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Biomedical subjects

N Yatomi

Publications and source records attributed to N Yatomi.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

[The impact of conjugal bereavement and the buffering effect of social support on the health of elderly people].

This study examined the impact of the spouse's death on the mental and physical health of the elderly, sixty years and older, and the buffering effect of social support against the impact. A three-year study was conducted of 1,087 people whose spouses were alive at the time of the initial survey. Changes over the three-year period were compared among the following three groups: (1) the spouse died within a year prior to the second survey (N = 21); (2) the spouse died more than a year before the survey (N = 47); and (3) the spouse was still alive (N = 901: the comparison group). Results were as follows: (1) Mental and physical health declined more rapidly in the first group than the comparison group, while no significant change was found for the second group. (2) Social support after the spouse loss significantly helped buffer the negative effect on the mental health, but support prior to the loss had no such effect. Social support had no moderating effect on the physical health.

Aged

[Workload of women workers rearing their children, evaluated by catecholamine excretion, salivary cortisol and self-rated scores of fatigue].

The study was designed to examine the extent of the workload in female workers with children, in the office and at home, as compared with that of male workers with children and single women workers. Urine and saliva were collected during the daytime and evening on workdays and days off, and catecholamines in urine and cortisol in saliva were analyzed. Heart rate, blood pressure and frequencies of subjective fatigue symptoms were also measured. In the three groups, urinary excretion of adrenaline during daytime work was found to be significantly higher than on days off. The difference between workdays and days off in evening adrenaline excretion tended to be greater in the 'women with children' group than in their male counterparts. Urinary noradrenaline and salivary cortisol in women with children showed a tendency to be higher in the afternoon and evening on workdays than that on days off, while no difference between workdays and days off was observed in the other two groups. The heart rate in women with children was greater during the evening on workdays than that on days off. The frequency of subjective fatigue symptoms in women with children increased with the time of day on workdays, but remained unchanged on days off. The findings suggest that the workload of female workers rearing their children is greater than that of male counterparts, both in the office and at home, on workdays.

Adult

[Development of Elderly Diabetes Impact Scales (EDIS) in elderly patients with diabetes mellitus].

To assess the quality of life (QOL) in elderly diabetic patients, 452 elderly outpatients aged over 60 years old who lived in 4 districts near our hospital were visited at home and of them were asked to follow 83 questionnaires concerning QOL by professional interviewers. Using the 37 questions about the impact of diabetes on elderly diabetic patients, we have developed the Elderly Diabetes Impact Scales (EDIS). The EDIS consisted of 6 subscales (burden of symptoms, burden of daily life, burden of diet therapy, burden of drug therapy, satisfaction, worry). Responses to questions were estimated with a 4-point multiple-choice assessment. The impact was rated from 1 (no impact, never worried, or very satisfied) to 4 (very burdened, always worried, or very dissatisfied) for each question and total EDIS scores were calculated by summing up the scores of the 37 questions. The internal consistency of the EDIS and its six subscales were of a satisfactory magnitude (0.66-0.88). There was also a significant correlation between the EDIS and PGC morale scales (r = -0.48, p < 0.001) and between the EDIS subscales and 3 moral components suggesting a convergent validity of the EDIS. The EDIS may be useful in evaluating the quality of life in elderly patients with diabetes mellitus.

Activities of Daily Living

[Factors associated with increased diabetes burden in elderly diabetic patients].

To define the factors that determine the increased burden of diabetes in elderly diabetic patients, we examined the relationship between the Elderly Diabetes Impact Scales (EDIS) and physical or social factors in 383 elderly outpatients aged over 60 years old who answered QOL questionnaires by professional interviewers. The EDIS consisted of 6 subscales (burden of symptoms, burden of daily life, burden of diet therapy, burden of drug therapy, satisfaction, worry) and total EDIS scores were calculated by summing up the 4-point scores of 37 questions. The EDIS scores were highest in patients who received insulin therapy. In univariate analysis, high EDIS scores were significantly associated with high HbA1c, low Roken ADL score, and the presence of retinopathy or neuropathy. Among social factors, leisure activities, housework or jobs, social network, and positive social support were significantly associated with low EDIS scores, while negative social support was associated with high EDIS scores in elderly diabetic patients. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that age (younger), sex (women), low ADL (or diabetic complications), insulin therapy, low positive social support, high negative social support, economical dissatisfaction, and the low adaptative feeling of diabetes were significant and independent determinants of a high burden in diabetic patients indicated by EDIS scores in Japanese elderly diabetic patients.

Activities of Daily Living

[Burden of dietary therapy on elderly patients with diabetes mellitus].

As a part of a QOL study in elderly diabetes mellitus, we performed an interview conducted by professional interviewers on the sense of burden of dietary therapy in 383 elderly outpatients with diabetes mellitus aged over 60 years old. We used a scale on Burden of Dietary Therapy (BDT) that consisted of 7 questions (calorie restriction, dietary balance, regular dietary habits, restriction of favorite food, restriction of amounts of snacks, restrictions when eating out, burden of total dietary therapy). The sense of burden was rated from 1 (never burdened) to 4 (heavily burdened) for each question and the alpha coefficiency of the BDT scale was 0.80. Women, relatively younger elderly patients, hyperglycemic patients, or tablet-treated patients had higher BDT scale scores. The lower the positive family support scores and the higher the negative social support scores the greater was the BDT score. High BDT scores were significantly associated with low PGC moral scales (p < 0.001). The results suggest that the burden of dietary therapy could lower the quality of life in elderly patients with diabetes mellitus.

Aged

[The relationship between evaluation of school stressors and stress responses in junior high school students].

The purpose of this study is to develop a school stressor scale from the events experienced frequently by junior high school students in their daily school life, and to examine the relationship between school stressors and stress responses. In study I, factor analysis of data by 552 students revealed four main factors "teacher", "friend", "club activity", and "study", which were extracted from initial set of 72 items. In study II, factor analysis of 50 items, of which 39 items were extracted in study I, and 11 new items of free-description type, of data by 622 students, revealed that main stressors in junior high school were following six, "teacher", "friend", "club activity", "study", "rule", and "official activity". Furthermore, multiple regression analyses revealed that "friend" strikingly correlated with "depressive-anxious emotion" and "study" did with "cognition-thought of helplessness".

Adolescent

Satisfaction with social support and depressive symptoms: a panel analysis.

The literature suggests that persons who are dissatisfied with the amount of social support that has been provided to them may subsequently suffer from psychological disorder. At the same time, there is evidence that individuals who initially suffer from emotional disorder may consequently be less satisfied with their social support systems than may persons who enjoy better mental health. The purpose of this study was to test these competing hypotheses with panel data from a community survey of older adults. The findings indicate that changes in satisfaction with support tend to precede changes in depressive symptoms. A number of issues in the analysis of longitudinal data are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological