The purpose of this study was to clarify factors affecting stress responses and satisfaction with life of mothers of children with chronic illnesses. A questionnaire survey was conducted in 2007. Data were collected from eighty-two mothers and were analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis. The results indicated that mothers' emotional stress responses were significantly influenced by avoidant and escape coping (p<.01, β=-.364) and anxiety for failure which is sub-scales of the General Self-efficacy Scale (p<.05, β=-.206). Cognitive and behavioral stress responses were influenced by anxiety for failure (p<.01, β=-.351) and the number of medical procedures performed in the home (p<.05, β=.215). Physical stress responses were also influenced by the number of medical procedures performed in the home (p<.01, β=.376); however, as the R^2 values for these analyses were less than 0.2, they were too small to account for all of the influence. Furthermore, satisfaction with life was most significantly influenced by social support (p<.001, β=.595) and positiveness of behavior which is sub-scales of the General Self-efficacy Scale (p<.01, β=.237; p<.001, R^2=.741). These findings suggested that social support facilitates the psychological adaptation of the mothers to their children's chronic illnesses.

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The purpose of this study was to analyze parents' recognition of the independence of adolescents with Down syndrome from the perspective of each parents' hope for independence and each parents' methods for promoting independence, to clarify the structure of each parents' recognition of independence, and to analyze differences in their recognition due to attributive factors. For this research, a novel questionnaire regarding parents' recognition of the independence of adolescents with Down syndrome was developed based on previous research. I investigated it for 1,000 people, the effective answer was 362 people, and mother was 94.2%. A factor analysis identified the following 3 factors of "Hope for Independence": a) A child acts alone, b) A child lives independently, and c) A child performs housework for oneself. The factor analysis also identified the following 3 factors of "methods for promoting independence", d) A parent improves the child's abilities, e) A parent maintains a positive connection to society, and f) A parent acts with the child. Compared to families with older children, families with younger children scored higher for c) and f). Furthermore, scores for f) were higher for families of children with a comorbid condition than families of children without a comorbid condition. Based on the present findings, it is thought that the parents facilitate the child's growth and development by providing care that is matched to the ability of the child. Furthermore, if the child's condition is stable, any methods that improve the child's independence should be continued, regardless of the child's age.

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This study explores the lived experience of adolescents who had chronic conditions, along with experience of their parents. Accumulated narrative data by semi-structured interviews were analyzed using the modified grounded theory approach adapting Corbin & Strauss' Chronic Illness Trajectory Framework. Eighteen adolescents (12-19 years old; 11 of congenital heart disease, 7 of insulin-dependent diabetes) and their parents were interviewed. For 6 cases, the adolescent, the father, and the mother was interviewed separately. Findings of the qualitative analysis for the chronic condition trajectories of families showed the core category "adolescents and parents find the meaning of life in the suffering they share". Five phases of the chronic condition trajectory were extracted: (1) serious crossroads, (2) nejire (feeling trapped in a vicious circle), (3) coming to grips with their suffering, (4) meshing of the adolescent and the parents lives, and (5) spinning the future. The narratives in this study show that adolescents and their parents tend to go through multiple phases in their illness trajectories. Through this process, some of them find "the meaning of life" in their suffering that they share. This research suggests that adolescents and their parents not only endure suffering and have sympathy for each other, but that at least for some, ultimately they find comfort, ease, and happiness. Nurses need to understand the structure of such families' illness trajectories, and be knowledgeable about each phase. Moreover, nurses need to assess adolescents and their parents to determine which phase they are experiencing in their trajectories. Through such assessment, nurses can better interpret and appropriate such families' experiences, and thus they can provide more appropriate and effective nursing support.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the features of role acceptance and parental role behaviors of the parents of children with neuroses, and the influence of role acceptance and parental role behavior on family function and the mental health of children. The clinical group comprised 14 sets of parents and children with neuroses from grades 5 to 9. The control group comprised 140 sets of parents and normal children from grades 5 to 9. The following results were obtained. There were no differences in role acceptance at work and at home between the two groups. The clinical group reported lower levels of paternal confidence in their nurturing and maternal acceptance of their child than the control group. In the clinical group, paternal role acceptance at work and at home had significantly positive associations with the social functions of children. In contrast, maternal role acceptance at work and at home was not significantly associated with the children's variables. Paternal acceptance of the children, confidence in their nurturing, and facilitation of independence had significantly positive associations with the mental health of the children. Maternal confidence in their nurturing and facilitation of independence also had a significantly positive association with the mental health of the children. However, acceptance of the child had a significantly negative association with the mental health of the children. There was no difference in the child-evaluated family function between the two groups. In the control group, parental acceptance of the children had a significantly positive association with the child-evaluated family function. On the other hand, parents' variables were not associated with the child-evaluated family function in the clinical group.

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Young children's skin is anatomically and physiologically premature. It is fragile because there is little keratinization. In infants, particularly, their low level of sebum production results in a low skin barrier function and a high risk of infection (Kuwabara, et al., 1992; Baba, 2004). We previously reported the moisturizing effects of "Sugar scrub", a natural product made of sugar and plant oil, on the dry skin of young children (Yamaguchi, et al., 2008). In this study, we evaluated the effects of "Sugar scrub" on sebum content in twenty-nine young children aged 0 to 4 years. After their bathing in warm water, "Sugar scrub" was rubbed on the skin; 30 minutes later, sebum content was significantly higher on the forehead, cheek, chest and back than before bathing (p<.05, p<.01, p<.001, and p<.01, respectively). One month after this bathing practice, sebum content was again significantly higher on all the four body parts after bathing than before bathing (p<.05, p<.01). Erythemas, blisters and eczemas observed on the foreheads, necks, thighs, and dorsum of hands and feet of some young children had disappeared in a month of skin care with "Sugar scrub", and the skin appeared smooth. These results suggest that repeated skin care with "Sugar scrub" might increase sebum content and enhance the skin barrier function in young children.

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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 Japanese]

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This study sought to clarify the influence of job attributes and individual characteristics on job stress of pediatric nurses. We performed a comparative analysis between nurses on pediatric wards and those on mixed wards with adults in general hospitals. Of 445 nurses surveyed by questionnaire, 240 (pediatric wards 110, mixed wards with adults 130) responded. In pediatric wards, the tendency to be hopeful influenced the stress of interpersonal relationships with doctors. A high number of night shifts work influenced several job stresses for example the stress of interpersonal relationships among nurses. In mixed with adults wards, the coping profile of "avoidance and suppression" influenced the job stress of relationship with children. The coping profile of "seeking help for solution" influenced several job stresses for example the stress of high workload.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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