Effects of work-family life support program on the work-family interface and mental health among Japanese dual-earner couples with a preschool child: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effectiveness of a newly developed work-family life support program on the work-family interface and mental health indicators among Japanese dual-earner couples with a preschool child(/ren) using a randomized controlled trial with a waitlist. METHODS: Participants who met the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated to the intervention or the control groups (n = 79 and n = 85, respectively). The program comprised two 3-h sessions with a 1-month interval between them and provided comprehensive skills by including self-management, couple management, and parenting management components. The program sessions were conducted on weekends in a community center room with 3-10 participants. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 1-month, and 3-month follow-ups. Primary outcomes were work-family balance self-efficacy (WFBSE), four types of work-family spillovers (i.e., work-to-family conflict, family-to-work conflict, work-to-family facilitation, and family-to-work facilitation), psychological distress, and work engagement reported by the participants. RESULTS: The program had significantly pooled intervention effects on WFBSE (P = .031) and psychological distress (P = .014). The effect sizes (Cohen's d) were small, with values of 0.22 at the 1-month follow-up and 0.24 at the 3-month follow-up for WFBSE, and -0.36 at the 3-month follow-up for psychological distress. However, the program had nonsignificant pooled effects on four types of work-family spillovers and work engagement. CONCLUSIONS: The program effectively increased WFBSE and decreased psychological distress among Japanese dual-earner couples with a preschool child(/ren).

Risk Factors for Duty-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Police Officers in the Mt. Ontake Eruption Disaster-Support Task Force.

Mount Ontake in Nagano Prefecture, Japan erupted on 27 September 2014. Many police officers were called in for duty as a disaster-support task force. We investigated the association between the peritraumatic situation and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in these police officers. In January 2015, a health survey (OHS) on disaster stress related to the Mt. Ontake eruption disaster support work was distributed to all of the police officers and staff involved in the disaster support. We analyzed the 213 participants who had PTSD symptoms following the eruption and no missing OHS data. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to clarify the relationship between the participants' symptom severity and their peritraumatic situation (i.e., stressors and daily support prior to the eruption, disaster-support work duties, and postdisaster stress relief). The symptom severity was associated with 'more than seven cumulative days at work' (odds ratio [OR] = 2.47, 1.21-5.06), 'selecting drinking and/or smoking as stress relief after disaster-support work' (OR = 2.35, 1.09-5.04), and 'female' (OR = 3.58, 1.19-10.77). As disaster-support work, 'supporting the victims' families' (OR = 1.99, 0.95-4.21) tended to be associated with symptom severity. The number of days of disaster-support work, stress-relief behavior, and gender were associated with the severity of PTSD symptoms.

The Relationship between Attitudes toward Suicide and Family History of Suicide in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.

Certain attitudes toward suicide may be a risk factor for suicide among the bereaved. To explore this possibility, we examined the relationship between attitudes toward suicide and family history of suicide. We focused on two specific attitudes indicating resignation in a survey: #1 "When a person chooses to die by suicide, the suicide is inevitable" (i.e., inevitability belief); and #2 "A suicide cannot be stopped by any person, because suicide is unpreventable" (i.e., unpreventable belief). The data of 5117 fully completed questionnaires were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the two attitudes of resignation were significantly associated with a family history of suicide. The adjusted odds ratio for #1 was 1.39 (95% CI, 1.07-1.79) for individuals having experienced suicide by a family member or relative, while that for #2 was 1.57 (95% CI, 1.27-1.95) for experiencing a suicide by a family member or relative and 1.25 (95% CI, 1.05-1.49) for experiencing a suicide by a friend, business associate, partner or other. These two attitudes of resignation toward suicide were significantly associated with a family history of suicide. These attitudes might increase suicide risk among the bereaved.

Cross-sectional observation of the relationship of depressive symptoms with lifestyles and parents' status among Japanese junior high school students.

OBJECTIVES: Students' depressive symptoms might be related to their own risk factors and to their parents' status. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship of depressive symptoms with lifestyle variables and parents' psychological and socio-demographic status among Japanese junior high school students. METHODS: Of 477 students and their parents, 409 (85.7 %) students and 314 (65.8 %) parents participated in the study. Students answered self-reported questionnaire on depressive symptoms, their heights and weights, subjective stress, body dissatisfaction, lifestyles including sleep duration and extracurricular physical activity in school and other physical activity outside the school, and nutritional intake. Parents responded to questionnaire on depressive symptoms and socio-demographic status. RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 24.9 %. Students with depressive symptoms were more likely to have stress. Students in shorter and longer sleep duration groups were more likely to have depressive symptoms. The students with depressive symptoms had smaller amount of energy intake than did those without depressive symptoms. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed significant relationships between students' depressive symptoms and some independent variables. Sex, subjective stress, "almost-never"-categorized extracurricular physical activity in school and other physical activity outside the school, and having a parent with depressive symptoms were significantly associated with students' depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Reducing mental stress and taking care of lifestyles, especially, "almost-everyday"-categorized extracurricular physical activity in school and other physical activity outside the school, may have benefits for students' mental health, and having a parent with depressive symptoms may be associated with students' depressive symptoms.

Relationships between suicidal ideation and psychosocial factors among residents living in Nagano Prefecture of Japan.

OBJECTIVES: Feeling ashamed for seeking help when distressed is known to be a critical factor promoting suicidal behaviors. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between suicidal ideation and psychosocial factors, including worries or anxieties, having a person to confide in, feeling ashamed for seeking help when distressed, and K6 score. METHODS: Fourteen out of 77 municipalities from Nagano Prefecture participated in this questionnaire survey. Participants of both sexes over 20 years of age were randomly selected according to age distribution in each municipality. Association between suicidal ideation and sociodemographic and psychosocial factors, including "feeling ashamed for seeking help", were determined by multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Among a total of 11,100 participants, 7394 (66.6%) returned the questionnaire. 2147 participants responded properly to essential study parameters and were submitted to the final analyses. The adjusted odds ratio of suicidal ideation was 2.09 (95% CI 1.49-2.94) among participants feeling ashamed for seeking help, compared to those not feeling ashamed. Although the rate of "no person to confide in" was 4.4%, participants who responded with "no person to confide in" had significantly increased odds ratio of suicidal ideation compared with those who responded with "having a person to confide in" (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.12-3.47). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a need for tailored intervention targeting individuals at risk by gatekeepers to encourage individuals at risk to overcome feeling ashamed for seeking help and to cultivate an appropriate person to confide in.