The purpose of this study was to find out what factors were related to mental health of Japanese-Brazilians in Japan. Considering depressive symptoms as the indicators of mental health, we examined three factors related to mental health; a) personal attributes (age, sex, duration of residence in Japan, etc.), b) a sense of belonging to culture (the relative strength of belonging to Brazilian culture and Japanese culture), and social support networks (interpersonal relationships with Brazilians and Japanese, and support from them). A questionnaire was completed by 198 Japanese-Brazilians in Japan and the following results were yielded. As for personal attributes, higher prevalence rates of depressive tendencies were shown under 30 years old than over 30 years old, and in women than in men. As for a sense of belonging to culture, the respondents who felt stronger sense of belonging to both Brazilian culture and Japanese culture had the least symptoms of depression. As for social support networks, support from Japanese were not related to less depressive symptoms if all respondents were included, though support from Brazilians living both in Japan and in Brazil were related. From these results, we described what kind of mental health program we should develop in the near future in order to support Japanese-Brazilians in Japan effectively.

This experimental study examined the relationship between coming-out and self-esteem of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. In order to examine its relationship, forty-nine lesbian, gay, and bisexual people completed questionnaires regarding one’s self-esteem, which was given before and after the treatment. After completing pre-treatment questionnaires, participants were randomly assigned into either control or experimental group. As for treatment, both groups were told to imagine a scenario in which they are having conversation with another person. In the scenario, the experimental group revealed one’s sexual orientation while the control group did not. Then, both groups were told that their conversation partner favorably evaluated them. Following this treatment was the post-treatment questionnaire. As a result, it was found that both control and experimental groups showed significant increase in their self-esteem after receiving the treatment. Furthermore, despite the difference in revealing one’s sexual orientation, no difference was found between groups. Coming-out is important social behavior with high risk for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. However, the result indicates that this behavior does not have much effect on increasing their self-esteem.

The purpose of this research was to take a general view of parenting program in the USA and Japan.

First of all, the contents of current parenting programs were classified into two categories. The first was for the parents and the second was for the teens. We described these two parenting programs comparing Japan and the USA.

In the USA the trend of parenting programs for parents was based on the multi area-parenting model, and had been developed and tailored to become very individual. Japanese parenting programs for parents have rapidly developed through the agency, and also became individual.

In the USA the trend of parenting programs for teens had developed as crisis intervention. And after all it has been developed as humanity. On the other hand, the parenting programs for the teens in Japan had been carried out in the homemaking course education since after World War II.

Finally, we pointed out 4 core issues for developing the future parenting programs, 1) the target of the programs, 2) the needs measurement, 3) combination of theory and practice, 4) the effect evaluation.