Objective: The aim of the present study is to prepare a scale enabling to assess independence from multiple directions, and to clarify the current state and gender differences in independence among university students. Methods: An original questionnaire survey was administered to 784 students (382 men and 402 women), and a factor analysis was carried out. Results: (1) The independence scale consisted of seven factors: “Subjective independence,” “Collaborative interpersonal relationships,” “Social interests,” “Life management,” “Daily life skills,” “Cooperative parent-child relationship,” and “Economical independence.” (2) Of all subjects, scored high were for “Subjective independence,” “Collaborative interpersonal relationships,” and “Cooperative parent-child relationship,” while scored low was for “Economic independence.” (3) Gender differences were observed for all factors except “Subjective independence.” The scores for “Social interests” and “Economic independence” were higher for male students than for female students, while the scores for “Collaborative interpersonal relationships,” “Life management,” “Daily life skills” and “Cooperative parent-child relationship” were higher for female students than male students. Based on these findings, the current state of independence for university students was discussed from the viewpoint of the seven independence factors and gender differences.

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The objective of this study is 1) To consider a relational structure of child care support and child care support sources so as to grasp what support is needed of mothers at an early stage of child care, and 2) To clarify the shifting pattern of the relational structure of mother's sentiment towards child care, child care support, and child care support sources in accordance with the growth of their children. The results of this study have shown us the following. 1) By dual scaling, it was made clear that “emotional support” and “consultative support” are closely related. “Husbands/Partners” and “Birth Mothers” were considered important common sources of all child care supports. 2) There was a change in the need in quality of the support provided by “Husbands/Partners” as children grew. 3) It is also suggested that there is a need to create an environment allowing mothers to go outside, and participate in community activities.

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The objective of the present study was to determine differences in assessment of garment sizes between wearers and observers. A wearing test using a front-opening shirt was conducted on 88 young women. Subjects tried on five sizes (-1 to +3) of shirts, whose sizes were not marked, in random order. Wearers and observers assessed the fit of each shirt, and after assessing all five shirts, identified the shirt having the best fit and their preferred shirt. In addition, the clothing sizes purchased by wearers were also recorded. Moreover, the wearers assessed the influence that their figure, height, and bust had on the fit. The results showed that wearers selected shirts one size larger than their actual size, while observers selected shirts that were the proper size, as having the best fit. In addition, 88.6% of wearers purchased clothing sized 7 to 11, regardless of their bust size. Moreover, the selection of the best fitting size was affected by bust size and height among wearers and figure and bust size of wearers among observers. In other words, wearers may not have felt comfortable even if they had worn the size that the observers judged to fit them by their appearance.

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A large quantity of wood and wood-based materials are discharged as waste as a result of the dismantling of wooden structure houses. They are recycling and supported by law but lagging behind at present. It is important to arouse the dweller's awareness of the recycling and reuse of scrap wood as a useful building material. The objective of this study is to grasp the dwellers' consciousness of the recycling and reuse of scrap wood. A research was made in two districts of Nara City where the geological formation of respective housing areas are different. As a result of the research, it was found that many of the dwellers under study were aware of the necessity of the scrap wood to be recycled and reused. In other words, those holding a positive view were recognized the need of preserving limited resources, were used to recycled goods in daily life. For promoting the use of recycled scrap wood, it is suggested that efforts should further be made to share the correct information with consumers as regards their quality as well as performance. The efforts should be directed towards establishing the scrap wood market and show rooms as well as constructing a social system in favor of the economy of recycling and reuse of scrap wood.

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The contacts with children would help the elderly to regain their concern with others as well as their capabilities. Realizing that they are needed, they may recognize their role in the society and be able to regard their life as really worth living. The interaction of the elderly and children is termed here as the intergenerational care. Through the intergenerational care, children would learn to understand, accept, respect and care for the elderly. In other words, the intergenerational care should be regarded as a two-way care involving the aged and the little ones. In order to create close, reciprocal, and lasting relationships between the two, it is suggested that the intergenerational care should be carried out on a daily basis, in a small scale, and with the fixed members.

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