The purpose of this study is to identify the structure of illness cognition and to analyze differences among junior high school and high school students with congenital heart diseases. A questionnaire of illness cognition was made based on prior research. Factor analysis identified 6 factors, which are. a) hardships resulting from restrictions and limitations for illness, b) positive acceptance of one's illness, c) the desire to be understood by others d) anxieties about the condition of disease and the death, e) not wanting people to know ofone's disease, f) protection ofone's health. Participants with a severe condition score higher in a), c), d) and f) than those with a mind condition. High school students score higher than junior high students in c) and f). Understanding for their mental conflicts, helping to increase positive cognitions and decrease their negative cognition are key findings. Concrete recommendations for nursing practice are examined.

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The study of how illness is experienced has been shown to enrich the quality of care. The aim of this study was to identify how adolescent pediatric cancer patients feel as they are experiencing their illness so as to provide better care. We conducted semi-structured interviews with six cancer patients and categorized their responses through an inductive descriptive analysis of their statements. Our analysis resulted in six categories: bewilderment about their utterly changed life by illness, dependency on adults, anxiety about career options in their wearisome lives, loneliness due to detachment from friends, gratitude for supportive parents and friends, and confidence in overcoming difficulties. With these mixed feelings during their illness experience, the patients gradually accepted their difficulties, overcame their sense of desperate failure and matured even under harsh medical treatment. Nursing care for adolescent cancer patients should take into consideration their mixed feelings in order to establish meaningful illness experience.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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In the present study, the contents of care (who used humor and how) and its effects and responses were investigated in scenes selected from humor conferences during two years of child nursing training with the objective of examining the learning experience of students at humor conferences. Among a total of 183 humor scenes, 64 scenes were identified as "scenes involving smiles and a sense of relief in which students, instructors, or medical personnel consciously used humor that resulted in effects or responses such as joyous smiles, reduction of tension, and a sense of relief among the audience. Analysis of these scenes revealed the following : 1) students consciously used humor in various care settings during child nursing training ; 2) students understood that the conscious use of humor during care resulted in effects such as reduction of tension among children and families as well as enhanced motivation to undergo treatment and tests ; 3) students were aware that laughter among children and families eased the mood and narrowed the psychological distance between each other ; 4) students were also aware of the conscious use of humor by instructors and medical personnel ; and 5) laughter during conferences led to the reduction of tension between students and instructors. These findings indicate that the sharing during conferences of care methods that involve the conscious use of humor contributes to the enhancement of the practical ability of students.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify the current condition of the parents' presence, during blood and injections to infants, and the nurses' recognition of the situation, as well as the tension-easing approaches in the child nursing care to the parents' presence. The study was held from August 3 to September 7, 2005 using a questionnaire made by myself. 226 nurses who are working for pediatrics departments of 9 facilities in A prefecture were surveyed. The result shows that the ratio of nurses thinking parents' presence is necessary when collecting blood and giving injections was about 30 percent. The number of wards giving a choice to parents accounts for about 70 percent, which is on the increase. The nurses felt pressure and tension in parents' presence regardless of their working experience compared with the case without the parents being present (p <0.001). The most often used approach to ease the tension of nurses while in the parents' presence was to trouble shoot among nurses, but the most useful one was to discuss the problem with doctors.

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[in Japanese]

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The purpose of this study is to identify and classify actions during pediatric nursing practice which nursing students felt showed respect for the hospitalized children's feelings and rights. Questionnaires were used and interviews were conducted with 9 fourth year nursing students in a university nursing department. As a result, the following classification of actions was identified : 1) explaining to the children about the things that are being done for them at the moment or that are going to happen to them, and asking the children for their opinion on these things. 2) considering the children's feelings and the situation that the children are put in. 3) improving the quality of the children's daily life in hospital. Furthermore, the following points came out : 1) the most common descriptions were of situations where the children were receiving treatment or having medical tests. 2) some students realized they have to consider the children's physical condition as well as the children's feelings. 3) some students realized they have to ensure the children's safety and correctly administer treatment while at the same time consider the children's feelings. This may cause students a dilemma while giving children medical care the children do not want to receive. 4) the students observed the children's reaction in many situations but in the case of very young children, some students found it difficult to understand what the young children's reactions meant. Therefore, it may be necessary to help students to understand such reactions.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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