This article calls attention to the importance of collaborative care in international settings and highlights advances in models of collaborative care that are emerging globally. As our understanding of physiology, nuclear medicine, bio-technology, neuroscience, and brain anatomy continues to increase, healthcare continues to move towards a systemic approach to physical and mental health. This epistemological shift has resulted in increased provider collaboration, and the formation of interdisciplinary healthcare organizations. Due to this shift in healthcare delivery, as well as a client base that is continually becoming more diverse and well informed, an understanding of collaborative health care in international settings is paramount to the goal of continued proliferation of effective and integrated mental health care. We propose that collaborative care is an effective way for providers to meet the physical and mental healthcare needs of patients across cultures. We further propose categorizing collaborative care models on a continuum of the degree of physical and functional integration. We provide international examples of each model, and a direction for future research.

　　The aim of the current study was to ascertain the relationship between physical complaints of high school students such as abdominal pain and headaches and the responses of their families. In order to achieve this aim, the current author hypothesized that the family's response to a child's complaint would affects the frequency of the symptom through psychological stress on the child, and this hypothesis was tested. Subjects were 150 high school students who felt physically unwell (abdominal pain, diarrhea/constipation, headache, nausea, hyperventilation, dizziness, or pain in other parts of the body) in the past six months. Correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between the frequency of the symptom and the child's stress response and between the child's stress response and their family's response. A path analysis was performed using a child's stress response as the parameter. Results indicated that the frequency of the symptom increased due to a child's lethargy caused by a family's “despondent/avoidant” response, whereby the family made no attempt to take action to address the child's complaint. This result supports the hypothesis and empirically indicates that a family's response to a child's complaint affects the frequency of the symptom through psychological stress on the child.

　　The aim of this study was to examine the effect of perceptions of expressions of parental expectations and psychological distance on sibling relationships. This study examined expressions of parental expectations with a focus on aspects of communicated content and management of communication.

　　One hundred and ninety-six undergraduates (75 males, 121 females) were surveyed. A factor analysis indicated that paternal expectations were communicated as “an expectation for one's child to succeed,” “an expectation for one's child to be considerate,” and “an expectation for one's child to be one's successor” and that expectations were expressed in a “genial atmosphere,” an “informal atmosphere,” and with “earnestness.” Maternal expectations were communicated as “an expectation for one’s child to succeed” and “an expectation to be consistent,” expectations were expressed in an “upbeat atmosphere,” with “seriousness,” and in an “informal atmosphere.” In addition, covariance structure analysis indicated that expression of the mother's expectations influenced the quality of a sibling relationship. Results suggested that a mother upbeat expression of her concerns to her children may lead to a good sibling relationship. Results also indicated that trust between children and parents may influence the quality of the sibling relationship.

　　The aim of this study was to examine how a mother's description of a child's father affects the adolescent's image of his or her father, with a focus on gender differences. This study introduced the theory of pragmatics of human communication and it looked at aspects of both message content and communication management.

　　Three hundred and one college students (151 females, 150 males) were surveyed. Multiple regression analysis was performed using the stepwise method, with as child's image of his or her father as the dependent variable. Results indicated that “Direct communication between a father and a child” and “A mother's positive description of the child’s father” promoted an adolescent's “Favorable image of one’s father.” However, “Direct communication between a mother and child” and “Dissatisfaction with one's father” worsened female adolescents' image of their fathers. Therefore, there are gender differences in the effect that a mother's description of a child's father has on the adolescent's view of his or her father. For female adolescents in particular, communication with one's mother promoted mother-child attachment, possibly worsening the adolescent's image of her father. “An image of one's father as capable” was not related to direct communication between the father and child but was related to several factors associated with how the mother described the child's father. Based on these results, the way in which a mother describes a child's father may shape the adolescent's image of his or her father.

　　The current study examined the circumstances surrounding the usage of a community childcare support center (mainly a place where mothers and children get together so that mothers socialize while children of the same age play together). Subjects were 688 mothers of children up to three years of age who were chosen from among a survey company's panel. A total of 24.0% of the mothers used the center more than once per week, and 41.7% used it at least once a month. Logistic regression analysis was performed by the age - in years - of the child. Mothers of children of any age (from newborn to age 3) tended to use the center frequently when the child was an only child. Mothers of children under 1 year of age who did not visit home frequently or who felt irritated or mentally fatigued as a result of interacting with their children tended to use the center frequently. Mothers of children ages one or two whose did not attend a nursery and mothers who were given a break from childcare while their husbands looked after their children also frequently used the center. The main objective of the center is to socially stimulate children up to the age of 3. In addition, spending an appropriate amount of time away from one's child is believed to give mothers psychological stability; this presumably leads to the usage of the center. Overall, mothers of younger children tended to have multiple factors related to the frequency of their center use. This paper discusses how mothers' needs for the center differ depending on their children's ages; the center needs to operate with that differentiation in mind.