The aim of this study was to ascertain how individuals who lost close relatives in the Great East Japan Earthquake dealt with their ambiguous loss through rituals and the process they went through to move from loss to acceptance. A survey and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 adults (ages 49‐73) who lived in areas severely affected by the disaster and who had experienced the loss of a close relative. Results indicated that disaster victims faced with ambiguous loss come to face reality as time passes with the support of those around them. Results revealed that rituals played a role both in aiding victims and also in forming relationships with others around them and connecting them to the culture of the community in which they lived. Rituals are a means of recalling an object of loss with little resistance, but results indicated that victims perform them unintentionally and spontaneously rather than intentionally in order to reduce stress. These findings suggest that providing support to those who have experienced ambiguous loss due to disasters is imperative.

　　The aim of this study was to ascertain the realizations arising among members of families struggling with cancer. Therefore, this study examined a new perspective on providing support to such families. Three bereaved families who lost family members (a father, a daughter, and a husband) to cancer were interviewed. Their responses were subjected to an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The realizations arising among family members were: 1) family bonds primarily involving the patient, 2) respecting different relationships between the patient and family members, 3) identification of a unique personal role, 4) consideration of other family members, 5) acceptance of a change in family roles, and 6) awareness of the positive attributes of family members. Results indicated the importance of family members identifying a new role to play in their relationship with the patient, the significance of being aware of the positive attributes of other family members, and the potential for a shared view of the patient to lead to acceptance of differences among family members. Two potential ways to provide support to members of families struggling with cancer are 1) helping family members better understand their relationship with the patient and 2) encouraging family members to be aware of the positive attributes of other family members.

　　This study explored and examined the relationship between children who have experienced parental divorce and grandparents living with them, including the impact of factors like the presence of the grandparents and the mental images and feelings that the children have toward their them. To that end, six college students who had experienced parental divorce were individually surveyed using a personal attitude construct (PAC) analysis. Results suggested that grandparents are important providers of support as the parent and child rebuild their lives. In some cases, grandparents play a role in preventing the suffering and loneliness that children experience after their parents’ divorce. However, unexpected cohabitation with one’s children or grandchildren may create the opportunity for one to question one’s own role as a grandparent and, moreover, to reevaluate one’s relationship with one’s children.

　　Parent-child role reversal is considered to be a risk factor for or a process in child abuse.

　　The aims of the current work were to provide an overview of previous studies on parent-child role reversal and to assemble relevant knowledge. Historically, role reversal was initially regarded as an issue with the individual parental and it was explained through approaches in developmental psychopathology. Later, role reversal was considered to be an issue with the relationship between the parent and child or as an issue with generational distortion of boundaries due to the marital relationship. In association with these emergence of these viewpoints, attachment theory and family systems were also used to describe role reversal. This context indicates that three theoretical perspectives were used to explain role reversal: developmental psychopathology, attachment theory, and family systems. Parentification and being a young carer conceptually resemble role reversal, and these two concepts were compared to role reversal. Parentification was regarded as a component of role reversal that was used to emphasize role reversal on the part of the child or as a concept identical to role reversal. In addition, role reversal and being a young carer had the same feature of a child providing support to or caring for a parent, but they differed because role reversal referred to emotional support while being a young carer mainly referred to instrumental support. Last, research questions regarding role reversal were discussed.