Satoru Shima

Locus of Control and Well-Being at Work: How Generalizable are Western Findings?

Managers from 24 geopolitical entities provided data on work locus of control, job satisfaction, psychological strain, physical strain, and individualism/collectivism. The hypothesis that the salut...

Temporal variation of validity of self-rating questionnaires : repeated use of the General Health Questionnaire and Zung's Self-rating Depression Scale Among women during antenatal and postnatal periods

The 30‐item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Zungs Self‐Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were distributed to 120 pregnant women 4 times – in early and late pregnancy and 5 days and 1 month after the child was born. The validity of the questionnaires was assessed against the subjects’ Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) diagnoses. Both the GHQ and SDS sufficiently identified cases of minor mental disorder and depressive disorders respectively in early pregnancy; they lost their validity on the subsequent two occasions, but gained it again 1 month after the birth; the optimal cut‐off points varied accordingly. This study suggests that the optimal cut‐off point for a questionnaire should be validated against an externally determined clinical diagnosis whenever the instrument is used repeatedly on the same population.

Depression and ventricular enlargement.

ABSTRACT– Compared with controls, 46 depressed patients showed increased ventricular‐brain ratio (VER). Patients with poor outcome, single episode, onset at 50 years or over, or without melancholia were found to have greater VBR than controls.

Premenstrual mood changes and maternal mental health in pregnancy and the postpartum period

To investigate the relationship between premenstrual mood changes and maternal mental health in the perinatal period, a prospective questionnaire survey of 1,329 women was carried out. Women with a premenstrual mood changes (irritability) before pregnancy showed significantly higher Zungs Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores than those without it, throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period (6 time points: early, middle, and late pregnancy, 5 days, 1 month, and 6 months after childbirth). In addition, women with premenstrual irritability had greater anxiety about pregnancy and delivery, were more reluctant to accept mother roles, and felt their babies (fetuses or neonates) were more vulnerable. These findings suggest that premenstrual mood change is correlated with unstable mental health throughout the perinatal period.

Normal ventricles in chronic schizophrenics

ABSTRACT The computed tomography (CT) scans of 46 chronic schizophrenic patients and 46 controls were studied using ventricular‐brain ratio. Ewans’ index, and cella media index. None of the indices used revealed significant differences between the patient and the control groups.

Psychiatric disorders among Japanese children.

OBJECTIVE To generate current data on the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among Japanese children, using DSM-III-R criteria. METHOD As part of an ongoing longitudinal study in a Japanese community sample, 114 mother-child dyads were interviewed when the children were approximately 8 years old. DSM-III-R disorders of the children were diagnosed through the administration of a structured diagnostic instrument, the parent and child versions of the Child Assessment Schedule, to both the children and their mothers. RESULTS The prevalence rate for any diagnosis was 49.1%, which is similar to that of U.S. children and adolescents. CONCLUSION The Child Assessment Schedule is an appropriate scale for assessing the psychopathology of Japanese children, which is as prevalent as in a U.S. sample.

Social support and pregnancy:II. Its relationship with depressive symptoms among Japanese women

Abstract In a questionnaire survey among 1329 first‐trimester pregnant women, both the husband support measures and unwanted pregnancy (‘stressor’ agent in pregnancy) showed significant effects on an elevated score of the cognitive disturbance subscale of the Zungs self‐rating depression scale (SDS), while only unwanted pregnancies showed an effect on an elevated score of the dysphoric mood subscale of the SDS. However, no interaction was observed between the husband support measures and unwanted pregnancy, therefore the effect of the husbands social support on the cognitive disturbance score was not that of a buffer, but rather a main effector. Finally, multiple regression analyses showed that the dysphoric mood score was preceded by unwanted pregnancy, premenstrual irritability, public self‐consciousness, and maternal overprotection; while the cognitive disturbance score was preceded by unwanted pregnancy, husband reduced ‘given’ and ‘giving’ support, maternal reduced care and overprotection, paternal reduced care, low annual income, low private self‐consciousness, and smoking. These findings suggest that the husbands support for a pregnant woman is effective only in reducing cognitive symptoms, and that different symptomatic constellations have different sets of psychosocial correlates.

Selective enlargement of the third ventricle found in chronic schizophrenia

Selective enlargement of the third ventricle was observed when the area and the VBR (ventricle-brain ratio) were measured in 37 chronic schizophrenics (DSM-III criteria) as compared with 37 controls. However, the width or the width to IS (maximum inner skull width) ratio was not significantly different between the two groups. There was no correlation between any measure of the third ventricle and any of the clinical variables. Five patients had VBRs of the third ventricle that were larger than the mean + 2 SD of the control, but there was no significant difference between these five schizophrenics and the others in any of the clinical variables.

Somatoform disorders in the workplace in Japan.

The literature related to somatoform disorders in the workplace is very limited, and these disorders need more attention from mental health professionals in the workplace as well as from employers. Over the last decade, major changes have taken place in the work environment in Japan. More stress and less support from supervisors or colleagues in the workplace have made employees stressed out. The number of employees with mental disorders, including somatoform disorders, taking sick leave has significantly increased. In our multi-centre collaborative study, somatoform disorders were the third most prevalent psychiatric disorder in employees, after mood and schizophrenic disorders. Employees with neurotic disorders manifested physical symptoms more frequently than those without. Young employees frequently reported somatic symptoms such as general malaise, nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, headache, stiff shoulder, and dizziness. A rational new approach is needed to tackle this important psychopathology increasingly seen among employees.

Single and repeated elective abortions in Japan: a psychosocial study

Despite its social, legal and medical importance, termination of pregnancy (TOP) (induced abortion) has rarely been the focus of psychosocial research. Of a total of 1329 women who consecutively attended the antenatal clinic of a general hospital in Japan, 635 were expecting their first baby. Of these 635 women, 103 (16.2%) had experienced TOP once previously (first aborters), while 47 (7.4%) had experienced TOP two or more times (repeated aborters). Discriminant function analysis was performed using psychosocial variables found to be significantly associated with either first abortion or repeated abortion in bivariate analyses. This revealed that both first and repeated aborters could be predicted by smoking habits and an unwanted current pregnancy while the repeated aborters appear to differ from first aborters in having a longer pre-marital dating period, non-arranged marriages, smoking habits, early maternal loss experience or a low level of maternal care during childhood. These findings suggest that both the frequency of abortion and its repetition have psychosocial origins.