The effects of background music (BGM) and a fellow (male) passenger on a female passenger in the elevator were examined psychologically and physiologically. In the first experiment female participants were permitted to get off the elevator whenever she wanted in a session (high degree of control). There were significant passenger’s effects on participants’ subjective comfort. No effects of music were observed. In the second experiment, where the participants had to stay in the elevator until permission was given (low degree of control), heart rates of the participants were significantly lower in the BGM condition than in no music condition. In the third experiment, the three experimental conditions, BGM, fellow passenger, and degrees of control were included. There were no simple main effects. The presence of a male passenger improved participants’ comfort, and BGM suppressed heart rates as observed in the second experiment in the low degree of control condition. BGM reduced participants’ STAI scores and the presence of a male passenger decreased participants’ comfort in the high degree of control condition. These results indicate that the BGM may improve a female passenger’s subjective comfort; the effects depend on the degree of control and the presence of a fellow passenger, however.

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This study was conducted for two purposes. The first purpose was to develop a Korean language version of Pro-Change’s self-efficacy measure for stress management behavior (PSSM). The second purpose was to examine the relationship between stage of change and self-efficacy for stress management behavior in Korean college students. For the purposes of this study, stress management behavior was defined as activities meant to reduce perceived stress, such as regular relaxation, physical activity, talking with others, and/or engaging in social activity. The total number of participants was 228 male and 517 female college students. Questionnaires on the stage of change and self-efficacy for stress management behavior, and depressive mood were administered to the participants. The questionnaire on self-efficacy was administered again after an interval of two weeks. Through a series of factor analyses, the Korean language version of the PSSM was developed with acceptable reliability and it consisted of 9 items. Self-efficacy was inversely related to depressive mood as expected, supporting validity of the Korea language version of the PSSM. Self-efficacy was significantly higher in the maintenance than in the other stages, supporting partially the application of the transtheoretical model to stress management behavior in Korean university students.

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The objective was to evaluate a simple parent education for parenting behavior change and prevention of infant’s sleep problem. Mothers of Education Group (EG) were provided with a booklet which introduce how to promote healthy, self-sufficient sleep patterns in infants, when a midwife visited mother’s home by after birth. Mothers of Control Group (CG) weren’t provided with it. When infants were four months old, the outcome compared with parenting behaviors, sleep habits in mothers and infants, and maternal health between EG (N=46) and CG (n=30). Numbers of desirable parenting for infant’s sleep was more in EG than in CG (EG:CG=4.0:2.9, p<0.01). And numbers of undesirable parenting was less in EG than in CG (EG:CG=1.3:1.7, p<0.05). Furthermore, mothers and infants in EG had significantly higher rate of a regular bedtime than CG, and mothers in EG had significantly lower rate of headache than CG (EG:CG=2.3%: 20.0%, p<0.05). Although parenting behaviors changed, sleep problems in infants didn’t differ between two groups. It is suggested that parenting behavior was changed by a simple education. The regularity of Infant’s bed time could affect mother’ sleep regularity and prevention of headache.

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The purpose of this study was to test whether different acute mental stress tests induce differential responses in salivary 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), the principal metabolite of noradrenaline derived from the brain. The participants were ten male healthy volunteers who performed two tasks, the Stroop color word conflict task and serial mental arithmetic (Uchida-Kraepelin Test), on two separate days using a counterbalanced design. Salivary MHPG and subjective stress were measured at baseline, immediately after tasks, and then 10 min later. The two tasks stimulated a similar increase in subjective stress. But salivary MHPG only increased in response to the color word conflict task, and not mental arithmetic. These results suggest that there are specific situational dimensions of mental stress tests that stimulate MHPG and activate the central noradrenergic nervous system.

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