The purpose of this study was to clarify the subjective sleep evaluation and the related factors which influence the evaluation in the middle and advanced age women. A subjective sleep survey using the questionnaire containing the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was conducted. The subjects consisted of 292 women (Mean year : 51.2±12.1), and classified into following six groups : preclimacteric group (N=62, 30-39yrs), climacteric (40-59yrs) (pre-menopausal group (N=71), perimenopausal group (N=24), post-menopausal group (N=54)), post-climacteric group (N=34, 60-65yrs), geriatric group (N=47, 65-80yrs). As a result, geriatric group had "Family requiring care" and took a "Nap" most, while peri-menopausal group had the highest Total Subjective Symptom Score. In terms of the quantity of sleep, post-menopausal group had the highest score in "Sleep duration" in Component PSQI Score. In terms of the quality of sleep, on the other hand, peri-menopausal group had the highest Global PSQI Score and the highest score in "Subjective sleep quality", "Sleep latency", "Habitual sleep efficiency", "Sleep disturbances", and "Daytime dysfunction", while geriatric group did so in "Use of sleeping medication" in Component PSQI Score. Furthermore, "Subjective symptom", especially "Psychoneurotic symptom", was extracted as the most related factor of the subjective sleep evaluation.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal antenatal anxiety on the mother-infant relationship. Thirty pregnant women completed Questionnaires on anxiety longitudinally in the first, second, and the third trimester of pregnancy. Furthermore, a questionnaire survey of the mothers and behavioral observation of feeding were performed in the 30 mother-infant pairs. The questionnaire consisted of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Mother and Baby Scale. The behavior of the mothers and infants at feeding was evaluated using the Assessment Mother-Infant Sensitivity Scale. Multiple regression analysis was performed using the score of the mothers' perception and the score of the maternal behaviors and infant behaviors as dependent variables, and anxieties of the mother in each trimester as independent variables. As a result, trait anxiety in the second trimester predicted the mothers' perception of the infants, and childcare by breast-feeding. State anxiety in the second trimester predicted the infants' behavior. These results suggest that anxiety of pregnant women affects the mother-infant relationship in the early post partum.

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Eating disorders and abnormal eating behavior are increasing among Japanese adolescent girls. Many studies have indicated that it is necessary to measure body image dissatisfaction. Many scales of body image dissatisfaction have been developed, but most of the scales have been used to measure the dissatisfaction of the lower and whole body. This study is aimed to develop a scale of dissatisfaction such as the lower body, the whole body, and the body parts estimation by oneself and others. The subjects of this study were 823 females (mean age was 19.93±2.30). Reliability and validity of this scale were discussed. As a result of the factor analysis of 50 items for measuring of body image dissatisfaction, 4 factors and 30 items was extracted. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was sufficiently high. Factor 1, 2, and 3 were possible to discriminate desire to be slim and abnormal eating behavior respectively. Factor 4 was excluded from this scale. Then the factor analysis was conducted about 44 items. As a result of this analysis, 3 factors and 24 items were extracted.

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This study investigated the relationship between self-consciousness, abnormal eating behaviors, and body-image dissatisfaction among 823 female university students. Self-consciousness comprises public and private self-consciousness. Public self-consciousness is defined as the consciousness of the self as a social object, while private self-consciousness is defined as the consciousness of an aspect of the self. The measures used in this study include the Body-image Dissatisfaction Scale, Eating Attitudes Test 26 (EAT-26), and the Self-consciousness Scale. The procedure of analysis involved the investigation of (1) the relationship between self-consciousness and body-image dissatisfaction, (2) patterns of self-consciousness, (3) the classification of abnormal eating behaviors, and (4) the relationship between self-consciousness and abnormal eating behaviors. The results of the analyses suggested a relationship between body-image dissatisfaction and public self-consciousness; a possible relationship between dissatisfaction that stems from others' body evaluation and private self-consciousness was also indicated. Both these relationships were measured by the Self-consciousness Scale. Moreover, if the private self-consciousness of individuals is accompanied by a strong public self-consciousness, their sense of control concerning food-intake might be strong. In addition, if the public self-consciousness of individuals is accompanied with a strong private self-consciousness, their apprehension about food might be strong.

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There are many research papers dealing with depression related to the pregnancy and the period immediately after delivery. These studies indicate the need for support of pregnant women and women with infant, but the mental health of mothers with children over 1 year of age has not been given serious consideration until now. Thus, we conducted a survey of mothers with children aged 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 or 36 months to evaluate the mothers' mental health in relation to their basic characteristics and to the age of their children. Depressive states were found most frequently in the group of young housewives nursing their first child, but in all groups, we observed that 2.3% to 2.6% of mothers with children aged 2 to 3 years were affected, whereas only about 1% of those with children aged less than 1 year were affected. In Japan, there is no mandated physical examination for 2-year-old children, and even in those municipalities in which such an examination is offered, most children do not undergo an examination at this age. Consequently, checking the mental health of mothers during this period is difficult, and the possibility of housewives dealing with the stress of nursing in isolation is a concern. In this paper, we suggested the necessity of mental health support for mothers with 2-year-old children. Further investigation of ways to implement mental health assessments of mothers with very young children, such as by home visits and childcare counseling, is necessary.

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