Attitudes related to social distance between commissioned welfare volunteers (minsei-iin) and people with mental illness.

Objective: This study explored the factors influencing commissioned welfare volunteers' (CWVs) attitudes toward mental illnesses and how their attitudes correlated with their social distance from people with mental illness. Materials and Methods: Data from 223 CWVs were analyzed statistically. Factor extractions for the Image for Mental Illness Scale (IMI) and Social Distance Scale (SDS) were calculated. We examined the relations between factors in IMI and SDS. Results: CWVs' attitudes were classified as Understanding (understanding of the condition), Secure (feelings of safety in the presence of those with mental illness), and Activity (reactions to the behaviors of people with mental illness). Social distance from those with mental illness was classified as Public and Private Interactions. CWVs' interactions with people with mental illness were significantly influenced by feeling Secure in the presence of the latter. Low Public and Private Interactions were influenced by older age. CWVs' "experience in providing consultations for mental illness" led to the avoidance of Private Interactions. Conclusion: CWVs should feel safe when involved in Public or Private Interactions with individuals with mental illness. CWVs reported a preference for a higher level of social distance from people with mental illness.

Factors Relating to Self-Efficacy Among Psychiatric Nurses.

This study aimed to clarify the factors related to self-efficacy experienced by psychiatric nurses. Analysis of qualitative descriptive data from a free self-description questionnaire administered to 16 psychiatric nurses working in psychiatric hospitals revealed 24 codes across the following 8 categories as factors that increase self-efficacy: A1. possibility of practical use in nursing, A2. nursing judgment, A3. improvement of psychiatric symptoms, A4. the patients presenting a positive attitude, A5. building a relationship of trust with the patients, A6. building a relationship of trust with other nurses, A7. work progressing according to plan and A8. team medical practice. Twenty-five codes across the following 10 categories were identified as factors that decrease self-efficacy: B1. lack of communication, B2. uncertainty in caregiving, B3. recurrence of psychiatric symptoms, B4. feeling overpowered by a patient, B5. sense of being too busy to work adequately, B6. difficulty in bringing about self-improvement, B7. sense of loss regarding one's role as a nurse, B8. lack of physical strength, B9. mechanical performance of nursing and B10. fluctuating view of nursing due to mistakes. These factors require intervention for psychiatric nurses' self-efficacy.

The Relation Between the Nurses' Difficulties About Care for People with Mental Disorder in General Wards and Their Negative Feeling About Hospitalization of the People.

The aim of this study was to explore the relations between nurses' difficulties in caring for persons living with mental disorders and negative feeling about hospitalization of these persons in general wards. Out of 150 nurses working in a local general hospital in Japan, 86 were eligible for this study. Exploratory factor analysis of the question items for symptoms and conditions with which the nurses had difficulty revealed two principal factors: symptoms like psychosis and neurosis. These factors were then compared in terms of the attitudes that nurses had toward hospitalizing those persons with mental disorders. The greater the negative attitudes toward hospitalizing the persons with mental disorders, the greater the difficulty in caring for them. It is thought that symptoms like psychosis were considered to be caused by schizophrenia, epilepsy, and dementia, and symptoms like neurosis were caused by mood disorder, personality disorder and depression. These principal factors seemed to be with two different difficulties. One is about dealing with their symptoms, another is to distinguish them. Non-psychiatric nurses seemed to be working without confidence in caring for those with mental health disorders. We thought the workloads were increased by symptoms like psychosis and mental burdens on nurses as emotional labors were increased by symptoms like neurosis. Therefore, it is necessary for nurses working in general wards to improve the consultation support system about mental disorders.

[Current State of Studies on Job-related Stress among Psychiatric Social Workers and Insights into Future Research].

We studied the characteristics of psychiatric social workers (PSWs) and present research on job-related stress among them; we also provide insights into the future of such research. In recent years, studies on job-related stress among PSWs have been gaining interest. In particular, stress associated with the repeated revisions of related laws has increased. Subsequently, it was found that occupational stress in PSWs differs qualitatively and quantitatively depending on educational history, years of experience, and service department. However, no scale captures the specific characteristics of job-related stress among PSWs. Moreover, the development of a mental health care program for PSWs seems difficult. To develop a mental health care program that caters specifically to this group, future research should focus on developing a scale that determines the specific characteristics of job-related stress among PSWs, which should be evaluated on the basis of each PSW's educational history, years of experience, and service department.