The objective of this research is to develop a scale assessing the competence of psychiatric nurses. A total of 206 registered nurses and licensed practical nurses working in four psychiatric hospitals participated in this study. A five-point Likert-type scale comprising 53 items was used to assess the competence of these psychiatric nurses. This study comprised the following two phases: (a) item analysis and (b) scale’s reliability and validity evaluation by conducting an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). In total, 150 effective answers were identified. Three items were eliminated based on the results of the item analysis, and 13 items were removed on the basis of the EFA results. Finally, the scale assessing the competence for the psychiatric nurses was developed according to five factors comprising 37 items: (i) Factor 1 (patient–nurse relationship), (ii) Factor 2 (specialized knowledge), (iii) Factor 3 (recovery and health promotion), (iv) Factor 4 (safe patient care), and (v) Factor 5 (professional development). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.95 in the total score, which indicated the scale’s reliability. These results suggest that the reliability and validity of the scale assessing the competence of the psychiatric nurses have been proven. Further studies should be conducted to establish and develop psychiatric nursing education programs so that psychiatric nurses can improve their nursing competence.

The aim of the present study was to clarify the nursing interventions used at child and adolescent psychiatric wards for abused adolescents with problematic behaviors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 nurses with at least 5 years’ clinical experience of working at child and adolescent psychiatric wards. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

We identified 5 key nursing themes designed to help patients: engaging with child so that he or she feel valued by staff; providing a framework where child can feel at ease; helping to acquire expressions other than problem behavior; doing support to solidify feelings for life after discharge; and creating a foundation for child. Each nursing theme consisted of sub-themes that showed more specific nurse behavior.

Objectives: This study investigated the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the 10-item Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI-10) scale, which was designed to assess internalized stigma experienced by people with mental illness.

Methods: A survey was conducted using a self-written questionnaire for 242 people with mental disabilities who regularly attended psychiatric outpatient clinics and used social welfare facilities, and 230 people (valid response rate: 95.0%) were analyzed. The retest was performed on 155 participants, and 147 participants were analyzed.

Results: The alpha coefficient for the overall internal consistency was 0.81, and the test-retest reliability was r = .78. In terms of criterion-related validity, the Japanese version of the ISMI-10 scale presented a positive correlation between internalized stigma and depression and a negative correlation with self-esteem and empowerment. As for construct validity, we identified the two factors of “internalized stigma” and “stigma resistance.”

Conclusions: The Japanese version of the ISMI-10 scale demonstrated similar reliability and validity to the Japanese version of the ISMI-29 scale.

The purpose of this study was to describe the process of recovery by resilience expression in a general ward nursing team facing difficulties.

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 full-time nurses who were working in general wards and had been working as nurses for at least 6 months, and then analyzed them based on the Modified Grounded Theory Approach.

The process of recovery by resilience expression in a general ward nursing team facing difficulties was interpreted to involve [exploring] persistently through [confusion] to [nurture] the interactions between individual nurses to become further [stronger] as a team in order to arrive at a [transformation] in a newly created “safe space.” Within these 5 aspects of teamwork, the presence of “effective dialogue” within [nurturing] was key to the subsequent [transformation], suggesting that the team increased their interactions to express resilience, thereby leading to recovery.

A place for reflection, seeking connectedness, and accumulating experiential knowledge were suggested as important aspects of this process.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the experiences of the persons with schizophrenia living in a local community with heavy snowfall, and to provide suggestions to support their community life. For this, semi-structured interviews of 11 people with schizophrenia in psychiatric daycares or job assistance facilities were conducted. The interview data were analyzed qualitatively.

In this study, the experiences of the persons with schizophrenia living in a local community with heavy snowfall were classified into eight categories: [Mental attitudes and habituation to maintain one’s health], [Self-decision for maintaining daily living], [Adaptation to the snowy environment], [Support from surrounding people], [Acquisition of hope for future life], [acceptance of illness and recuperative life], [Considerations to interpersonal relationships], and [Postponement and patience for problems and challenges]. In the snowy environment, the persons continued to live by coping with their own mood swings, organizing their feelings, receiving support from others, and adapting to the snowy environment. The findings of this study suggested the importance of securing snow-related transport and supporting leisure activities, taking into account the health of the participants.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between ethical behaviors and recovery attitudes of psychiatric nurses. Psychiatric nurses were given a self-administered questionnaire consisting of 1) questions on basic attributes, 2) a scale measuring ethical behavior of psychiatric nurses and 3) the Recovery Attitudes Questionnaire (RAQ-7). A total of 187 responses were obtained.

Based on the average total scores of the participants on RAQ-7, they were divided into two groups: the low-scoring group consisted of 76 nurses (40.6%) and the high-scoring group consisted of 111 nurses (59.4%). When the two groups were compared on each type of behavior on the ethical behavior measurement scale, significant differences were found in the “addressing needs” and “expressing respect and appreciation” behaviors as well as in the total score. After performing a logistic regression analysis using the total RAQ-7 score as the dependent variable, the “addressing needs” behavior was found to be related to recovery attitudes (OR = 1.593). This indicates that an attitude of trying to understand the patients themselves, being sensitive to their needs, and responding to them enhances recovery attitudes.