The purpose of this study was to clarify the mathematical/statistical structure of psychiatric nursing traits. For this purpose, we developed questionnaire on the psychiatric nursing care traits, namely the Interpersonal Circumplex for Psychiatric Care (IPC-PC), which adopted the Interpersonal Circumplex (IPC) model. On the basis of IPC’s previous research, 66 items questionnaire were developed to measure the characteristics of psychiatric nursing, and 205 psychiatric nurses were investigated. We performed the principal component analysis and confirmative factor analysis. A total of 32 items were selected, and the following eight factors were extracted: controlling, selfish, refusing, self-negating, dependent, accepting, confident, and self-affirming. Reliability, validity, and annular structure (two-dimensional axial structure, correct order, and equidistance) of IPC-PC were confirmed by the same statistical method used in the previous research. The eight factors of IPC-PC used in our study had a concept similar to that of the previous study; however, we put more emphasis on the nursing care behaviors, particularly the aspects of psychiatric nursing management and care precision.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the meaning of child care experience of mothers with mental illness from the viewpoint of empowerment. A semi-structured separate interview was conducted with each of nine mothers with mental illness during an outpatient visit. We analyzed the interview data based on the analysis method of modified grounded theory approach. As a result, we generated twenty-five concepts which were grouped into nine categories: stability, thaw, resolution, deployment, outbreak, fluctuation, rigidness, depletion, and atrophy. Two major categories, “relation with mother’s reference point”, and “mother’s feeling” were extracted. And, as a core concept, “different child rearing compared with a normal, healthy mother” was also extracted. The phenomena represented by concepts and categories are summarized as “empowerment cycle” and “powerless cycle”. In conclusion, mothers with mental illness move back and forth between empowerment cycle and powerless cycle depending on the interpretation of “different parenting from a healthy mother”. Eventually these nine mothers were gradually empowered.

Purpose: To develop a self-assessment scale for measuring the practical nursing skills regarded as necessary for nursing staff working at long-term care health facilities.
Method: A draft self-assessment scale was prepared based on the results of interviews and a meeting of those responsible for preparing the draft, and the validity of the contents of the self-assessment scale were verified with input from experts and practitioners. Subsequently, a preliminary survey was conducted followed by a main survey to analyze factors and verify the reliability and validity. Responses were recorded on a 5-point scale.
Results: In total, 321 subjects were selected for analysis. The scale was composed of 37 items and 5 factors, namely Factor 1 (Response to multiple medical care), Factor 2 (Availability of a variety of home-based support after discharge based on an approach to family), Factor 3 (Efforts to maintain and improve function), Factor 4 (Dietary initiatives), and Factor 5 (Administrative aspects that safeguard lifestyles). Reliability was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, and test-retest correlation, while validity was confirmed by methods such as confirmatory factor analysis.
Conclusion: The scale was composed of 5 factors and 37 items, and was confirmed to be reliable and valid.

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the relationships between mean pure-tone audiometry scores and hearing test results using familiar sounds produced by whispering, finger rubbing, or by common objects, to assess the sensitivity and specificity of alternative, non-pure-tone methods for screening hearing loss.
Methods: Fifty-eight elderly residents of a long-term care facility underwent pure-tone audiometry and subsequently underwent a hearing test that used sounds generated by a television, whispering, finger rubbing, or the beeping of an electric thermometer. We compared mean pure-tone hearing thresholds with results obtained using alternative testing modalities and calculated the sensitivities and specificities of the respective tests.
Results: The sensitivities and specificities of the various tests were the following: television .78, .88; whispering .94, .69; finger rubbing .72, .81, and beep of the electric thermometer .94, .54, respectively.
Conclusion: Alternative audiometric screening methods that used sounds produced by common objects were comparably sensitive and specific to pure-tone audiometry when screening for hearing loss in elderly residents of a long-term care facility.

To clarify the impact of long night shifts on nurses’ ability to recognize facial expressions, we recruited 28 healthy female nurses working double shifts and measured their ability to recognize facial expressions before and after long night shifts. A “facial expression discrimination ability program” was used to measure the nurses’ recognition of six basic emotions: “surprise,” “fear,” “hatred,” “anger,” “sorrow,” and “joy.” The facial expression discrimination thresholds of these emotions were identified and the nurses’ levels of stress (salivary amylase activity level) and fatigue (subjective symptoms of fatigue) were also measured. The results showed that the easiest facial expression to recognize both before and after night shifts was “joy,” followed by “surprise,” “anger,” “sorrow,” “hatred,” and “fear,” in that order. However, after night shifts, the nurses had significantly more ease recognizing “anger” and “hatred.” This was likely because sleep deprivation resulting from long night shifts is linked to hyperactivity of the amygdala in the brain when a facial expression is observed, which heightens the emotional response to this facial expression. This study confirmed that “joy” is the easiest expression to recognize and is not affected by night shift-related stress or fatigue.

This study elucidates the way in which a sense of being useful of people with psychological disorders living in a community is restored through interactions with other individuals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten residents having psychological disorders, and data were analyzed by the M-GTA. One 【core category】 and six «categories» were generated from the results. It was found that those with psychological disorders living in a community, were reassured and «happy to be cared for» and found «peace of mind by connecting with others»; thus, by feeling that they were «accepted by others», they accepted themselves. They developed «confidence in themselves and in the mutual support» that living with others brought. Moreover, they felt a sense of reassurance and contentment by «being helpful to others». They explored their value in the community by maintaining «a sense of responsibilities for exploring societal values» and paying attention to societal issues. The above-mentioned way of restoring a sense of being useful in those with psychological disorders, illustrates how people discover 【the significance and value of their own existence】 through their experiences.

[Objectives] The purpose of the present study was to develop a Japanese version of the Nursing Informatics Competency Scale (J-NICS), and to evaluate its reliability and validity.
[Methods] The process to develop the J-NICS included translation into Japanese, professional review, back-translation, and a pretest. A pilot study was conducted and 1,598 anonymous surveys were distributed at 5 hospitals. Eight hundred sixty-nine were analyzed in this study (response rate of 54.4%).
[Results] Five factors were extracted from 22 items by factor analysis. Overall reliability of the J-NICS was verified by Cronbach’s alpha (.78). Analysis of concurrent validity showed significant positive correlations between this scale and computer skill scale.
[Conclusion] Although the results indicate that the J-NICS is a reliable and valid instrument, the items related to computer skills and information security conforming to modern medical informationization remain, and it is necessary to revise this scale.

As many as 228 midwives up to their 10th year of midwifery experience working in the Hokkaido and Tohoku regions in 2012, with an average age of 29, 56 average number of months of midwifing experience, and an average of 208 assisted deliveries, had a perinatal period midwifery practical ability attainment level of 82%, which was evaluated as a favorable level for skills necessary to support normal procedures. In the perinatal period, the achievement level for applied skills was 66% in the pregnancy period, 54% at the time of delivery, and 64% postpartum. Concerning the level of achievement for broad-ranging midwife abilities required internationally, ability concerning the general knowledge and skills required for health professionals was 63%, that for professional attitude was 73%, and the ability for pre-pregnancy care and family planning methods was 58%. Obstetrics facilities and educational institutions must cooperate in continuing education for applied skills and broad-ranging midwife ability. While 60% of obstetrics facilities conducted continuing education, most of these were for nursing practical ability and were conducted jointly with nurses. Less than 10% of such facilities conduct continuing education for midwives, and it is therefore necessary to increase this type of learning for midwife practical skills.