Purpose: To examine the proportion of public health nurses (PHNs), by experience and institution, who prepare handover documentation and what content they include.

Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were sent by mail to 1615 full-time PHNs working at 251 randomly chosen public health centers. The questionnaire included items assessing the information provided by PHNs for handover documentation, including the purpose and procedures of health activities, district healthcare needs, evaluation of health activities, and available social resources and partnerships.

Results: In total, 1088 PHNs responded, representing a response rate of 67.4%. Of these, 1035 were deemed valid responses (64.1%). Data on 709 participants, excluding those who had not experienced personnel changes, were analyzed. Much lower proportions of PHNs described the healthcare needs of their district (34.8%) and evaluation of health activities (24.5%) and tended to be more experienced and to work for prefectural health facilities.

Conclusion: The results suggest wide variation in the preparation of handover documentation and that PHNs could not explain health activities to their successors sufficiently. PHNs should be supported with additional training on how to complete these two items related to handover.

Purpose: To clarify the characteristics and related factors of children and their mothers who required child-rearing support that assessed as high risks of child abuse by public health nurse and their section.

Methods: We analyzed 224 children and 199 their mothers’ maternal and child health consultation documents which were recorded in the city A in 2015. The data included the mothers’ basic attributes, the basic attributes of children, and supports of the public health nurses for them, all of which were assessed by public health nurses. We performed logistic regression analysis to clarify the characteristics and risk factors that influenced the mothers who would have high risks of child abuse.

Results: Among 224 children and 199 mothers, 150 of their children (67.0%) and 133 of mothers (66.8%) were found out to have low risk of child abuse, and 74 of their children (33.0%) and 66 of mothers (33.2%) were considered to have high risks of child abuse. The logistic regression analysis revealed that the mothers who had a relationship problem with their partner, and faced difficulties with child-rearing at the 4 month health checkups for their infants were more likely to have high risk of child abuse.

Discussion: The results showed that the mothers who required child-rearing support included smoothly passed during pregnancy. To preventing child maltreatment, identifying the relationship of mothers and their partner, and their difficulties with child-rearing were useful information for public health nurses.

Purpose: This study aimed to qualitatively and descriptively identify what mothers obtained through participation in community activities. Additionally, I examined characteristics of the activities that were possibly related to them.

Methodology: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 mothers of infants who actively participated in community activities. Data were analyzed qualitatively and inductively.

Results: I found that 6 categories emerged as to what benefit they received through participation in community activities. The categories were relief, confidence in their child rearing, connectedness with people in the community, decrease of anxiety, increase in trust in people in their community. Additionally, 5 characteristics of the activities were identified. They included fulfilling mother’s needs, developing connectedness between mothers and people in their communities, easing of their tensions that emerged from a sense of responsibility toward the child, and improving mothers’ self-esteem.

Conclusion: Participation to community activities bring mothers changes and effects on child rearing, mental health, and social health. Characteristics of the activities can be explained by the concepts, such as self-help group, empowerment, and social capital.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of mentally ill persons who are identified as being difficult cases by public health nurses as a result of neighbors’ complaints, and who eventually receive psychiatric treatment.

Methods: We analyzed the results of anonymous self-administered mail survey questionnaires that were answered by 261 public health nurses who were in charge of mental health care in 53 municipalities (valid response rate: 39.6%). The cases were divided into 2 groups based on the mentally ill person received psychiatric treatment as a result of the neighbors’ complaints or not. We conducted logistic regression analysis to investigate related factors for receiving psychiatric treatment as a result of neighbors’ complaints.

Results: Among the 261 persons, 156 received psychiatric treatment as a result of neighbors’ complaints (59.8%). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that mentally ill persons who were male (odds ratio [OR]=0.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.13–0.81), whose family assisted in visiting a psychiatric hospital (OR=10.14, 95%CI=2.67–38.51), who have an unsanitary appearance (OR=6.99, 95%CI=1.59–30.79), and having a fear of self-injury (OR=6.06, 95%CI=1.33–27.61) were more likely to receive psychiatric treatment as a result of neighbors’ complaints.

Conclusion: Our results indicated that mentally ill persons with lower self-care levels were more likely to receive psychiatric treatment as a result of the neighbors’ complaints, via the support of public health nurses.

Objectives: The purpose of this research was to clarify the recognition, behaviors about a good work-life balance (WLB) and to identify the requirements for coordinating WLB for proficient public health nurses (PHNs).

Methods: A mail survey with an anonymous self-report questionnaire was sent to PHNs in Hokkaido. The self-reported WLB score was divided into low- and high-level groups. Fifty-nine responses were extracted as data from the high-level group. This research utilized qualitative data analysis.

Results: With respect to recognition, five categories were found: 1) making one’s WLB; 2) switch between work and private life; 3) receiving present WLB in their life-stage; 4) success through cooperation; and 5) receiving power from a sense of fulfillment. Regarding behaviors, three categories were found: 1) time management; 2) dialog with family and colleagues; and 3) adjustment of the situation flexibly by oneself. Regarding problems, three categories were found: 1) promotions for WLB in all of the workplace systematically; 2) shortage of childcaring resources to maintain WLB; and 3) effective use of time.

Conclusion: To coordinate a good WLB among proficient PHNs, it is important for PHNs to consider WLB as a long-term goal, experience the present conditions affirmatively, receive cooperation.

Aim: This study examined perceptions of motherhood by comparing the positive and negative emotions of mothers with infants and the positive and negative emotions of mothers with toddlers aged three years, and aimed to clarify the factors relating to these emotions.

Methods: Self-administered postal questionnaires were completed by mothers residing in City A, who had either four-month-old infants or three-year-old toddlers and who had received regular health examinations.

Results: No differences in positive emotions of perceptions of motherhood were observed between mothers with infants and those with toddlers aged three years. However, mothers with toddlers aged three years scored significantly higher for negative emotions than did mothers with infants. Stress scores were related to both positive and negative emotion scores for mothers with infants and for mothers toddlers aged three years. Additionally, mothers who had established a mental image of childcare during their pregnancy exhibited higher scores for positive emotions regardless of their child’s age.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that for the healthy development of perceptions of motherhood, it is important to provide long-term support to mothers by helping them reduce stress levels and establish a mental image of childcare during pregnancy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to discuss about a practice evaluation tool developed for municipal public health nurses.

Method: The practice evaluation tool consisted of an evaluation sheet and questions for use therewith an evaluation sheet. Public health nurses in four cities completed four trials designed to examine their use of the tool. Subsequent to each trail, we identified areas that required improvement, based on discussions and revised the tool accordingly.

Result: Need for improvement was identified in the following four areas: clarification of the purposes of the practice/program and arrangement of related information based on these purposes; recognition of public health nurses in discussions concerning relationship between the practice/program and municipal health and master plans and other practices/programs; preparation of simple and useful evaluation tools for use by public health nurses in their daily practice, and development of tools adapted to public health nurses’ thought processes.

Discussion: The practice evaluation tool could promote practice evaluation, develop public health nurses’ ability to practice, and be used by public health nurses in daily practice.