This study was designed to clarify physiological effects of essential oils of lavender, rosemary and citronella on human body. Lavender, which was revealed to be the best fragrance in causing calm and relaxed feelings, produced an increase in blood flow (BF) of the finger-tip and decreases in galvanic skin resistance (GSR) and systolic blood pressure (SBP). Rosemary had refreshing and invigorating effects, and decreased BF and increased SBP immediately after an inhalation of it. Citronella produced an increase in R-R interval of ECG and decreases in BF and GSR. These results suggested that the fragrance which causes calm or relaxed feeling like lavenders must produce relaxed condition in autonomic nervous system physiologically by depressing sympathetic nervous system, in addition to the effect on mental or psychological states. In contrast, the fragrance which has the refreshing effect like rosemaries seems to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system. A taste for citronella varies widely among individuals, which might be responsible for causing complicated effects on autonomic nervous system. When aromatherapy is used in nursing practice, both taste of an individual for and physiological effects of the fragrance seem to be important factors.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify how mentally handicapped people comprehended their social independence, and to find ways to support them. We carried out a questionnaire 48 persons in 4 sheltered workshops to examine their purposes for attending sheltered workshops and the differences between men and women on their purpose and its relation factors. Analysis of the questionnaire produced the following 5 items as their purpose of attending: 1. to enjoy a group life by communicating through working, 2. to obtain mental stability 3. to establish lifestyle habits of working, 4. To learn the social manners or skill through working, 5. to participate in the workshop without anypositive purposes. As a result of the questionnaire, there were differences between men and women on the following: A) on their purposes for attending workshops, B) on the relations between (a) age and their purposes, (b) the frequency hospitalization for mentally problem andtheir purpose, (c) the period of attending and their purpose, (d) the desire of staying and their purpose, (e) the will to work and their purpose. These results suggested that we need to support their social independence after dueconsidering on the differences between the sexes.

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In this two-part study I investigated the physical and mental health and related factors of the main care-givers of middle-aged and elderly patients at two time periods: immediately following patients' discharge from a specialized care facility, and about one and a half years after my first study. At both times, data from the GHQ-60 (The General Health Questionnaire), which measures physical and emotional health, and my own questionnaired (using first 10 and later 11 similar factors) were compared to determine how care-givers' situations had been affected. My first study showed an adverse effect on care-givers' physical and mental health, indicated by “abnormal” GHQ mean scores. My later study showed that their situations had significantly improved, indicated by “normal” mean scores. I also used multiple regression analysis, with GHQ total scores as the independent variables and the factors from my own questionnaires as explanatory variables. In my first study, using standardized partial regressions, I found two significant explanatory variables―“amount of anxiety” and “age”―and one tendency―“physical health problems”. In my later study, “amount of anxiety”, “general health condition” and “job” were significant explanatory variables. Given the special nature of these patients' conditions, it is not surprising that anxiety and care-givers' own physical health were still significant after 18 months. This study shows that care and concern for these care-givers should be focused primarily on the time-period immediately following patients' discharge, but despite the significant improvement in their situations, certain needs and problems exist even a long time after discharge.

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This study was performed to clarify relationships between accidental falls in the elderly and physical and psychological conditions and environmental factors in elderly people's daily life. The subjects were 316 healthy elderly individuals living at home (65-89 years old, 154 males, 162 females), who were examined by an interview and physical measurements. 1) The 14 physical measurements showed significant differences between males and females in physical functions such as height and visual acuity. 2) The total number of subjects who had experienced falling was 100 (26 males and 74 females) among all the subjects, with a significant difference between the incidences in females and males (p<0.01). In the comparisons of the physical functions between people who had falls and those who did not, males showed significant differences in body weight and muscular power, whereas females showed significant difference in the sense of body balance. In both sexes, people who had falls had inferior physical functions than those who did not. 3) Significant correlative relations were found among answers to the following questions (contingency table analyses). Males tended to fall when excited and females when depressed. Concerning knowledge of their own experiences of falling (questions "fell also in their youth", "fell more frequently than other people" and "fell often"), individuals who answered that they often fell appeared to have more complaints related to physical and psychological conditions in their daily life. Males reported that they suffered severe injury when they actually fell, while females only mild injury.
Accordingly, falls in the elderly were considered due to a combination of the above physical and psychological factors and sex difference. Caring attention should be paid not only to the weakened or deteriorated physical functions but more seriously to environmental and psychological factors.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a psychiatric clinical nursing practicum on the images of mental disorders, attitudes toward psychiatric nursing, and clinical case assessments. Two hundred ninety eight psychiatric clinical nursing students (hereinafter called "students" ) were requested to complete a set of questionnaires before and after their practicum. The same questionnaires were also administered to 76 registered psychiatric nurses as control. Promax factor analysis revealed that students' images were constructed of three dimensions, (1) Autistic, (2) Obdurate, and (3) Nervous. Also, two attitude scales, (1) Avoidance, and (2) Supportive, and six assessment scales, (1) maladjustment, (2) understanding, (3) warning/ treatment, (4) affirmation, (5) change-the-subject, and (6) wait-and-see, were formed. To determine the affect of length of practicum, students were divided into three groups and compared. Groups were divided as follows: (1) One-week practicum without experience, (2) Two-week practicum without experience, and (3) Two-week practicum with experience.
Main findings suggest the following.
(1) After the practicum, average scores in the Autistic, Obdurate, and Nervous dimensions decreased. Further, average Avoidance scale scores decreased while the average Supportive scale scores increased.
(2) Average scores on four of the six assessment scales (maladjustment, understanding, affirmation, and change-the-subject) significantly changed after completion of the practicum. The magnitudes of these changes were correlated with those in the images and attitudes reported by the students.
(3) After the practicum, average scores for students on the scales utilized moved in the direction of those held by psychiatric nurses, which were thought as educationally desirable outcomes.
(4) The group of students who completed a two-week practicum without experience reported the greatest average changes in scores on the Autistic and Obdurate dimensions, the Avoidance scale, and one assessment scale, reaching the same level as the group of students with experience.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate how patients in our area feel about medical and nursing care at home and what kind of care was required for nurses. The subjects consists of 100 patients over 40 years of age who may need medical and nursing care at home in near future. Self-composed questionnaire was used for this study.
Results were as follows:
1) In our area, most of patients wanted to be treated at home when they need care, unless they must get help from somebody else in addition to their family.
2) A visiting nurse was expected to be a helper for patients regardless of sex and generation.
3) Hospitals and stations for visiting care were expected to function as a window for consultations about nursing care at home. In a hospital, experts for nursing care ar home were expected to be a consultant as well as doctors and nurses.
4) Sixty two percent of the patients were not aware of social resources well.
5) A visiting nurse was requested not only to help patients' daily life, but also to teach their family how to care them.

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