Standardization of Brief Inventory of Social Support Exchange Network (BISSEN) in Japan.

This study describes the Brief Inventory of Social Support Exchange Network (BISSEN) as a standardized brief inventory measuring various aspects of social support. We confirmed the reliability and validity for function and direction of support and standardized the BISSEN. For Sample 1, a stratified random sampling method was used to select 5200 residents in Japan. We conducted mail surveys and responses were retrieved from 2274 participants (collection rate 43.7%). Participants completed a questionnaire packet that included BISSEN, suicidal ideation, depression, support seeking, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Sample 2 surveys for test-retest reliability were conducted on 23 residents at approximately two-week intervals. Participants were asked about gender, age, and BISSEN. First, we assessed the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct, convergent, and concurrent validity. McDonald's omega (.73-.92) and test-retest correlations (.78-.85) demonstrated adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Depression, support seeking, and MSPSS were significantly correlated with all scores of BISSEN. The non-suicidal ideation group had significantly more support compared to the suicidal ideation group. Therefore, function and direction of support in BISSEN had sufficient reliability and validity. Next, we standardized BISSEN using Z-scores and percentile rank with respect to each 12 norm groups by age and gender.

How perceived social support relates to suicidal ideation: a Japanese social resident survey.

BACKGROUND: The loss of social support is one of the major risk factors for suicide. However, there are few empirical studies that have examined how a person's suicide ideation relates to their social support. AIMS: To examine the relationship between social support and suicidal ideation. METHODS: Self-report questionnaires were sent to 2,200 randomly selected adults in Japan. The questionnaire inquired the participants about the severity of suicidal ideation, the details of current perceived social support and their degree of satisfaction with this social support. Social support and related indicators were compared among three groups of participants that varied in severity of suicidal ideation. RESULTS: People in the group that had suicide ideation during their lives reported receiving significantly less support from their family and had greater feelings of dissatisfaction with that support than those in the other groups. Furthermore, people who had suicide ideation during the month immediately preceding the survey reported providing less support to their family, relatives or friends, as well as receiving less support from family than other groups, and having stronger feelings of dissatisfaction with social support. CONCLUSION: Our study identified a strong relationship between the severity of suicidal ideation and perceived social support.

Changes of maternal dietary intake, bodyweight and fetal growth throughout pregnancy in pregnant Japanese women.

AIM: The associations among changes in dietary intake, maternal bodyweight, and fetal growth during the course of pregnancy were investigated in a prospective cohort study carried out on 135 Japanese women. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Dietary intake was analyzed using digital photos of meals taken over 3 consecutive days, in the first, second and third trimester, and was compared with maternal bodyweight, estimated fetal bodyweight by ultrasound examination, and birthweight. RESULTS: Surprisingly, the mean total calorie intake remained below 1600 kcal/day during pregnancy, much lower than the value recommended in the 2010 edition of 'Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese'. Dietary intake was similar throughout despite the recommendation of extra intake in late pregnancy. Maternal dietary intake did not correlate with fetal growth, although maternal bodyweight in the second trimester positively correlated with estimated fetal bodyweight in the third trimester. Maternal bodyweight before pregnancy positively correlated with birthweight. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal bodyweight as well as eating habits established before pregnancy may have a considerable effect on fetal growth. There is an urgent need to improve the diet of Japanese women of child-bearing age, especially during pregnancy.

Traumatic stress in Japanese broadcast journalists.

Job-related traumatic stress experienced by broadcast journalists in Japan was investigated. A questionnaire inquiring about the most traumatic event they faced when covering the news and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) were administered to 270 journalist participants working for Japanese news companies. Of these, 6% met the IES-R criterion for potential posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Moreover, posttraumatic stress reactions at the time of the survey were strongly related to symptoms of stress experienced during the stressful assignment. The early assessment of stress symptoms in journalists that experience traumatic news coverage is important for preventing the development of PTSD symptoms.