Association Between Smartphone Applications for Pregnant Women and Psychological Distress in Japan.

The current study investigated pregnant women's use of pregnancy applications (apps) and how these apps affect their mental health. A questionnaire was administered in the outpatient obstetrics and gynecology department at a university hospital. Of 110 pregnant women included in the analysis, 97 had downloaded and used pregnancy apps and believed that these were either helpful or a little helpful. Among the 110 respondents, 20 (18.2%) women were identified as having psychological distress. Thus, the percentage of women with psychological distress who downloaded pregnancy apps was significantly lower than women in the mentally healthy group. Non-use of pregnancy apps was strongly associated with psychological distress, indicating that pregnancy apps improve pregnant women's mental health. Alternatively, non-use of apps could arise from deteriorated mental health, causing reduced energy or inclination to use these apps. Screening for good mental health among pregnant women is important; non-use of pregnancy apps may indicate risk of mental health deterioration among pregnant women. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 61(1), 32-38.].

Effect of working place infection control practices on workers' psychological distress: A large-scale cohort study during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically transformed the work environment and practices worldwide. Long-term infection control practices may increase the psychological distress of workers, and, conversely, inadequate infection control practices in the working place may increase the fear of infection. This study aimed to determine the relationship between infection control practices in the working place and employee mental state during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Methods: This study was conducted in December 2020 and February 2021. The participants had undergone a preliminary survey, which revealed that they were in a good mental state. Their psychological distress was investigated via a second survey, and the factors associated with distress were studied using a logistic model. Results: The results of the second survey indicated that 15.3% of participants demonstrated psychological distress. This was associated with leave-of-absence instructions, instructions for shortening business hours, and requests to avoid the working place in case of any symptoms. Conclusion: The study found that while some infection control practices reduce workers' distress, others worsen it. Employers need to consider infection control practices as well as the worsening mental state of employees following a decrease in income caused by such measures. Follow-up studies may be necessary to clarify the long-term effects on workers' mental states.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Users with Mental Illness of Home Visit Nursing Services in Japan.

This study aims to clarify the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of users with mental illness of home visit nursing services. We sent a questionnaire to 1,740 home visit nursing station managers, 374 (21.5%) of whom responded. The total number of valid responses was 328, which amounted to 87.7% of the returned surveys. In total, 103 (31.4%) stations reported that their users' mental health deteriorated owing to the spread of COVID-19. Eighty-nine (86.4%) stations reported that their users' anxiety increased. More than 80% of the stations explained infection control measures to their users, but 194 (59.1%) stations answered that their users found it challenging to practice cleanliness. A total of 207 (63.1%) stations answered that the promotion of strategies for coping with stress is necessary for their users. Users with mental illness are vulnerable to stress and have a higher risk of death due to COVID-19. Thus, they should be carefully observed and referred to facilities if required. Home visit nursing staff have an important role to play in the preservation of the well-being of their users with mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Randomized Controlled Trial on Primigravid Women of Text Messaging Intervention Offering Pregnancy and Childbirth Support.

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a text messaging intervention that offered pregnancy and childbirth support. Participants included 39 primigravid women who were less than 12 weeks pregnant. Text messages were sent twice weekly to the intervention group from week 13 of pregnancy until childbirth. Outcome measures were anxiety levels, lifestyle in the month before birth, pre-birth weight, pregnancy complications, delivery complications, birth weight, thoughts regarding the text messages, and the frequency of viewing of the text messages. For the item "I engage in body stretching," the average value in the intervention group was significantly higher than that in the control group. For the item "I have regular bowel movements," the average value in the intervention group was significantly lower. Most participants reported that the intervention was at least somewhat useful. This study indicates that text messaging intervention is practical and can be used to support numerous pregnant women simultaneously at a relatively low cost. Since this is a study pilot trial, large-scale studies are necessary to improve the method and allow for the generalization of the results.

Characteristics of Home-Visit Nursing Stations that Accept Children Requiring Long-Term Medical Care after Discharge from Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Many cultures are witnessing high-risk births due to the increasing trend of delayed childbearing. This has resulted in a higher proportion of children requiring long-term medical care (CLTM). The number of home-visit nursing stations available for pediatric patients should increase to provide care for CLTM at home. Through a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey of 338 home-visit nursing station managers, this study aimed to identify the determinants of the acceptance of CLTM by analyzing the characteristics of the stations, managers, staff, and registered children, and the volume of home visits. Chi-squared tests and logistic regressions were applied to determine the independence of the variables of acceptance and analyze their significance, respectively. The response rate was 14.6%, the number of pediatric patients registered in the past was 914, and the average number of registered pediatrics was 2.7. The results indicate a correspondence between the increase in home visits by nursing staff and the number of CLTM accepted for home-visit nursing services after discharge from neonatal intensive care units. Additionally, stations whose managers have three or more years of pediatric care experience accept more CLTM, and their employees are better equipped to facilitate these acceptances. Nonetheless, the number of facilities with pediatric departments has declined; thus, nurses will face increasing difficulty gaining pediatric work experiences. Therefore, enhanced seminars and training on pediatric medical care for managers and nurses, as well as strengthened collaboration/coordination with pediatric wards, clinics, and multidisciplinary occupations should be implemented as countermeasures. Our findings illustrate issues and strategies for acceptance.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Text Message Intervention to Promote Help Seeking for Psychiatric Outpatients.

Mental illness often affects and is affected by other diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and AIDS/HIV infection, and people living with mental illness require additional common services and resource mobilization efforts. Therefore, we developed a mobile phone intervention and conducted a randomized controlled trial with 45 psychiatric outpatients with mental illnesses. Data from 39 individuals (intervention group: 20, control group: 19; mean [SD] age, 44.64 [14.12] years) were included in the analyses. The intervention involved the promotion of help-seeking behaviors by sending text messages, including information about social welfare services, for 3 months. After the intervention period, no significant differences were found in the proportion of help-seeking behaviors between the intervention and control groups. However, concerning the reason for not using social services, the proportion of participants who answered "I do not know how to use it" in the intervention group was significantly lower compared to the control group. More than 80% of participants in the intervention group reported that the text messaging service was helpful and useful, and they wanted more messages and information. This was the first randomized controlled trial to promote psychiatric patients' help-seeking behavior using text messaging. Moreover, the text messaging intervention was found to be cost-effective.

Text Messaging for Psychiatric Outpatients: Effect on Help-Seeking and Self-Harming Behaviors.

A mobile phone intervention was developed and tested with 30 psychiatric outpatients with mental illness, who had high ideation for suicide. The intervention involved promoting help-seeking behaviors by sending text messages, including information about social welfare services and reminders about medical appointments, for 6 months. After the intervention period, the number of participants who used social services significantly increased, and more than 80% of participants reported that the text messaging service was helpful and useful. Compared to baseline, participants' self-harming behaviors decreased and the attending psychiatrists rated their suicide ideation as weaker. This is the first intervention study to promote psychiatric patients' help-seeking using text messaging, and although it was not a randomized controlled trial, this intervention has practical value and may lead to the prevention of suicide.