The purpose of this research was to investigate occupational stress and its related factors among university teachers in Japan. Questionnaire surveys were mailed to 924 university teachers in Japan with a response rate of 43.8%, N = 405. The General Health Questionnaire 28 (GHQ-28), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), short Japanese version of brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) and the Work Situation Questionnaires (WSQ) developed by the authors were administered to participants. Results indicated that university teachers had some mental health problems in relation to gender, professional position, conditions of taking paid leave, job satisfaction, job control, social support, and coping skills. These findings provide evidence that in order to improve the mental health of university, teachers need to take their paid leave freely. It is important to keep high their job satisfaction levels, job control levels, and social support. The results also indicated that the ineffective coping styles lead to poor mental health. In addition, the findings identified the necessity for support of female teachers and younger lecturers, who had a greater tendency toward poor mental health.

Findings of the study influence nursing policies toward enhancing education of nurses regarding palliative and end-of-life care in emergency settings. These findings can also influence the value of caring-healing environments for critical and dying patients and their families. Policies can focus on practice and education of families particularly about end-of-life care for critical and dying patients.

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The purpose of this article is to describe recommendations towards the design and direction of development for Humanoid Nursing Robots (HNRs) from the standpoint of researchers of nursing care practice.

Background: Precise nursing actions assure quality human health care. However, such actions are often identified as low-level health care work thereby delegated as tasks that only need completion. With the Japanese elderly population increasing at a phenomenal rate, these types of nursing actions are critically demanded. As a health care practice problem leading to labor shortages in health care settings specifically among nurses and direct health caregivers, Japan has made a national commitment focused on developing healthcare robots to respond to the nursing care demands of the older adult population. Transactive relationships are necessary in human and robot nurse-patient interactions. How will human persons and humanoid nursing robots (HNRs) relate with each other? Research on robots assisting patient care is needed to reduce human-dependent activities thereby sanctioning human nurses' focus on direct human caring relationships. Aim: The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of the Transactive Relationship Theory of Nursing (TRETON) for nursing engagements between HNRs and human persons. Methods: Theory development and Systematic Review of Literature focused on the phenomenon of healthcare engagements, humanoid robots, and nursing practice. Specifically, the metaparadigms of Nursing provided the procedural theoretical structures. Results/Findings: The TRETON is the product of theory development. Nursing encounters between humanoid nursing robots and human persons in transactive interactions were described within the metaparadigms of person, nursing, environment, and health. Conclusion:The TRETON is a middle-range theory of nursing guiding nursing practice focused on the relationship between human persons and humanoid nursing robots. It endorses two critical nursing questions, i.e., if the nature of HNRs is to assume human caring practices to promote human health and well-being, will this nature matter to nursing care of human persons? What will engender the nature of the transaction between human persons and HNRs in 21st century ontology of nursing? Original ArticleOpen Access IntroductionThe aging population in Japan has increased and continues to increase at a phenomenal rate unequaled in any other country [1]. This phenomenon signifies that the population of older persons and in particular those with dementia are also continually increasing. It is predicted that by the year 2025, one out of every ten older adults will suffer from dementia [2]. In addition, the declining birth rate associated with the aging society has similarly contributed to this changing population demographic structure [3].Also, while the aging population is increasing, the working-age group has not caught up with the trend. This situation has expectedly become a serious social problem, leading to labor shortages, particularly within health care settings. Reacting to this phenomenon, Japan has made a national commitment focused on the development of healthcare robots especially for the older adult population [4]...

This study examined the effects of hand massage on autonomic activity, anxiety, relaxation and sense of affinity by performing it to healthy people before applying the technic in actual clinical practice. Findings were showed below: 1) the significant increase in the pNN50 and the significant decrease in the heart rate meant the intervention of massage increased the autonomic nervous activity, improved the parasympathetic nerve activity and reduced the sympathetic nerve activity. This means the subjects were considered to be in a state of relaxation. 2) Salivary α amylase has been reported as a possible indicator for sympathetic nerve activity. In this study, there was no significant difference in the salivary α amylase despite a decrease after massage. 3) State anxiety score is temporal situational reactions while being in the state of anxiety and this score decreased significantly after massage. 4) The level of willingness to communicate with other person and the sense of affinity toward the massage-performer had a positive change of 70 percent. From this, it can be considered that a comfortable physical contact between a patient and a nursing profession, who are in a supported-supportive relationship, leads to an effect of shortening the gap in their psychological distance.

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The advancement of technology also means the increased involvement of humanoid robots (HRs) in healthcare settings. Robots in health care have been used in exercise programmes and recreational activities; it is from these activities that a new type of interaction between humans and HRs has emerged (