The objective of this study was to clarify the structure of psychological adaptation among mothers of children with chronic illnesses.

 This quantitative study used a self-reported questionnaire for subjects comprised 247 mothers of children with illnesses, along with 332 mothers of children with no illnesses. Survey contents were mental health, coping and resilience, as factors related psychological adaptation. For analysis, in addition to descriptive statistics, parametric tests were performed for intergroup comparisons. Subsequently, a psychological stress adaptation model for mothers was created based on covariance structure analysis, and tests were performed for multiple populations.

 As a result, mothers of children with chronic condition showed poorer mental health status compared with mothers of healthy children, and a significantly lower level of factors “I am” and “I will/do” in regard to resilience, and coping for “positive interpretation”. In the covariance structure model, components of stress adaptation among mothers of children with illnesses were strongly influenced by “confidence”, and high path coefficients were seen for the items of “optimism” and “peace of mind”, which comprise “flexible strength”.

 These results suggested that we should approve the effort of parent, and support to show long term visions for mothers of children with chronic illnesses.

 The purpose of this study was to clarify the structure of resilience in illness experiences of children suffering from cancer. I continuously performed the comparative analysis based on the grounded theory approach. The subjects of this study were 11 patients who had experienced cancer diagnosis.

 As the result of the analysis, I discovered the 3 core categories, 13 categories and 38 sub categories. These 3 core categories constituted the following processes, “the process of changing the switch of a struggle against disease”, “ the process of acquiring the confidence which overcomes medical treatment”, and “the process of accepting illness into one’s life”. Furthermore it was shown that as the structure of resilience in illness experience of children suffering from cancer, they came to recognize their illness experience as part of themselves by accepting the fact that they were ill.

 It was suggested to this process that these patients acknowledges what had happened to themselves, and that it was required for hospitalization environment and the environment after leaving hospital to make the place where children can feel relieved.

 The purpose of this study was to (clearly) identify the problems faced by families supporting children with chronic diseases and problems associated with the support of special employment during their return to society. To do this, the study used interviews with 11 families of children with chronic diseases. It also considered the provision of situation-specific support duties for each situation. The results showed that the families experienced the following problems: Anxiety about the affect the advancement of the disease will have on study and/or work; the hindrance to school life caused by the disease and hospitalization; the difficulties faced in life after school, and; the anxiety of making friends. In regards to specific, disease-related support duties, the following were found: Assistance for anxiety associated with future school or work; assistance for the smooth return to school; assistance for the management and treatment of the disease; assistance in making school life easier. Although, from the families point of view, there was demand for a place and resources (human and material) for consultation about the difficulties of daily life, the physical environment of the family / children, and care of the children after leaving hospital. Future research is needed in the areas of patient education, the provision of life-long support after hospitalization, and cooperation between the families and medical professionals and institutions for support following discharge.

 The aim of the present study was to clarify the self-empowerment development process experienced by mothers caring for children with pediatric cancer. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five mothers of children who underwent treatment for pediatric cancer during infancy and the results were qualitatively analyzed. The results revealed that mothers experienced “anxiety regarding their child’s state,” “strong discouragement due to the fact that their child suffered from an unexpected illness,” and “guilt over their child developing the illness.” Mothers were supported by “family who shared their feelings and gave encouragement regarding the child’s recovery,” which enabled them to build “faith that their child would recover” and “a positive outlook for recovery.” Establishing the diagnosis and determining the treatment plan were turning points. Mothers acknowledged that they had “faith that their child would recover” and “a positive outlook for recovery” and were thus inspired to do their best. These results suggested that nursing support is required to understand emotional changes in mothers and to help mothers display their own strength.

 This study aimed to describe the characteristics and state of education dealing with “life” or “death” delivered to children in Japan, commonly referred to as “death education” or “Inochi no kyoiku (life education),” for instance. In this study, we conducted a literature review of 15 original articles sourced through an online search of Ichushi-Web (Ver.5) employing 8 key words. We also conducted and summarized individual interviews with four experts on life and death education.

 Results indicated the following: while “death education” was the mainstream before 2000, “life education” appeared after 2000. Establishment of academic institutions and official notice from the government had an impact on this transition. When communicating the importance of life to children, some educators believed that emphasizing the importance of one’s own life would eventually lead to the development of respect for lives of others. Medical or health care professionals conducted the education not only in hospitals but also in schools in cooperation with teachers.

 The results suggest that it is important to have children think about their own lives. In addition, medical or health care professionals are expected to deliver “life and death education” in a variety of settings.

 The purpose of this research is to grasp the daily life conditions of families who use the Family House (FH). Data was collected through focus group interviews with FH staff members and the contents were analyzed qualitatively. The results extracted 86 subjects describing those family members, which were divided into 6 categories: “family behavior,” “situations that the family is in,” “psychological condition of the family,” “preferences for using the FH,” “utilizing FH functions” and “recognition and understanding of FH”, as well as 20 subcategories. They are described that the families suddenly found themselves in a strange place and continually visited the patient despite having serious issues. On the other hand, families could feel that daily life was more normal and received peer support at the FH. From looking at these conditions, it is suggested that FH encourages family members to maintain a more ordinary daily life, which decreases their psychological burden.