The purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of the diagnosis of depression (a depression label) on verbal and nonverbal communication with others. In this study, a situation was created in which a subject listened to personal problems described by a hitherto unknown conversational partner. Independent variables were “the depression label,” which conveys to the subject that the conversational partner suffers from depression, and “conveying depression,” which is the conversational partner exhibiting depression. Dependent variables were verbal and non-verbal indices for the subject. The verbal indices used were topic language (topics of conversation) and conversational management language (language indicating or eliciting a response), and the nonverbal indices used were smiling, gaze, silence, speech, and distance. Subjects were 40 women. Results indicated that “subjects conversing with a partner labeled with depression” mentioned taking a break more than “subjects conversing with a partner not labeled with depression.” Subjects conversing with a partner who exhibited but was not labeled with depression used less conversational management language than did subjects conversing with a partner who neither exhibited nor was labeled with depression. This work also discusses the effects of a depression label and issues with this study.

　How can people be persuaded to agree to protect children, regardless of the parent's economic status, from suffering from a relative deprivation of necessities in terms of material goods, social experiences and social participation? The aim of the current study was to determine people's rationales for agreeing or not agreeing with the essential conditions for child-rearing using the “What Children Need List” (WCN-List) developed by Hirai et al. (2015). First, individual interviews with college students (n = 25) indicated the following reasons for agreeing or not agreeing with each item in the WCN-List: benefits to the child, parental circumstances, and the respondent's own experiences. Next, Japanese over the age of 20 (n = 1,030) were asked whether or not they agreed with each item in the WCN-List in an online survey. They were then asked to choose one of the aforementioned rationales for their judgment. Results indicated that the most frequent reason for agreement was “benefits to the child,” while “parental circumstances” were the most frequent for disagreement. The findings are discussed in terms of social policies and parental responsibility in Japan.

　The current study examined the association among the grandparent-parent relationship, grandchild-grandparent relationship, and family functioning. One hundred and ninety-eight university students (85 males, 112 females) were surveyed. Covariance structure analysis indicated that the grandparent-parent relationship affected the grandchild-grandparent relationship. In addition, the grandchild-grandparent relationship affected a grandparent’s roles, including “acknowledgement of one's existence,” “daily emotional support,” and “a succession of generations,” as perceived by one's grandchild. Moreover, these roles influenced family functioning, including “cohesion” and “adaptability.” The grandparent-parent relationship also directedly affected family functioning. If parents and grandparents were emotionally close, a grandchild and her/his grandparents were emotionally close as well. In a close grandchild-grandparent relationship, a grandchild emotionally relies on his or her grandparents. A grandchild also feels that his or her grandparents routinely show interest in him or her, and the grandchild feels a connection with his or her grandparents and ancestors.

　Furthermore, a close grandchild-grandparent relationship enhances family connectedness and the ability to solve family problems. A close grandparent-parent relationship and a close grandchild-grandparent relationship enhance connectedness and communication in a family as a whole.

　Solution building, which is a key concept in solution-focused brief therapy, is an effective approach to resolute various problem. However, the environmental factors associated with solution building have not been clarified. Since solution building requires the ability to articulate one's own goals and focus on positive aspects, family factors such as respecting and affirming a children's opinions are associated with solution building.

　In the current study, family structure and parenting style served as family factors, and their relationship to solution building was examined. Two hundred university students were surveyed. Two-way analysis of variance revealed the main effects of family structure and parenting style. In addition, a significant interaction between family structure and parenting style was observed, indicating that strong cohesion, a balance of power, an open family structure, and an accepting parenting style were associated with a high degree of solution building. These results indicate an association between solution building and family factors.