The purpose of this study was to develop a Japanese version of Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale ( SDLRS ) developed by Guglielmino in 1977, examine its validity and reliability, and establish it as a tool for assessing nursing students' readiness for self-directed learning.
The Japanese-SDLRS was developed by translation, back-translation, and then subjected to field study proof.
The participants were students, age 18 to 25. A questionnaire packet included demographic characteristics, the Japanese-SDLRS and the General Self Efficacy Scales (GSES). The questionnaire packet was sent to 2056 students of six universities and six vocational nursing schools, in Hokkaido prefecture. The return rate was 87.6%. 1519 completed questionnaires was analyzed.
The Japanese- SDLRS mean was 187.30 (SD 23.66).
A reliability coefficient of 0.914 using Cronbach's alpha indicated a high internal consistency for the Japanese-SDLRS. The correlation coefficient between the Japanese- SDLRS and the GSES for concurrent validity was significant (r=0.460, p<0.01). A factor analysis was conducted of the Japanese- SDLRS results, extracting seven factors.
In conclusion, results indicate that the Japanese- SDLRS is valid and reliable.

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In this study, the author designed the Verbal Communication Skills Inventory (VCSI) to study the scale's reliability and validity.
The words were used in designing the 33 questionnaires on 15 types of Category System of Facilitator's Speech that were made by Iwamura and Oyanagi (1984).
The answers of 243 nurses in K hospital to these 33 questions were processed using four factor analyses (principle factor analysis promax solution) to extract significant 33 items to design the VCSI.
The fourth factor analysis help the author extract four stable factors ("The other and self-disclosure", "Evaluation for the other's speaks and behaves", "Expression for listening attentively (reaction/question)" and "Confirmation for the other's speaks, behaves and feelings").
Each α coefficient was between .703 to .843, indicating high internal consistency and reliability.
It is highly correlated with four factors resulted from the correlation with "Social expressivity" and "Social sensitivity" of the Japanese SSI, confirming the validity of the constituent concept.

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The purpose of this study was to search for the meaning of self-care in elderly CAPD patients. This study was qualitative research, and subjects were 15 elderly CAPD patients.
The result, the components of the meaning of a self-care in the elderly CAPD patients was three themes, which includes 8 categories, "Getting one's own way", "Understanding of a situation" and "Supports as origin of power". Three themes are related to the capability of elderly, and these will work effectively in elderly to perform a self-care. This result contributes to the assistance that supports and promotes a self-care. Moreover, it suggests elderly people may become positive selection of CAPD, and we must assist self-care that includes understanding their experience and mental of elderly CAPD patients.

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The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient's uncertainty of illness experience, prognosis, and structure, using qualitative research approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and participant observations with 10 participants, and analyzed by inductive coding. 9 categories were identified: 1) difficulty getting used to the condition, 2) difficulty regaining self-control, 3) fluctuating perception of the present life, 4) stoppage in thinking about pending arrangements, (5) anxiety about the course of the illness, (6) reluctance to express one's feelings to others, 7) unwillingness to involve the family, 8) perception of fading familial relations, and 9) meaninglessness in asking about life. These were classified into 4 domains: change of physical conditions (1, 2) ; passage of time (3, 4, 5); relations with the family and others (6, 7, 8); and meaning of existence (9). Results also revealed that the uncertainty that ALS patients feel might be a state of cognition resulting from failure to integrate changes caused by the illness.

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This study aims to examine the nursing student's recognition by reasoning which spread further after changing the clinical practice method to "the role of rehabilitation nursing". The subjects was 108 third-grade students of the year 1997 and 96 third-grade students of the year 1999 from a nursing junior college. From the descriptive reports of the students, the recognition of the 16 items of "the role of rehabilitation nursing" was compared by year. Moreover, the reasoning that led to such recognition, as for the students of 1999, was examined and compared to each category and item. The recognition was divided as follows: simply knowledge, deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning.
As a result, the recognition of the some items of "the aid to the patient" and the social aspects of "the aid to the family" was more in 1999 compared to 1997. And as a result of the comparison of the different categories, the percentage of inductive reasoning in "the aid to the patient" was higher than in "the aid to the family" or "the communication and adjustment with other occupations". Inductive reasoning represented 81.1% of the whole description while deductive reasoning was lower representing 10.7%. While inductive reasoning was more used in the item of "the aid to improvement to patient's will to rehabilitation", deductive reasoning was more used in the item of "acceptance of disability" and "information offer".

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We reported the QOL of 21 patients with acute myelocytic leukemia (AML), who were in bioclean rooms, and considered factors related to the decrease of patients' QOL. Whenever patients' entered the rooms, we investigated state of patients' QOL, appearance of symptoms, physical function and emotional function every week, using a questionnaire. The patients tended to have infection symptoms at two weeks after the entering.
On the other hand, most patients tended to keep emotional function well though the entering increased. However, we observed that most patients had fatigue during the treatment period.
The results indicate that it is possible for us to prevent impairment of patient's QOL more by the infection control, and that patients in the bioclean room can adapt themselves to the circumstance there.

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There has been a question regarding what an important factor or factors related to Self-Esteem which will contribute to the better recovery would be among stroke patients who are visiting outpatient clinic of the general hospital. In order to examine this study question, the study was conducted and examined whether the level of Rosenberg's Self-Esteem related to subjective health, social support, returning to work, satisfaction with income, activity of daily livings, and the presence of hobby, pleasure, and something to live for. There were thirty-eight respondents (26 males and 12 females) to our requests and they all were enrolled to the study. Results indicated that the level of Self-Esteem showed positive association with the degree of subjective health, presence of pleasure and something to live for, and the length of education level achieved. In particular, those who had the length of education for 10 to 13 years showed higher level of Self-Esteem. From the data obtained above, we have set up the following hypothesis. When stroke patients feel healthier and have pleasure and several things to live for, the level of Self-Esteem may rise.

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The purpose of this study is to find out the situation and related factors of Sense of Coherence ( SOC ) among the active elderly in Japan. Participants of this study are 188 persons over 60-years-old who have participated in the social activities and who agreed with the purpose of the research.
We use the questionnaire which include the scale of SOC, Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II), socioeconomic status and other demographic background to determine the situation of SOC and the related factors.
The SOC score of the active elderly in Japan was significantly higher than the general adults. The result of the study suggests that sex, economic status and self estimation, spiritual growth and Interpersonal relations of HPLP II were related to the SOC score.

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The purpose of this research was to clarify the efforts in nursing research by people who have completed the nursing teaching staff development course, and related factors. As such, the characteristics of the people who have completed the nursing teaching staff development course, factors related to research on nursing, nursing research previously conducted, and the trend of related activities were examined. The subjects included 248 people who completed the Saitama Prefecture nursing teaching staff development course between 1989-1998 and are currently employed at a medical institution or nursing school. The survey was conducted by mailing a questionnaire to each subject.
The results revealed that workers who completed the nursing teaching staff development course have a higher professional identity than people with 7 to 12 years of work experience, and the subjects are currently working as nursing teaching staff or clinical instructors. Moreover, the results clarified four factors that had influence on conducting nursing research: the length of experience after finishing the nursing teaching staff development course, employment by a medical institution (compared with nursing school), being a member of an academic society, and their evaluation that participating in the nursing teaching staff development course is useful when conducting nursing research. In addition, the influence of the institution of employment was seen in the theme of nursing research and activities related to research.

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To clarify the relationship among life satisfaction, demographics and subjective QOL in mentally handicapped persons, an interview research was conducted in 58 subjects who had mental disorders and had been visiting to 7 small-scale workshops for mentally handicapped persons.
Among the QOL scales scored by the subjects, the life satisfaction for workshops obtained the highest score, and the life satisfaction for treatment as handicapped persons obtained the lowest score. There was a negative correlation between the QOL and the total length of hospital stays, and a positive correlation between the QOL and the score of emotional supports. Families were shown to play a major role in both of emotional supports and supports as means.
As a consequence, four factors were found to be important for mentally handicapped persons who lived in the community; the approach to return them from the early-stage hospitalization to the community, the cooperation between hospitalization facilities and workshops, the cares to improve the relationship between their families and them, and the action to be permeated the concept of normalization into the community.

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