Objective

This study was designed to review earlier domestically and internationally conducted research examining mental health nursing for non-Japanese residents, and to clarify the current state and challenges of psychiatric nursing care for non-Japanese residents.

Methods

For the literature review performed in January 2025, search keywords were “non-Japanese residents,” “foreigners,” “psychiatric nursing,” and “mental health nursing.” The search period of 2006–2024 was set to include articles written in Japanese or English from four databases: Ichushi Web, CiNii, PubMed, and CINAHL. The inclusion criteria were original research articles in Japanese or English specifically examining mental health nursing for non-Japanese residents. After removing duplicates, the titles and abstracts were screened, with subsequent reviews of full texts to select relevant articles. Based on their thematic similarities, findings of the selected studies were coded and grouped into subcategories and categories.

Results

Among the 12 domestic studies identified, case studies were the most common, accounting for 6 articles. Only one study specifically examined community-based nursing support. The current state of psychiatric nursing care for non-Japanese residents was categorized into six themes: “Utilization of verbal communication,” “Utilization of non-verbal communication,” “Psychiatric nursing care provided fairly to non-Japanese residents,” “Culturally and religiously sensitive care,” “Collaboration with families and multidisciplinary teams,” and “Psychiatric nursing care provided by visiting nurses.” Challenges of psychiatric nursing care for non-Japanese residents were categorized into five themes: “Difficulties in building therapeutic relationships because of communication gaps,” “Lack of resources to overcome language barriers,” “Challenges in assessing psychiatric symptoms because of communication gaps,” “Anxiety and difficulty in family support among family members and community stakeholders,” and “Difficulties in explanation and understanding attributable to differences in legal systems.”

Conclusion

For non-Japanese residents to receive psychiatric nursing care fairly, findings from this study suggest needs for development of medical interpreting systems in psychiatric settings, for educational interventions to enhance cultural competence among psychiatric nurses, for further research elucidating the actual condition survey of foreign service-users by psychiatric home-visit nurses, and for creation of evidence-based guidelines.

Purpose

This pilot study aimed to explore the levels and related factors of nurses' and midwives’ interest in “culture concerning pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare for foreign people,” and their confidence in “perinatal care for foreign parents.”

Methods

A paper-based self-administered questionnaire was used to conduct this cross-sectional study. It included 19 items on demographic data, interest and confidence levels, values, and needs when providing care. The levels ranged from 1 (not at all) to 7 (very much). Association between the two levels: interest and confidence, and related factors were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation coefficients (ρ) and the Mann-Whitney U-test. Free descriptions were coded and categorized using content analysis.

Results

One nurse and eight midwives completed the survey (response rate: 30.0%). The mean value of the interest level was 5.89 and the major related factors (effect size > 0.5) were years of nursing experience at maternal care units (ρ = 0.650, P = 0.058), length of stay abroad (ρ = 0.662, P = 0.052), opportunities to interact with foreign people outside work (r = 0.730, P = 0.028), and learning experiences of cross-cultural studies (r = 0.730, P = 0.028). The mean value of confidence level was 2.33 and the major related factors were highest educational degree (ρ = 0.637, P = 0.065), opportunities to interact with foreign people outside work (r = 0.606, P = 0.069), learning experience of cross-cultural studies (r = 0.606, P = 0.069), learning experience of perinatal care for foreign people (r = 0.535, P = 0.109), have overseas experiences (r = 0.507, P = 0.128). All the participants experienced difficulties in care, and all participants reported the language barrier. They considered language skills to be required to provide care with more confidence.

Conclusion

While nurses and midwives in this study have a strong interest in foreign perinatal culture, they have low confidence in providing care, which may affect their way of providing care. This study suggests a potential need for developing learning environments for care providers to provide appropriate perinatal care to foreign people in Japan.

Purpose

Foreign nurses in Japan under an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) often lack sufficient post-qualification education after passing the national examination. Considering this, the present study argues that adequate opportunities are required to allow them to learn through dialogue. Accordingly, a communication training program was created.

This work reports on an attempt to conduct communication training at a participating medical institution and identifies areas for improvement.

Methods

The study included nine participants: seven EPA nurses (from Vietnam), one nurse educator, and one EPA staff member. The communication training was conducted over two days; the first session involved communication activities, and the second involved sharing workplace experiences. The communication training aimed to set behavioral objectives that would lead to the development of problem-solving skills. The record sheets and questionnaires were transcribed and analyzed.

Results

In the first practical training session, the EPA nurses focused on the date of the message and the circumstances of falls, ultimately striving to convey information accurately. In the second practical training session, EPA nurses, a nurse educator, and an EPA staff member shared their experiences and difficulties with workplace communication, became aware of adaptive challenges, and considered action goals through dialogue.

Discussion

Regarding the appropriateness of the conveyed content, the amount of information needed to be improved, and the difficulty level should not depend solely on the Japanese Language Proficiency Test standards, but the actual communication situations in the workplace need to be taken into account. Previous research has also confirmed the significance of handling incident reports, which are equivalent to communicating the scene of a fall.

Regarding the difficulty level of the transmission conditions, gradually increasing the number of questions and increasing the degree of freedom was effective in raising awareness of the need for clarification. Additionally, improvements were identified that included adding new conditions for non-verbal communication.

Furthermore, from the perspective of career development, the necessity of continuous and long-term training methods for EPA nurses were suggested.