Objectives: Psychological resilience is considered to be the ability of an individual to adjust positively to adversity. This study was conducted to examine the resilience of nurses in psychiatric hospitals in Japan. Two hypotheses tested were: 1) their resilience is negatively correlated to their depression and burnout; 2) their resilience is positively correlated to their hardiness and self-esteem Method:To identify the magnitude of individuals' resilience, a 32-item 'Resilience Scale for Nurses' (RSN) was administered to 327 nurses employed at three psychiatric hospitals in Japan. For the purpose of evaluating the correlation of resilience with other measures, psychological scales relevant to the RSN were also employed, such as the 'Japanese Self-Esteem Scale', the 'Japanese Hardiness Scale 20', the 'Japanese version of the Beck Depression Inventory', and the 'Japanese version of Burnout Scale'.Results: A total of 313 nurses responded to the questionnaire (95.7% response rate). The principal factor method suggested a three-factor solution, consisting of 'Positivity in nursing', 'Interpersonal skills', and 'Adaptability in the workplace'. The levels of Cronbach's alpha for the overall RSN (.74) as well as each of the three factors (.64; .63; .61, respectively) were respectable. Positive correlations of the RSN were found with the Self-Esteem Scale (.38; p<.01) and the Hardiness Personality Scale (.47 and .27; p<.01), and negative correlations of the RSN were found with the Beck Depression Inventory (-.26; p<.01) and the Burnout Scale (-.31, -.27 and -.30; p<.01). Conclusions:The levels of Cronbach's alpha supported the internal consistency reliability of the RSN. All of the three factors reflected characteristics of resilience as had already been indicated by the previous studies, supporting the construct validity of the RSN. Significant correlations of the RSN with well-established measures of mental health provided evidence for the two hypotheses.

This study aims to compare maternal uniparental disomy 15 (mUPD) and a paternal deletion of 15q11-13 (DEL) of Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) in regard to autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Forty-five Japanese individuals with PWS were recruited from a single recruitment center. The participants consisted of 22 children (aged from 6 to 12) and 23 adolescents (aged from 13 to 19). Six children and seven adolescents were confirmed as having mUPD. Sixteen children and 16 adolescents were confirmed as having DEL. Under blindness to the participants' genotypes, a single psychologist carried out behavioral and psychological assessments, including the Wechsler Intelligence Scales, Pervasive Developmental Disorders Autism Society Japan Rating Scale (PARS), and ADHD-Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV). Two comparisons were made: one between mUPD and DEL children and another between mUPD and DEL adolescents. In children, no significant differences were found between mUPD and DEL participants in terms of autistic (PARS childhood, P = 0.657) and impulsive behaviors (ADHD-RS-IV hyperactive/impulsive, P = 0.275). In adolescents, mUPD patients showed significantly more autistic symptomatology (PARS adolescent, P = 0.027) and significantly more impulsive behavior (ADHD-RS-IV hyperactive/impulsive, P = 0.01) than DEL patients. Our findings about Japanese PWS patients were consistent with previous researches from western countries not focused on Asian patients, indicating that mUPD cases would be more prone to ASD than DEL cases, regardless of ethnoregional differences. In addition, our data suggested that the behavioral difference between mUPD and DEL cases in terms of autistic and impulsive symptoms tend to be unrecognizable in their childhood. © 2014 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

AimThe aim of the present study was to conduct a psychometric validation of the Japanese version of the FIQL (JFIQL).MethodA retrospective analysis of data from the JFIQL was conducted. Wexner scores and Faecal Incontinence Severity Index (FISI) scores were collected prospectively in patients with faecal incontinence who visited our centre between 2008 and 2009. For convergent validity, the JFIQL scores were compared with stages on the Wexner scale for lifestyle alteration. To evaluate reliability, Cronbach's alpha was calculated for internal consistency, whereas a test–retest study was performed to evaluate reproducibility. In assessing responsiveness, JFIQL scores before and after treatments were compared in patients whose FISI scores decreased by ≥ 50%.ResultsConvergent validity and internal consistency were determined in 70 patients (49 women; median age 68.5 years). The JFIQL scores were significantly associated with lifestyle alteration stages on the Wexner scale, demonstrating convergent validity in all four domains and the generic score. Cronbach's alpha was > 0.7 for generic scores and all domains except Embarrassment. The intraclass correlations for the 27 patients available for the test–retest study were > 0.7 for generic scores and all domains except Embarrassment. The median JFIQL score improved significantly after treatment in the 23 patients whose FISI scores decreased ≥ 50%, indicating good responsiveness in all four domains and the generic score.ConclusionThe JFIQL has been validated and is now ready for use in evaluating the symptom-specific quality of life in Japanese patients with faecal incontinence.What is new in this paperThis is the first study validating the Japanese version of the FIQL (JFIQL). The JFIQL was validated not only for convergent validity and reliability, but also for responsiveness, which has never been addressed before. We also validated a generic JFIQL score in addition to scores for four specific domains.

Software-based volumetric measurements by stratification of CT values provide valuable information on tumour core and help estimate tumour aggressiveness and interval tumour progression better than standard manually measured 2D-VDTs.

This study aimed to measure quality of life (QOL) of the primary family caregivers for patients with Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS). Comparisons were made between caregivers' QOL in regard to their dependents' genotype and age group. The participants with PWS consisted of 22 children (aged from 6 to 12 years) and 23 adolescents (aged from 13 to 19 years), including 6 children and 7 adolescents with maternal uniparental disomy (mUPD) and 16 children and 16 adolescents with deletion (DEL). The QOL of the primary family caregiver for each patient was assessed using the Japanese version of the WHOQOL-BREF. To examine the effect that age (children vs. adolescents) and genotype (DEL vs. mUPD) have on the QOL of caregivers, a two-way ANOVA was conducted, followed by the Bonferroni procedure to test the simple main effects. The two age groups and the two genotypes of PWS were used as independent variables and the total QOL of caregivers as a dependent variable. The two-way ANOVA (F(1, 41) = 6.98, P < 0.05), followed by the Bonferroni procedure, showed the following: the total QOL of caregivers of DEL adolescents showed little difference from that with DEL children, but the QOL of caregivers for mUPD adolescents was shown to be lower than that with mUPD children along with that of caregivers with DEL adolescents. There is hence a growing tendency for the deterioration in the QOL of caregivers to manifest itself later in the patients' adolescence, found mainly with mUPD patients. © 2014 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.