Maternal parenting stress from birth to 36 months, maternal depressive symptoms, and physical punishment to 10-year-old children: a population-based birth cohort study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the association between parenting stress, maternal depressive symptoms, and use of physical punishment when the child is 10 years old. METHODS: Data from the Tokyo Early Adolescence Survey on early adolescents and primary caregivers (N = 4478) were used. Frequency of using physical punishment, level of depressive symptoms (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale 6), and maternal parenting stress experienced at 1, 3, 9, 18, and 36 months after birth were evaluated. Multiple linear and multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Mothers (1633) who provided information on parenting stress at all the five points were included for the analysis. After controlling for the child's age, sex, birth weight, maternal age, and annual household income, presence of maternal parenting stress at every time point, except at three months after birth, was significantly associated with an increased risk of using physical punishment with the 10-year-old. After adjusting for levels of depressive symptoms, significant associations were found between use of physical punishment and maternal parenting stress at 1 month (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.71, 95% confidence interval [Cl] 1.12-2.61) and 36 months (adjusted OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.10-2.61) after birth. CONCLUSION: Maternal parenting stress experienced at 1 and 36 months after birth predicted use of physical punishment, even after adjusting for maternal depressive symptoms. Maternal support should, therefore, be provided to mothers to cope with parenting stress even three years after birth to prevent the use of physical punishment in early adolescence.

Investigating the Differential Impact of Short- and Long-Term Informal Caregiving on Mental Health Across Adolescence: Data From the Tokyo Teen Cohort.

PURPOSE: Young caregivers experience, on average, poorer mental health outcomes than non-caregiving young people. However, it is unknown to what extent these effects differ with age, or among short-term versus long-term caregivers. Using repeated assessment of young caregiving across multiple waves of a prospective adolescent cohort study, we conducted repeated cross-sectional analyses of caregiver status and contemporaneous depressive symptoms, self-harm, and suicidality in early to middle adolescence. METHODS: Four waves of questionnaire data from a large, longitudinal population-based cohort study (Tokyo Teen Cohort) were analyzed. Caregiver status was collected from participants aged 10, 12, 14, and 16 years. Mental health outcomes assessed were depressive symptoms, self-harm and suicidal feelings. Logistic regression analyses were conducted assessing effects of a) young caregiver status and b) new, long-term, and ex-caregiver 2-year categorizations on mental health outcomes at 12, 14, and 16 years, both unadjusted and adjusted for potential confounders (sex, low income, single-parent household, and parental distress). RESULTS: Depressive symptoms were elevated among long-term caregivers at 14 years (unadjusted odds ratio (uOR): 3.11 [1.33-7.27], adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.49 [1.03-5.99]). Borderline associations between long-term caregiving and self-harm (uOR: 3.14 [1.06-9.35], aOR: 2.51 [0.82-7.63]) and suicidal feelings (uOR: 2.49 [0.98-6.34], aOR: 2.06 [0.80-5.33]) were detected at 16 years. No associations were found at age 12 years in primary analyses; sensitivity analyses indicated possible increased depressive symptoms. DISCUSSION: Young caregivers with long-term caregiving roles are at the greatest risk for negative mental health outcomes, with effects concentrated in later adolescence. These findings highlight urgent need for early identification and practical and psychological support for young people shouldering caregiving burdens.

A cross-cultural experience at midnight.

This essay is a story about a cultural interaction between a Japanese mother and a Chinese young mother whose baby was premature. When I was staying in a hospital in Japan to deliver my second son, I shared a room with this mother. She delivered her baby very early-at 25 weeks of pregnancy. Her baby received extensive medical treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit. However, this Chinese young mother appeared bewildered about the communication from the Japanese hospital staff because Japanese hospital's communication about the medical care of premature infants was very different from China. One day at midnight, she spoke with me about having deep uneasiness about the situation and having many unanswered questions. After this cultural experience, I began to think more deeply about cultural differences in terms of health and illness and the influence of universal health insurance on the lives of the families of premature infants. I also recognized that the value of life is not calculated in the same fashion globally.

Attributes of auditory hallucinations that are associated with self-harm: A prospective cohort study.

There is a well-documented epidemiological association between auditory hallucinations and self-harm in the general population. However, there has been limited research examining specific characteristics of auditory hallucinations (e.g., type, source, or context of voices) as correlates of self-harm. We used prospective data from the Tokyo Teen Cohort to explore whether characteristics of voices reported at age 14 were differentially associated with self-harm behaviors at ages 14 and 16. Among respondents with auditory hallucinations, respondents who experienced voices that "said something bad" about them or commented on their thoughts and actions were most likely to report concurrent self-harm, whereas positive or praising voices were protective. Negative voices continued to predict self-harm two years later, at age 16, even with adjustment for self-harm at age 14. The age of the voices, source of the voices, and context (e.g., falling asleep or while sick) was not associated with likelihood of reporting concurrent or subsequent self-harm behaviors. Assessing for negative voices in particular, rather than auditory hallucinations or psychotic experiences more broadly, may provide a more specific indicator of risk for self-harm among adolescents. The real-world utility of these epidemiological findings should be further examined in clinical settings.

Auditory Hallucinations and Self-Injurious Behavior in General Population Adolescents: Modeling Within-Person Effects in the Tokyo Teen Cohort.

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESES: A wealth of evidence suggests that adolescent psychotic experiences (PEs), and especially auditory hallucinations (AHs), are associated with an increased risk for self-injurious behavior (SIB). However, the directionality and specificity of this association are not well understood, and there are no published studies investigating within-person effects over time. The present study aimed to test whether AHs and SIB prospectively increase reciprocal risk at the individual level during early-to-middle adolescence. STUDY DESIGN: Three waves (12y, 14y, and 16y) of self-reported AHs and SIB data from a large Tokyo-based adolescent birth cohort (N = 2825) were used. Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM) analysis was conducted to test the within-person prospective associations between AHs and SIB. STUDY RESULTS: At the within-person level, AHs were associated with subsequent SIB over the observation period (12y-14y: ß = .118, P < .001; 14-16y: ß = .086, P = .012). The reverse SIB->AHs relationship was non-significant at 12-14y (ß = .047, P = .112) but emerged from 14y to 16y as the primary direction of influence (ß = .243, P < .001). Incorporating depression as a time-varying covariate did not meaningfully alter model estimates. CONCLUSIONS: A complex bi-directional pattern of relationships was observed between AHs and SIB over the measurement period, and these relationships were independent of depressive symptoms. Adolescent AHs may be both a predictor of later SIB and also a manifestation of SIB-induced psychological distress.

Longitudinal Relationships Between Help-Seeking Intentions and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents.

PURPOSE: Cross-sectional studies have shown an association between lower help-seeking intentions and greater depressive symptoms among adolescents. However, no longitudinal study has examined the direction of this association. The current study investigated whether help-seeking intentions and depressive symptoms are reciprocally associated at the within-person (individual) level during early to mid-adolescence. METHODS: Longitudinal data on help-seeking intentions and depressive symptoms in adolescents were obtained from a population-based birth cohort study (Tokyo Teen Cohort; N = 3,171) at four time points (10y, 12y, 14y, and 16y). A random intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to evaluate the within-person prospective associations between help-seeking intentions and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: At the within-person level, significant associations were consistently observed between antecedent greater depressive symptoms and subsequent lower help-seeking intentions across all time points (10y-12y: standardized regression coefficient (ß) = -0.12, p < .001; 12y-14y: ß = -0.07, p < .05; and 14y-16y: ß = -0.09, p < .01). Meanwhile, significant within-person associations were partly observed between antecedent lower help-seeking intentions and subsequent greater depressive symptoms from 10y to 12y (ß = -0.07, p < .05) and from 14y to 16y (ß = -0.12, p < .001). These prospective associations were almost the same when adjusted for the number of potential confidants as a time-varying confounder. DISCUSSION: Adolescents with worsening depressive symptoms may become increasingly reluctant to seek help over time. Proactive early recognition and intervention with support from parents, teachers, and other individuals may facilitate the management of depression in adolescents.

Association between maternal perceived capacity in life and physical punishment of teenage children: a longitudinal analysis of a population-based cohort in Tokyo, Japan.

OBJECTIVES: Perceived capacity denotes a subjective sense of having resources to cope with strains and hardships, and hence maternal perceived capacity may be protective against risk factors for child maltreatment. This study investigated the longitudinal association between maternal perceived capacity in life and child maltreatment. DESIGN: This population-based longitudinal study used self-reported questionnaires from the Tokyo Teen Cohort study (TTC), a large community-based cohort study conducted in Japan between 2014 and 2019. SETTING: Mother-child pairs were randomly recruited from the resident registries of three municipalities in Tokyo, Japan. METHODS: A total of 2515 mothers participated. Mothers' perceived capacity in life was evaluated using the self-reported TTC wave 2 survey when their children were 12 years old. Mothers rated the extent to which they had capacity in terms of time, finance, physical well-being, mental well-being and life in general. Physical punishment, which is linked to more severe childhood maltreatment, was assessed using a question about the use of physical punishment at the wave 3 survey when children were 14 years old. RESULTS: After controlling for baseline covariates (including maternal social support, age, marital status, annual household income, educational attainment, child's age, gender, sibling and birth order, and behavioural difficulties), higher perceived capacity in finance (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.90 to 0.99, p=0.026) and mental well-being (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.98, p=0.005) were associated with less frequent use of physical punishment with 14-year-old children. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal perceived capacity in finance and mental well-being may decrease the risk of frequent use of physical punishment at the 2-year follow-up. Child maltreatment prevention strategies should aim to empower mothers and promote their perceived capacity in financial management and mental health.

Predictors of chronic loneliness during adolescence: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent loneliness is a growing public health issue owing to its adverse health impact. Although adolescent loneliness is common, its trajectories can show distinct patterns over time. However, there is limited knowledge regarding their determinants, particularly for chronic loneliness. We aimed to determine the predictors of loneliness trajectories across early-to-mid adolescence and examine their association with later suicidality. METHODS: Data were collected from 3165 participants from the population-based Tokyo Teen Cohort. Participants reported their loneliness at 10, 12, 14, and 16 years. Loneliness trajectories were identified using latent class growth analysis. We examined the predictive role of bullying victimization and parental psychological distress at age 10 via a multinomial logistic regression. Sociodemographic and child-related factors (i.e., chronic health conditions and cognitive delay) were included as covariates. The association between the trajectories, self-harm, and suicidal ideation by age 16 was investigated using Poisson regression. RESULTS: Four trajectories were identified: "consistently low" (2448, 77.3%), "moderate-decreasing" (185, 5.8%), "moderate-increasing" (508, 16.1%), and "consistently high" (24, 0.8%). Taking "consistently low" as a reference, experiences of bullying victimization predicted all the remaining trajectories [adjusted relative risk ratio 1.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.18-2.28 for "moderate-decreasing," 1.88, 1.52-2.33 for "moderate-increasing," and 4.57, 1.97-10.59 for "consistently high"]. Parental psychological distress predicted the "moderate-increasing" (1.84, 1.25-2.71) and "consistently high" (5.07, 1.78-14.42) trajectories. The "consistently high" trajectory showed the greatest risk for self-harm and suicidal ideation (adjusted relative risk ratio 6.01, 95% CI 4.40-8.22; 2.48, 1.82-3.37, respectively); however, the "moderate-increasing" and "moderate-decreasing" trajectories were also at increased risk (moderate-increasing: 2.71, 2.23-3.30 for self-harm, 1.93, 1.69-2.19 for suicidal ideation; moderate-decreasing: 2.49, 1.91-3.26 for self-harm, 1.59, 1.33-1.91 for suicidal ideation). CONCLUSIONS: Bullying victimization and parental psychological distress at age 10 were independent determinants of increased and chronic loneliness trajectories across early-to-mid adolescence. Compared with "consistently low," all other loneliness trajectories were associated with an increased risk of adolescent suicidality. Interventions targeting adolescent loneliness should include approaches to mitigate bullying and parental psychological distress. These strategies may help prevent adolescent suicidality.

Self-Reported Maternal Parenting Stress From 9 m Is Longitudinally Associated With Child ADHD Symptoms at Age 12: Findings From a Population-Based Birth Cohort Study.

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) develops in early childhood and carries lifelong impact, but early identification and intervention ensure optimal clinical outcomes. Prolonged or excessive parenting stress may be a response to infant behavioral differences antecedent to developmental disorders such as ADHD, and therefore represents a potentially valuable inclusion in routine early-life assessment. To investigate the feasibility of using routinely-collected self-reported maternal parenting stress as a risk marker for child ADHD, this study investigated the longitudinal association between maternal parenting stress from 1 to 36 months after childbirth and child ADHD in early adolescence. Methods: The sample comprised 2,638 children (1,253 girls) from the Tokyo Teen Cohort population-based birth cohort study. Mothers recorded parenting stress five times from 1 to 36 months following childbirth in the Maternal and Child Health Handbook, a tool used for routine early-life assessment in Japan. Nine years later, mothers evaluated their child's ADHD symptoms at 12 y using the hyperactivity/inattention subscale from the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results: Approximately 7.5% of parents reported that they had parenting stress at 36 m after childbirth. 6.2% of children were evaluated as above the cut-off for ADHD symptoms at 12 y. Parenting stress at 1 and 3-4 m was not associated with child ADHD symptoms at 12 y. However, child ADHD symptoms at 12 y was significantly associated with parenting stress at 9-10 m (unadjusted OR = 1.42, p =.047, 95% CI [1.00, 2/00]), 18 m (unadjusted OR = 1.57, p =.007, 95% CI [1.13, 2.19]) and 36 m (unadjusted OR = 1.67, p =.002, 95% CI [1.20, 2.31]). These associations remained after adjustment for child's sex, age in months and family income. Conclusions: We identified associations between parenting stress at 9-10, 18 and 36 m after childbirth and child ADHD symptoms at 12 years old. Self-reported parenting stress data may have utility as an early indicator for ADHD risk. Participation in early-life health checks, assessment of parenting stress, and tailoring support to family needs should be promoted for early identification and intervention for ADHD.

System-level barriers to personal recovery in mental health: qualitative analysis of co-productive narrative dialogues between users and professionals.

BACKGROUND: No co-productive narrative synthesis of system-level facilitators and barriers to personal recovery in mental illness has been undertaken. AIMS: To clarify system-level facilitators and barriers to personal recovery of people with mental illness. METHOD: Qualitative study guided by thematic analysis. Data were collected through one focus group, which involved seven service users and three professionals. This group had 11 meetings, each lasting 2 h at a local research institute, between July 2016 to January 2018. RESULTS: The analysis yielded three themes: barriers inhibiting positive interaction within personal relationship networks, roots of barriers from mental health systems and the social cultural context, and possible solutions to address the roots. Barriers were acknowledged as those related to sense of safety, locus of control within oneself and reunion with self. The roots of barriers were recognised within mental health services, including system without trauma sensitivity, lack of advocacy support and limited access to psychosocial approaches. Roots from social cultural context were also found. There were no narratives relating to facilitators. A possible solution was to address the roots from systems. Social cultural change was called for that makes personalised goals most valued, with an inclusive design that overcomes stigma, to achieve an open and accepting community. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis yielded system-level barriers specific to each recovery process. Roots of barriers that need transformation to facilitate personal recovery were identified within mental health services. Social interventions should be further explored to translate the suggested social cultural changes into action.

e-Learning and Web-Based Tools for Psychosocial Interventions Addressing Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Dementia During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Tokyo, Japan: Quasi-Experimental Study.

BACKGROUND: Concern has been raised that the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent social distancing measures may increase neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with dementia. Thus, we developed and delivered an e-learning training course to professional caregivers on using a web-based tool for psychosocial interventions for people with dementia. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of an e-learning course in combination with a web-based tool in addressing neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design was used in Tokyo, Japan. The e-learning course was delivered three times to professional caregivers between July and December 2020. Caregivers who completed the course assessed the level of neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with dementia using the total score from the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) via a web-based tool. The primary outcome measures were the number of caregivers who implemented follow-up NPI evaluations by March 2021 and the change in NPI scores from baseline to their most recent follow-up evaluations. As a control group, information was also obtained from professional caregivers who completed a face-to-face training course using the same web-based tool between July 2019 and March 2020. RESULTS: A total of 268 caregivers completed the e-learning course in 2020. Of the 268 caregivers, 56 (20.9%) underwent follow-up evaluations with 63 persons with dementia. The average NPI score was significantly reduced from baseline (mean 20.4, SD 16.2) to the most recent follow-up evaluations (mean 14.3, SD 13.4). The effect size was assumed to be medium (Cohen drm [repeated measures]=0.40). The control group consisted of 252 caregivers who completed a face-to-face training course. Of the 252 caregivers, 114 (45.2%) underwent follow-up evaluations. Compared to the control group, caregivers who completed the e-learning course were significantly less likely to implement follow-up evaluations (χ21=52.0, P<.001). The change in NPI scores did not differ according to the type of training course (baseline-adjusted difference=-0.61, P=.69). CONCLUSIONS: The replacement of face-to-face training with e-learning may have provided professionals with an opportunity to participate in the dementia behavior analysis and support enhancement (DEMBASE) program who may not have participated in the program otherwise. Although the program showed equal efficacy in terms of the two training courses, the feasibility was suboptimal with lower implementation levels for those receiving e-learning training. Thus, further strategies should be developed to improve feasibility by providing motivational triggers for implementation and technical support for care professionals. Using online communities in the program should also be investigated.

Time Investment for Program Implementation to Manage Neuropsychiatric Symptoms: An Observational Longitudinal Study in In-Home and Residential Care Settings.

BACKGROUND: There are no studies on how the same psychosocial dementia care program is adapted to both in-home and residential care settings. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the time investment required by professionals to implement a psychosocial dementia care program to manage neuropsychiatric symptoms. METHODS: A prospective observational study design was used. The program consisted of 1) a one-day training course, 2) three interdisciplinary discussion meetings in five months, and 3) a web-based tool for the continued assessment of neuropsychiatric symptoms. Care professionals implemented the intervention in in-home (19 in-home care management agencies and 14 multiple in-home service providers) and residential care settings (19 group homes and eight nursing homes) in Japan from October 2019 to February 2020. The level of neuropsychiatric symptoms for the participants was evaluated using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI: 0-144). The time investment was reported by participating professionals. A total of 125 persons with dementia were included at baseline. RESULTS: Neuropsychiatric symptoms were significantly decreased at the final follow-up in all types of providers (Cohen's drm = 0.44-0.61). The mean (SD) time required for the five-month implementation was 417.9 (219.8) minutes. There was a mean (SD) decrease of 8.6 (14.0) points in the total NPI score among the 103 persons with completed interventions. The time investment was significantly lower in in-home care management agencies than in group homes, and lower in follow-ups than at baseline assessment. CONCLUSION: The program implementation may incur a substantial time investment regardless of setting. An additional benefit scheme to reward the time investment would be helpful to encourage implementation until the follow-ups.

Effectiveness of 1-day trauma-informed care training programme on attitudes in psychiatric hospitals: A pre-post study.

Many patients in mental health settings are likely to have histories of interpersonal traumatic experiences. Mental health providers are recommended to adopt trauma-informed care (TIC) to ensure sensitivity and responsiveness to the impact of trauma on patients. However, few studies have examined the effectiveness of a TIC training programme using standardized measures with follow-up assessments. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of a TIC training programme on attitudes towards TIC in mental health professionals. The study involved a pre-post design with 3-month follow-up assessments conducted between March and June 2018. In total, 65 mental health professionals from 29 psychiatric hospitals in Tokyo and its suburban prefectures participated in the study. Mental health professionals participated in a 1-day programme consisting of a 3.5-hour lecture and 1-hour group discussion. Development of favourable attitudes towards TIC was the primary outcome, as assessed by using the Attitude Related Trauma-Informed Care scale. The majority of participants were women (86%), and the mean age was 42.2 years. The mean score of the Attitude Related Trauma-Informed Care scale scores increased significantly from 5.1 during pre-training to 5.5 immediately after training (mean difference: 0.4; 95% confidence interval: 0.3-0.5) and 5.4 after 3 months (mean difference: 0.3; 95% confidence interval: 0.2-0.4). Furthermore, half of the participants claimed to have implemented TIC practice in daily clinical settings at the 3-month follow-up. These results suggested that this brief TIC training programme improved attitudes towards TIC practice significantly.

Factors associated with end-of-life by home-visit nursing-care providers in Japan.

AIM: Home-visit nursing-care services in Japan are expected to provide home hospice services for older patients with non-cancer diseases. The aim of the present study was to examine factors that contribute to the provision of end-of-life care by home-visit nursing-care providers in Japan. METHODS: The present retrospective study was carried out using nationally representative cross-sectional data from the 2007, 2010, and 2013 Survey of Institutions and Establishments for Long-Term Care. A total of 138 008 randomly sampled home-visit nursing-care service users were included in this analysis. End-of-life care (study outcome) was defined as the provision of nursing-care within the last month of life. RESULTS: Of the 138 008 patients at home, 2280 (1.7%) received home-based nursing care within the last month of life, and end-of-life care was offered primarily to cancer patients (n = 1651; 72.4%). After accounting for patient characteristics, patients were more likely to receive end-of-life care when they used home-visit nursing-care providers that had a greater number of nursing staff or were located in a region with fewer hospital beds. CONCLUSIONS: Among home-visit nursing-care providers, the nursing staff ratio and the availability of hospital beds were related to the provision of end-of-life care. Home-visit nursing-care providers should establish specialist hospice care teams with enhanced staffing ratios to allow for the adequate provision of home-based end-of-life care. A community-based network between home-visit nursing-care providers and hospitals should also be established to attain an integrated end-of-life care system for elderly populations in regions with more hospital beds. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 991-998.

Regional supply of outreach service and length of stay in psychiatric hospital among patients with schizophrenia: National case mix data analysis in Japan.

Several clinical trials have demonstrated that linkage to an outreach service can prevent prolonged length of stay of patients at psychiatric hospitals. However, there has been no investigation of the association between length of stay in psychiatric hospital and regional supply of outreach services using national case mix data. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between length of stay in psychiatric hospital and regional supply of outreach services. We used data from the National Patient Survey in Japan, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of inpatient care conducted every three years from 1996 to 2014. Data from 42,268 patients with schizophrenia who had been admitted to psychiatric hospitals were analyzed. After controlling for patient and regional characteristics, patients in regions with fewer number of visits for psychiatric nursing care at home had significantly longer length of stay in psychiatric hospitals. This finding implies that enhancement of the regional supply of outreach services would prevent prolonged length of stay in psychiatric hospitals.

Death of Dementia Patients in Psychiatric Hospitals and Regional Supply of Psychiatric Services: Study of the National Data from 1996 to 2014 in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Japan designates psychiatric inpatient care for behavior management of individuals with dementia and for helping dementia patients discharge to home. However, there has been no examination of the effectiveness of this strategy. OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated the association between dementia and the discharge destination of patients in psychiatric hospitals. METHODS: Data from the National Patient Survey, which is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of inpatient care, were used. The 96,420 patients with dementia or other mental illness who were discharged from psychiatric hospitals in September of every 3 years from 1996 to 2014 were included in analyses. RESULTS: Of the 96,420 discharged patients, 13,823 had dementia as the primary disease. Of the 13,823 dementia patients, 3,865 (28.0%) were discharged to home, 3,870 (28.0%) were admitted to a facility or other care settings, 3,574 (25.9%) were admitted to another hospital, and 2,514 (18.2%) died. Patients were more likely to die in psychiatric hospital if their primary disease was dementia, and they had resided in a region that provided fewer home visits for psychiatric nursing care or had available a larger number of psychiatric hospital beds per capita. CONCLUSION: Psychiatric inpatient care may be ineffective as a treatment for the challenging behaviors of dementia. A community mental health system for behavior management should be constructed in parallel with a reduction in the number of hospital beds allotted for psychiatric care.

Discharge Destination of Dementia Patients Who Undergo Intermediate Care at a Facility.

OBJECTIVES: Intermediate care for patients with dementia has important implications for aging in place as long as possible. In Japan, geriatric intermediate care facilities provide institutional rehabilitation services to patients under the public Long-Term Care Insurance program and aim to discharge the patients to home from the hospital. The aim of this study was to determine the association between dementia and discharge destination of patients in geriatric intermediate care facilities in Japan. DESIGN: This study was conducted using a retrospective study design for data from 2007, 2010, and 2013. SETTING: We used data from the Survey of Institutions and Establishments for Long-Term Care, which is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey that assessed discharges from geriatric intermediate care facilities in September. PARTICIPANTS: There were 9992 discharged patients included in the analysis. MEASUREMENTS: Discharge destination was categorized as home, facility, hospital, or death. Primary disease was based on ICD-10 codes. Diagnosis of dementia included F00 (Alzheimer), F01 (vascular), F02 (other), and F03 (unspecified). Multilevel multinomial logistic analysis was used for discharge destination, with discharge to home as the reference group. RESULTS: Of the 9992 discharged patients, 2483 (24.8%) had dementia as the primary disease. Of the 2483 patients with dementia, 1090 (43.9%) were hospitalized, 624 (25.1%) were admitted to another facility, 605 (24.4%) were discharged to home, and 164 (6.6%) were discharged by death. Patients with dementia were more likely to be admitted to hospital (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.25-1.73; P < .001), transferred to another facility (adjusted OR 1.94; 95% CI 1.64-2.29; P < .001), or discharged by death (adjusted OR, 1.46; 95% CI 1.13-1.89; P = .004) than discharged to home. CONCLUSION: Intermediate care in residential settings might have limited effectiveness in discharging patients with dementia to home. The national dementia plan should explore intermediate care for dementia at other care settings rather than facilities.

Regional Supply of Nursing Home and Hospital Beds Determine Discharge Destination of Nursing Home Residents in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: Japanese special nursing homes provide permanent residence to elderly people under the public long-term care insurance program. However, a quarter of discharges occur via death in hospital, and a fifth occur via admission to hospital. The objective was to identify factors associated with discharge destinations for residents of Japanese special nursing homes. DESIGN: A retrospective design for data collected in 2007, 2010, and 2013. SETTING: We used data from the Survey of Institutions and Establishments for Long-Term Care, which is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey that assessed discharge from special nursing homes in September every 3 years. PARTICIPANTS: There were 2426 discharged residents included in the analysis. MEASUREMENTS: Discharge destination was categorized as death at facility, death in hospital, hospital admission, and another care setting. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted with discharge destination as the dependent variable. RESULTS: Of the 2426 discharged residents included in the analysis, 874 (36.0%) were deceased at the facility, 773 (31.9%) were deceased in hospital, 652 (26.9%) were admitted to hospital, and 127 (5.2%) were admitted to another care setting. Residents of facilities in the regions with fewer nursing home beds or more hospital beds were more likely to be discharged via admittance to hospital or another care setting relative to being deceased at the facility. CONCLUSION: The regional supply of nursing home and hospital beds could have affected end-of-life care locations for residents of special nursing homes. To promote end-of-life care in special nursing homes, regional supply of nursing home beds should be reinforced while controlling oversupply of hospital beds.

Japanese Care Location and Medical Procedures for People with Dementia in the Last Month of Life.

BACKGROUND: Dementia-related societies worldwide have called for palliative end-of-life care for those suffering dementia; meanwhile, the Japanese dementia plan was revised on January 2015 to introduce into its objectives the support for end-of-life care via increased social and health care collaboration. OBJECTIVE: The study focus was the use of medical procedures in the last month of life among dementia patients in different care locations in Japan. METHODS: This study was conducted using a retrospective study design. Data from the Survey of Institutions and Establishments for Long-Term Care, which is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of the public long-term care insurance services, were used. The 6,148 patients who received end-of-life care in their own home, nursing homes, or hospitals in September 2007, 2010, and 2013 were included for analysis. The primary disease of each patient was based on the ICD-10 code; a diagnosis of dementia included F00 (Alzheimer's), F01 (vascular), F02 (other), and F03 (unspecified). RESULTS: Of 6,148 patients, 886 (14.4%) had dementia as a primary disease; most received care in the last month of life in nursing homes (48.0%) or hospitals (44.8%) rather than in their own home (7.2%). Patients were less likely to undergo pain management when their primary disease was dementia (adjusted odds ratio, 0.44; 95% confidence interval, 0.21-0.91). CONCLUSION: Education and policy efforts are required to provide palliative end-of-life care to people with dementia at home. The national dementia plan should also explore possible approaches regarding pain management for dying people who have dementia.

Association between length of hospital stay and implementation of discharge planning in acute psychiatric inpatients in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Japan has introduced an acute psychiatric care unit to the public healthcare insurance program, but its requirement of a shorter length of stay could lead to discharges without proper discharge planning. The aim of this study was to examine the association between the implementation of discharge planning and the length of stay of acute psychiatric inpatients in Japan. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 449 patients discharged from the 'psychiatric emergency ward' of 66 hospitals during a two-week period from March 7 to 20, 2011. The assigned nurse or nursing assistant for each patient provided information on the implementation of discharge planning in the hospital stay. RESULTS: Approximately one quarter of the 449 patients (n = 122) received no support for coordination with post-discharge community care resources. The 122 patients who had received no support for community care coordination had a significantly lower mean age at admission, a shorter length of stay, and a higher rate of either no follow-up or unidentified post-discharge outpatient service than the other 327 patients. Multilevel linear regression analysis demonstrated a significantly greater length of stay among patients who were older, those who had a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia, those who were admitted compulsorily, those who received hospital outpatient services, and those who received community care coordination support from the assigned nurse or nursing assistant. The implementation of support for community care coordination did not indicate a significant association with these factors, which have been related to an increased risk of psychiatric readmission. CONCLUSION: Patients to whom the assigned nurse or nursing assistant provided support on community care coordination experienced a significantly greater length of hospital stay. The implementation of support for community care coordination did not indicate a significant association with these factors, which have been related to an increased risk of psychiatric readmission. The mental health policy should increase focus on discharge planning in the acute psychiatric setting to enhance a link between psychiatric inpatient care and post-discharge community care resources.