The dilemma between the dependence drive and expression of dependent behaviors was focused. Differences in self-worth and interpersonal relationships of people with a high dependence drive, who are either able, or unable to behaviorally express this drive was investigated. Undergraduate students (N=449) completed five scales measuring the following: dependence drive, dependent behaviors, self-worth, the number of dependent figures and interpersonal relationships. The results indicated that participants with a high dependence drive, but are unable to express it, have a negative self-worth and negative interpersonal relationships, whereas those with a high dependence drive who are able to express dependent behaviors have a positive self-worth and positive interpersonal relationships. The results suggest that it is adaptive to be able to express dependent behaviors in late adolescence.

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The purpose of this study was to construct an organizational climate scale for use in the nursing setting and examine the relationship between the organizational climate, burnout, and job situation. Staff nurses (n=151) employed at a hospital were administered the Japanese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory for measuring burnout, a scale for measuring organizational climate and a scale for measuring job situations. Factor analysis identified five factors in the organizational climate scale: Positive climate, Authoritative climate, Support from matron, Burden on business, and Good communication. These factors, with the exception of the Authoritative climate, had fixed reliability levels. The correlation analysis between the organizational climate scores and job situation scores revealed that there were significant correlations among all the job situation variables and the Burden on business. In addition, multiple regression analysis revealed that emotional exhaustion could be explained by Good communication, Burden on business, and role ambiguity. Depersonalization could be explained by Positive climate and the Burden on business. However, accomplishments could not be explained by either organizational climate or job situation.

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The influence of past dietary habits on the parent-child relationship and present dietary habits was investigated. Undergraduates and junior college students (N=291) completed questionnaires regarding their present dietary habits, self-esteem, parental bonding, and past experiences with home-prepared lunches brought to school, including the rituals and customs observed during eating, as well as the thought processes involved in eating. It was considered that these experiences reflected on the child's appraisal of the mother's attitude towards the child, as well as on reminiscences. The major findings were as follows: Satisfaction with home-prepared lunches had a significant effect on later parent-child relationship and current dietary habits. Childhood dietary habits had a greater influence on present dietary habits and parent-child relationships than those in later adolescence, despite the greater time lapse. It was concluded that the affirmative appraisal of the mother's attitude in preparing meals, facilitated children in developing positive attitudes about themselves.

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Health psychologists, in addition to preventing people from developing health problems, are expected to play a role in helping ill people and those with physical disorders maintain their mental health. This study investigated the mental health of physically challenged people to clarify the relationship between psychological wellbeing (Ryff, DATE) and the sense of coherence (SOC: Antonovsky, DATE). Participants were physically challenged female athletes in the Japan Wheelchair Basketball Federation and a comparison group of non-challenged female members of a sports gym in Tokyo. The results showed that physically challenged female athletes had an equivalent level of mental health to that of female athletes who were not physically challenged, suggestive of a strong relationship between playing wheel-chair basketball and SOC. The strongest link was observed between the self-acceptance aspect of psychological well-being scale and SOC. These results indicate that continuous commitment to sports leads to improvements in SOC. It is concluded that improving psychological wellbeing and SOC can support physically challenged people to maintain their mental health.

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The effect of negative rumination on social anxiety was investigated. In addition, since Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) patients also exhibit a high degree of comorbidity with mood disorders, therefore we also discussed the relation between SAD and depression. Participants were 343 undergraduate students who completed a set of question naires consisting of the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale (SADS), the Short Fear of Negative Evaluation scale (SFNE), the Negative Rumination Scale (NRS), and the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). The results showed a moderate positive correlation between SADS, SFNE, NRS, and SDS (p<.01). After controlling for SDS, there remained a significant correlation between SADS, SFNE, and NRS (p<.01). Results of path analysis indicated the validity of the negative rumination model of social anxiety (GFI=.999, AGFI=.989, RMSEA=.001). Furthermore, all path coefficients were significant (p<.001), suggesting that negative rumination enhanced social anxiety and depression. These findings implicated the effect of negative rumination in reinforcing SAD. The possibility of interventions to prevent negative rumination in SAD treatment was discussed.

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There are no studies reported on the salivary serotonin concentrations in adolescent patients suffering from impulsive behavior. In order to elucidate the role of serotonin in impulsivity, salivary serotonin concentrations of nine psychiatric patients and nine normal participants were measured. Both groups also completed the SSS scale (Zuckerman et al., 1978). Salivary serotonin level of patients with impulsivity was higher than that of the normal group (p = 0.040, Mann-Whitney). Moreover, the Dis scale of the patients was lower than that of the normal participants. The results were incongruent with our working hypothesis. Further research is required to clarify the relation between salivary serotonin concentrations and impulsivity.

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Relationships among the drive for thinness, health consciousness, other psychological factors and eating behaviors in college students (n = 128: 79 male; mean BMI = 21.33: 109 female; mean BMI = 20.48) was investigated. They completed the Contour Drawing Rating Scale, the Sense of Health Scale, the Self-Esteem Scale, the Japanese version of STAI and the Japanese version of DEBQ. Results from Structural Equation Modeling indicated that for female students, the drive for thinness was influenced by BMI, and health consciousness was influenced by the drive for thinness via self-esteem and trait anxiety. Moreover, restraint in eating was influenced by the drive for thinness, whereas other eating behaviors were related to the drive for thinness via self-esteem and trait anxiety. In male students, there was a significant relationship between the drive for thinness and restraint in eating. These results suggest that there are gender differences between the drive for thinness and self-esteem, trait anxiety, and health consciousness.

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The relationship between the rumination response, depression, and anger-in was investigated and the reflection and brooding responses were used to classify the rumination response. Participants were 44 graduate and undergraduate students who were divided into four groups (High Depression-High Anger-in, High Depression-Low Anger-in, Low Depression-High Anger-in, Low Depression-Low Anger-in) on the basis of their responses to depression and anger-in scales. The results indicated the following. (1) Participants with low anger-in scores and high depression scores had larger reflection responses than participants with high scores for both depression and anger-in. (2) Reflection response had a remissive effect on depressive feelings, but the brooding responses maintained depressive feelings. (3) The reflection response was more effective for understanding depressive feelings than the brooding responses. (4) Depression negatively affected the cardiac response.

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