced nations that it is encouraged to draw their incomes by oversea-working as the national policy in the Philippines. On the other hand, the government of the country is worrying about short supply of nurses and care givers in their countries. Conclusion: It is necessary to consider a long-term, economic balance including not only the profit of home country but also the profit of another country when the economic agreements among multi countries are esteemed to construct the cooperative relationship of the international health welfare administration.

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