Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have been identified as a medical population in danger of lowered psychological well-being because of severe pain and functional disabilities. The purpose of this paper is to examine the types of coping style and the process of psychological adjustment among RA patients, using both the statistical method and the case-study method. As a result of cluster analysis, 151 female patients were classified into five groups according to their coping style: Active problem-solving, Acceptance, Avoidance, Direct action, and No problems. Then 26 cases were studied respectively to consider their coping processes for a period of two years.The extent of disability and the available coping resources were found as determinants of the coping styles.

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The purpose of this study was to examine stress sources and responses for Japanese workers under a different culture from their own. Fifty nine male Japanese workers who had been employed in the U.S. –Japan joint company were classified into two district area groups in term of types of occupation (office work: OW; and factory: F). These workers were individually interviewed about their occupational stess, daily life stress, family problem, health, and stress coping style. In addition, the score in the Eysenck Personality Inventory(EPI), Spielberger Trait-State Inventory(STAI), and Cornel Medical Index(CMI) for the OW and F groups were compared to those for fifteen Japanese male worker group in the home country(C).
As a result, there were no differences in the EPI and STAI between three groups. However, concerning the CMI, Group OW had significantly higher percentage of response in Cardiovascular system items than Group F. In Digestive tract items, Group OW showed the highest percentage of response of all groups. Furthermore, Group OW and F had higher Habits response than Group C. Concerning mood and feeling patterns of the CMI, only Anger for Group OW showed the higher response compared to Group F and C. Finany, most of the Japanese workers, especially Group OW, complained about the conflicts with American workers through the interview. Also, some episodes for some workers who had a tendency to be neurotic by the CMI diagnosis were introduced. These findings suggest that Japanese workers who frequently had come in contact with many Americans in sales and office work situations had higher stress than others. It indicates that they have larger risk of having stress related diseases, as shown in some higher responses of the CMI.

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The purpose of this study is to divise a questionnaire for the Life-Events suitable for Japanese people. What we did as the first step was to examine the Holmes' Social Readjustment Rating Scale. We asked 205 subjects to judge these 43 items from a Japanese viewpoint and decide whether they (1) are stressors or not, (2) have appropriate LCU scores or not, (3) how they are stressful and to put valid LCU scores for them.
The results are as follows. Our subjects do not regard those life events which are joyfull as stressors. We think it useful to sellect 26 items among the 43, after examined LCU scores and evaluation of how stressful they are expected to be. In the near future, as a second step, we will take the same procedure to examine those life event items which we studied in 1990. Also, we'll sellect appropriate life events to add to these 26.

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