The way people perceive the things around them is closely related to living in a complex and challenging social environment. Dichotomous thinking (preference for dichotomy, dichotomous belief, and profit-and-loss thinking), which classifies things in a simple way, can be useful in dangerous and resource-limited environments. However, based on prior studies, people's manner of perceiving things may have developed as a response to the harshness of their childhood environment, and may not be related to their current environment. Therefore, we examined the relationship between individual differences in dichotomous thinking and high-crime environments as indicators of environmental harshness. We assessed dichotomous thinking in 41,284 Japanese residents using large-scale data from the Human Information Database FY19 compiled by NTT DATA Institute of Management Consulting, Inc. The fixed effects regression model showed that, after controlling for age, high-crime environment of the residents' childhood was associated with dichotomous thinking, with the exception of dichotomous belief. On the other hand, their current environment of crime was not associated. In sum, our research suggests that people's dichotomous thinking tendency may be a form of adaptation to the harshness of their childhood environment rather than their current one.

This study examined the relationship between the Dark Triad of personality, cognitive ability, and social value orientations. After gender and age were controlled for, dark personality traits and cognitive ability were examined for their predictive utility of prosocial, individualistic, and competitive social value orientations. A sample of 4730 Japanese adults (60.25% men, 39.75% women) aged between 18 and 71 (M = 49.62, SD = 11.06) completed a large-scale cross-sectional online survey. Results showed that dark personality traits negatively predict prosocial value orientation, whereas higher cognitive ability was linked with an increase in prosocial behavior. Further, higher scores in all dark personality traits predicted an individualistic social value orientation, while Machiavellianism and low cognitive ability predicted competitive behaviors. Results suggest that when there is a conflict between individual and collective interests, individuals high in dark personality traits have a preference for proself behavior and tend to avoid prosocial decisions, prioritizing their benefit over others'.

The purpose of this study is to translate the Courage Measure (CM) into Japanese and to examine the validity of the Japanese version of the CM (CM-J). Study 1 (N = 1,000) showed that the CM-J has a one-factor structure similar to previous studies and that it has sufficient measurement accuracy and good reliability based on item response theory. Study 2 (N = 366) confirmed the convergent and criterion-related validity of the CM-J in relation to optimism, pessimism, subjective well-being, Big Five personality traits, and the behavioral indicator. Study 3 (N = 200) confirmed the convergent validity of the CM-J in relation to resilience, bravery, authenticity, and grit. The CM-J is useful to the research of individual differences in courage and, in the future, for screening the clients who potentially drop out in exposure therapy.

BACKGROUND: Surgical procedures for proximal gastric cancer remain a highly debated topic. Total gastrectomy (TG) is widely accepted as a standard radical surgery. However, subtotal esophagectomy, proximal gastrectomy (PG) or even subtotal gastrectomy, when a small upper portion of the stomach can technically be preserved, are alternatives in current clinical practice. METHODS: Using a cohort of the PGSAS NEXT trial, consisting of 1909 patients responding to a questionnaire sent to 70 institutions between July 2018 and December 2019, gastrectomy type, reconstruction method, and furthermore the remnant stomach size and the anti-reflux procedures for PG were evaluated. RESULTS: TG was the procedure most commonly performed (63.0%), followed by PG (33.4%). Roux-en-Y was preferentially employed following TG irrespective of esophageal tumor invasion, while jejunal pouch was adopted in 8.5% of cases with an abdominal esophageal stump. Esophagogastrostomy was most commonly selected after PG, followed by the double-tract method. The former was preferentially employed for larger remnant stomachs (≧3/4), while being used slightly less often for tumors with as compared to those without esophageal invasion in cases with a remnant stomach 2/3 the size of the original stomach. Application of the double-tract method gradually increased as the remnant stomach size decreased. Anti-reflux procedures following esophagogastrostomy varied markedly. CONCLUSIONS: TG is the mainstream and PG remains an alternative in current Japanese clinical practice for proximal gastric cancer. Remnant stomach size and esophageal stump location appear to influence the choice of reconstruction method following PG.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) frequently also have functional dyspepsia (FD) symptoms, which impair their quality of life. However, the magnitude and characteristics of the effects of each symptom on daily life have been unclarified. Using multiple regression analysis, we aimed to clarify these questions. METHODS: We enrolled 290 patients from 29 institutions across Japan, in this prospective, observational study. Patients responded to three questionnaires (Gastroesophageal Reflux and Dyspepsia Therapeutic Efficacy and Satisfaction Test [GERD-TEST], Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS], and 8-item Short-Form Health Survey [SF-8]) before and after 4 weeks of proton pump inhibitor treatment. Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted between symptoms such as typical GERD, epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) and postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) of FD, and aspects of daily life, namely, level of satisfaction with the daily life of GERD-TEST, anxiety and depression score of HADS, and physical and mental component summary of SF-8. RESULTS: Pearson correlation analysis showed a significant correlation in all combinations between GERD/FD-EPS/FD-PDS symptoms and the nine aspects of daily life. However, multiple regression analysis results deviated from these results, with the most significant effects seen in the PDS-symptom subscale (SS) on the five aspects of daily life, that is, dissatisfaction with eating, daily life-SS, anxiety, depression, and mental component summary (MCS) whereas the significant effects in GERD-SS on five aspects of daily life, that is, dissatisfaction for eating, anxiety, depression, physical component summary, and MCS, disappeared. CONCLUSION: Dealing with co-existing FD symptoms without overlooking them may be important in the management of GERD.

The purpose of this study was to adapt a Japanese version of the Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2-J) to examine its factor structure, reliability, validity, and measurement invariance. The BFI-2-J assesses five domains and 15 facets of the Big Five personality traits. We analyzed two datasets: 487 Japanese undergraduates and 500 Japanese adults. The results of the principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the domain-facet structure of the BFI-2-J was similar to that of other language versions. The reliability of the BFI-2-J is sufficient. The correlation coefficients between the BFI-2-J and the other Big Five and self-esteem measures supported convergent and discriminant validity. Moreover, we confirmed measurement invariance across age and sex groups in domain-level and facet-level models. The results suggest that the BFI-2-J is a good instrument for measuring the Big Five personality traits and their facets in Japan. The BFI-2-J is expected to be useful in Japanese personality research and international comparative research.

BACKGROUND: Although double tract reconstruction after proximal gastrectomy (PGDT) is commonly performed for proximal gastric or esophagogastric junction cancer, the impact of the procedure on postoperative quality of life (QOL) has not been clarified. We aimed to clarify the optimal PGDT procedure in terms of postoperative QOL. METHODS: Postoperative QOL was analyzed in 172 patients who underwent PGDT for proximal gastric cancer and were enrolled in the PGSAS-NEXT study, a multicenter cross-sectional study in Japan (UMIN000032221), in relation to the remnant stomach size, length of interposed jejunum between the esophagojejunostomy (E-J) and jejunogastrostomy (J-G), and size of the J-G. RESULTS: The remnant stomach size was approximately one-third in 13, half in 97, and two-thirds in 60 patients. Dissatisfaction scores for symptoms, diet, work, and daily life subscales were lower in patients with a larger stomach (p < 0.05). These patients also scored better in terms of weight loss (- 13.5%, - 14.0%, and - 11.2%, respectively) and amount of food ingested per meal (52%, 62%, and 66%). The length of the interposed jejunum was ≤ 10 cm in 62 and ≥ 11 cm in 97 patients. Weight loss (- 11.3% and - 13.8%) and dissatisfaction scores were better in the ≤ 10 cm group (p < 0.05). J-G size was ≤ 5 cm in 27 and ≥ 6 cm in 135 patients. The amount of food ingested (56%, 64%) and dissatisfaction scores were better in the > 6 cm group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Larger remnant stomach, shorter length of interposed jejunum, and longer J-G might contribute to better postoperative QOL after PGDT.

BACKGROUND: It is important to determine the effect of clinical factors on several domains (symptoms, living status, and quality of life [QOL]) after gastrectomy to establish individualized therapeutic strategies. This study was designed to determine the factors-particularly surgical method-that influence certain domains after gastrectomy for proximal gastric cancer by using the Postgastrectomy Syndrome Assessment Scale-45 (PGSAS-45) questionnaire. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide study of PGSAS-45 questionnaire responses retrieved from 1950 (82.5%) patients from 70 institutions who had undergone gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Of these, 1,538 responses for proximal gastric cancer (1020 total gastrectomies and 518 proximal gastrectomies [PGs]) were examined. RESULTS: PG significantly and favorably affected four main outcome measures (MOMs): elderly affected 10 MOMs, male sex affected 4 MOMs, longer postoperative period affected 8 MOMs, preservation of the vagus nerve affected 1 MOM, adjuvant chemotherapy affected 1 MOM, clinical stage affected 2 MOMs, and more extensive lymph node dissection affected 2 MOMs. However, the laparoscopic approach had an adverse effect on MOMs and combined resection of other organs had no favorable effect on any MOMs. CONCLUSIONS: This PGSAS NEXT study showed that it is better to perform PG for proximal gastric cancer, even for patients with advanced cancer, to obtain favorable postoperative QOL if oncological safety is guaranteed. Because the MOMs of PGSAS-45 are positively and negatively influenced by various background factors, it also is necessary to provide personalized care for each patient to prevent deterioration and further improve symptoms, living status, and QOL postoperatively.

This study examined the relationship between personality traits and selective migration to the Tokyo metropolitan area, to explain the high extraversion and openness levels among urban residents. In Study 1, 247 undergraduates responded to a questionnaire encompassing a Big Five personality trait scale and their experience of moving to Tokyo to enroll in their university. Study 2 examined the relationship between personality traits and the experience of migration to the Tokyo metropolitan area using a large dataset of 18,665 Japanese adults. People who moved to the Tokyo metropolitan area from local areas reported higher openness levels. People who had lived in the Tokyo metropolitan area for a long time demonstrated as generally extroverted as people who moved there.

This study examined the historical changes in the social desirability of 388 descriptive personality words between 1970 and 2020 in Japan. The participants, 353 university students (all men, mean age = 19.9) and 373 employees (all men, mean age = 45.3), rated the social desirability of descriptive personality words. We compared the results obtained in this survey with those of a previous study (Aoki, 1971) and tested for stochastic equality of the two samples. The results indicated that the social desirability for hard-working and diligent descriptive personality words significantly declined over fifty years. A similar tendency was observed in the university students’ sample. We discuss these results by referring to the chronological changes in employers’ preferences in Japanese companies.

BACKGROUND: Defecation disorders are obscure sequelae that occurs after gastrectomy, and its implication on daily lives of patients have not been sufficiently investigated. AIM: To examine the features of defecation disorders after gastrectomy and to explore its implication on daily lives of patients in a large cohort using the Postgastrectomy Syndrome Assessment Scale (PGSAS)-45. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide multi-institutional study using PGSAS-45 to examine the prevalence of postgastrectomy syndrome and its impact on daily lives of patients after various types of gastrectomy. Data were obtained from 2368 eligible patients at 52 institutions in Japan. Of these, 1777 patients who underwent total gastrectomy (TG; n = 393) or distal gastrectomy (DG; n = 1384) were examined. The severity of defecation disorder symptoms, such as diarrhea and constipation, and their correlation with other postgastrectomy symptoms were examined. The importance of defecation disorder symptoms on the living states and quality of life (QOL) of postgastrectomy patients, and those clinical factors that affect the severity of defecation disorder symptoms were evaluated using multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Among seven symptom subscales of PGSAS-45, the ranking of diarrhea was 4th in TG and 2nd in DG. The ranking of constipation was 5th in TG and 1st in DG. The symptoms that correlated well with diarrhea were dumping and indigestion in both TG and DG; while those with constipation were abdominal pain and meal-related distress in TG, and were meal-related distress and indigestion in DG. Among five main outcome measures (MOMs) of living status domain, constipation significantly impaired four MOMs, while diarrhea had no effect in TG. Both diarrhea and constipation impaired most of five MOMs in DG. Among six MOMs of QOL domain, diarrhea impaired one MOM, whereas constipation impaired all six MOMs in TG. Both diarrhea and constipation equally impaired all MOMs in DG. Male sex, younger age, division of the celiac branch of vagus nerve, and TG, independently worsened diarrhea, while female sex worsened constipation. CONCLUSION: Defecation disorder symptoms, particularly constipation, impair the living status and QOL of patients after gastrectomy; therefore, we should pay attention and adequately treat these relatively modest symptoms to improve postoperative QOL.

PURPOSE: This retrospective nationwide survey investigated the quality of life (QOL) of patients with esophagogastric junction cancer after gastrectomy using the Postgastrectomy Syndrome Assessment Scale-45. METHODS: The Postgastrectomy Syndrome Assessment Scale-45 comprises 45 questions classified into symptoms, living status, and QOL domains. A total of 1950 gastrectomized patients with upper-third gastric or esophagogastric junction cancer returned the completed forms. Among them, 224 eligible patients with esophagogastric junction cancer were selected, including 86, 120, and 18 patients who underwent total gastrectomy, proximal gastrectomy (reconstruction-esophagogastrostomy: 56; double-tract method: 51), and other procedures, respectively. RESULTS: The postoperative period was significantly shorter (47 ± 30 vs. 34 ± 30 months, p = 0.002), and the rates of early-stage disease and minimally invasive approaches significantly higher (both p < 0.001) in the proximal gastrectomy group than in the total gastrectomy group. Despite advantageous background factors for proximal gastrectomy, the postoperative QOL did not differ markedly between the groups. Compared to patients who underwent reconstruction with the double-tract method, patients who underwent esophagogastrostomy had significantly larger remnant stomachs but a similar QOL. CONCLUSION: Even with total gastrectomy, a postoperative QOL comparable to that with proximal gastrectomy can be maintained. Clarifying the optimal reconstruction methods for proximal gastrectomy for esophagogastric junction cancer is warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered at the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR; registration number: 000032221).

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between personality traits and hoarding behavior during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. An online survey was conducted among 530 Japanese adults (274 women; M age = 44.26, SD age = 8.43) who were living in Tokyo when a state of emergency was declared. Personality traits were assessed using measures of the Big Five personality traits and dispositional greed. They also responded to measures of tendencies to hoard essential and countermeasure products during the COVID-19 pandemic. Correlation analysis revealed that Extraversion, Neuroticism, Openness, and dispositional greed were positively associated with hoarding behavior. Multiple regression analysis revealed that individuals with high Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness, and dispositional greed tended to hoard products. The present findings suggest that personality traits account for behavioral responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. The emergent relationship between hoarding behavior and each personality trait is discussed in relation to the existing literature.

While dispositional mindfulness is a popular construct in the field of positive psychology, its nomological network in the context of health and well-being is not well established. Our study addresses this limitation by examining the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and various health-related psychological constructs, including personality, social well-being, and affective states. Data for this study were gathered from the national longitudinal studies of health and well-being called Midlife in the United States (MIDUS-II and MIDUS-III). The nomological network analysis of dispositional mindfulness showed positive associations with both religiosity and overall well-being measures (e.g., Social Well-Being, Sympathy, Optimism, and Generativity) and negative associations with maladaptive tendencies (e.g., Pessimism, Aggression, Neuroticism, and Personal Constraints). Finally, test-retest validity was positively verified by significant correlations among the variables, spanning over ten years. Articulating a nomological network of dispositional mindfulness has important implications for future research and practice.&#x0D;
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BACKGROUND: The effects of various gastrectomy procedures on the patient's quality of life (QOL) are not well understood. Thus, this nationwide multi-institutional cross-sectional study using the Postgastrectomy Syndrome Assessment Scale-45 (PGSAS-45), a well-established questionnaire designed to clarify the severity and characteristics of the postgastrectomy syndrome, was conducted. AIM: To compare the effects of six main gastrectomy procedures on the postoperative QOL. METHODS: Eligible questionnaires retrieved from 2368 patients who underwent either of six gastrectomy procedures [total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction (TGRY; n = 393), proximal gastrectomy (PG; n = 193), distal gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction (DGRY; n = 475), distal gastrectomy with Billroth-I reconstruction (DGBI; n = 909), pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG; n = 313), and local resection of the stomach (LR; n = 85)] were analyzed. Among the 19 main outcome measures of PGSAS-45, the severity and characteristics of postgastrectomy syndrome were compared for the aforementioned six gastrectomy procedures using analysis of means. RESULTS: TGRY and PG significantly impaired the QOL of postoperative patients. Postoperative QOL was excellent in LR (cardia and pylorus were preserved with minimal resection). In procedures removing the distal stomach, diarrhea subscale (SS) and dumping SS were less frequent in PPG than in DGBI and DGRY. However, there was no difference in the postoperative QOL between DGBI and DGRY. The most noticeable adverse effects caused by gastrectomy were meal-related distress SS, dissatisfaction at the meal, and weight loss, with significant differences among the surgical procedures. CONCLUSION: Postoperative QOL greatly differed among six gastrectomy procedures. The severity and characteristics of postgastrectomy syndrome should be considered to select gastrectomy procedures, overcome surgical shortcomings, and enhance postoperative care.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the prevalence of proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been increasing, posing a clinical obstacle to improving the management of GERD patients. The ability of known predictive factors to explain therapeutic response to PPI remains insufficient. Therefore, we examined whether the addition of early therapeutic response to PPI as an explanatory variable may increase the predictive power for PPI-refractory GERD. METHODS: The severity and therapeutic response of GERD symptoms to PPI were evaluated using the GastroEsophageal Reflux and Dyspepsia Therapeutic Efficacy and Satisfaction Test (GERD-TEST) questionnaire at baseline and at 2 and 4 weeks after treatment. The relevance of the therapeutic effect of PPI at 2 weeks compared to that at 4 weeks was examined in 301 patients with GERD. Independent predictive factors for refractory GERD at 4 weeks of PPI therapy were examined in 182 patients. The effect of various clinical factors, including the early response to PPI, was assessed using multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The number of PPI-therapy responders increased significantly with the duration of treatment (p < 0.0001). The response to PPI therapy at 2 weeks was significantly correlated with that at 4 weeks (p < 0.0001). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the therapeutic response to PPI at 2 weeks was by far the strongest predictor of the therapeutic effect at 4 weeks among all clinical factors. CONCLUSIONS: Medication change for PPI-refractory GERD at 2 weeks may be an efficacious therapeutic strategy to improve patients' quality of life.

© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Dichotomous thinking has three dimensions: preference for dichotomy, dichotomous belief and profit-and-loss thinking. Previous studies imply that the dichotomous thinking is associated with low cognitive abilities and low level of education attainment. In the present study, we examined the relationships between dichotomous thinking and cognitive abilities, educational attainment in Japanese undergraduate sample and wider population sample who have different educational background. They completed Dichotomous Thinking Inventory and one of four cognitive tasks: The Cattel's Culture Fair Intelligence Test, Tanaka B method Intelligence Scale, syllogism test or the BAROCO short. Overall, correlation coefficients between the dichotomous thinking and the cognitive tasks were small but significantly negative in undergraduate sample. In wider population sample, dichotomous beliefs were negatively associated with cognitive ability, while profit-and-loss thinking was positively associated. Additionally, multiple regression analyses revealed that people with low level educational background show higher dichotomous thinking tendency. These findings indicate that the relationship between the dichotomous thinking and cognitive ability depends on the dimension, whereas dichotomous thinking is generally related to low educational attainment.

There is a pressing need for more evidence from regions from Western countries to draw conclusive outcomes concerning psychological sciences. Hence, the study intends to develop the Japanese version of the short form of the Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory; (FFNI-SF) to assess reliability and validity, and to explore the psychometric adaptation of a broad range of narcissistic personalities in relation to the Japanese people. Altogether, 449 Japanese undergraduate students took part in this study. The findings denoted that FFNI-SF had an acceptable level of reliability and correlated well with existing Japanese scales. Based on the exploratory factor analysis, the lack of empathy was excluded from grandiosity, yielding an isolated factor. However, the exploratory factor analysis revealed that the lack of empathy had nothing to do with Japanese narcissism.

<p>The Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI), consisting of 7 sub-scales, was developed to comprehensively assess the components of narcissism, including not only grandiose but also vulnerable aspects. The purpose of this study was to develop the Japanese version of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI-J) and to examine its factor structure, reliability, and validity in the Japanese population. The results from 402 participants showed that the PNI-J has a factor structure that is nearly equivalent to the original PNI. Furthermore, the PNI-J had good test-retest reliability, and had a theoretically reasonable correlation with self-, interpersonal-, and personality-related variables. Additionally, the Japanese version of the Brief-Pathological Narcissism Inventory (B-PNI-J) was constructed based on previous research, demonstrating nearly the same properties as the full version. Thus, the PNI-J and the B-PNI-J can reflect the pathological features of narcissistic people in the Japanese population more comprehensively than other conventional measurement scales of narcissism. </p>

<p>A previous study revealed curvilinear changes over time in 12 traits of the Yatabe-Guilford Personality Inventory in Japan (Oshio et al., 2019). The purpose of the present study was to examine relationships between the survey-year change of the inventory and social indices. A cross-temporal meta-analysis was conducted on 171 to 181 samples (68 to 74 papers) of Japanese undergraduates who completed the inventory from 1957 to 2012 (total N = 29,524–29,847). The dataset was partially identical to the previous study. Partial correlation with previous control scores of personality traits indicated that mean scores for seven personality traits are associated with changes in social indices. Results of time series analyses indicated that the change of social indices has significant associations with the following mean score changes of personality traits. Implications of the results are discussed. </p>

<p>The present research examined the geographical distributions of Big Five personality traits in Japan. We conducted secondary analysis with three large datasets (survey 1: N = 4,469, survey 2: N = 5,619, survey 3: N = 4,330). We confirmed the spatial clustering of personality traits and mapped the geographical distribution in Japan. Moreover, we revealed the prefecture-level inequality of each Big Five domain across the three datasets. The results indicated that the metropolitan area and Okinawa showed higher Extraversion than Chugoku districts. Eastern Kyushu and Okinawa showed higher Agreeableness than Hokuriku districts. Tohoku district showed lower Conscientiousness than other districts. Tohoku and Chugoku districts showed higher Neuroticism than Okinawa. Northern Kyushu districts showed higher Openness than other districts. The results generally supported the hypothesis, and we discussed the regional characteristics obtained in the present study.</p>

BACKGROUND: Proximal gastrectomy (PG) has become an increasingly preferred procedure for early cancer in the upper third of the stomach, owing to reportedly superior quality of life (QOL) after PG when compared with total gastrectomy. However, various methods of reconstruction have currently been proposed. We compared the postoperative QOL among the three different reconstruction methods after PG using the Postgastrectomy Syndrome Assessment Scale-45 (PGSAS-45) questionnaire. METHODS: Post Gastrectomy Syndrome Assessment Study (PGSAS), a nationwide multi-institutional survey, was conducted to evaluate QOL using the PGSAS-45 among various types of gastrectomy. Of the 2,368 eligible data from the PGSAS survey, data from 193 patients who underwent PG were retrieved and used in the current study. The PGSAS-45 consists of 45 items including 22 original gastrectomy specific items in addition to the SF-8 and GSRS. These were consolidated into 19 main outcome measures pertaining postgastrectomy symptoms, amount of food ingested, quality of ingestion, work, and level of satisfaction for daily work, and the three reconstruction methods (n = 193; 115 esophago-gastrostomy [PGEG], 34 jejunal interposition [PGJI], and 44 jejunal pouch interposition [PGJPI]) were compared using PGSAS-45. RESULTS: Size of the remnant stomach was significantly larger in PGEG, and significantly smaller in PGJI and PGJPI (P < 0.05). There was no difference in other patient background factors among the groups. EGJPI tended to be superior to PGEG in several of the 19 main outcome with marginal significance (P = 0.047-0.076). CONCLUSION: PGJPI appears to be the most favorable of the three reconstruction methods after PG especially when the size of remnant stomach is rather small. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: UMIN-CTR #000002116 entitled as "A study to observe correlation between resection and reconstruction procedures employed for gastric neoplasms and development of postgastrectomy syndrome".

Following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster, 230 mental health clinicians participated in a disaster relief mission and then responded to an online survey assessing their posttraumatic growth (PTG), as well as other variables and outcomes related to their work. Findings revealed that post-mission intrusion severity significantly predicted total PTG at 2 months following the relief activities. Previous knowledge/skill was also an important variable, positively predicting CS and negatively predicting burnout. One-fifth of clinicians reported clinically significant trauma symptoms immediately following their work but few respondents reported clinically significant symptoms two months following their relief work. However, severe intrusion and avoidance symptomatology immediately following of the relief mission was associated with greater levels of compassion fatigue. The implications of this study are that adequate preparation of clinicians and social/professional support play important roles in promoting satisfaction with disaster-relief work, and training/knowledge reducing burnout reactions and promoting satisfaction with disaster-relief work. In addition, disaster-related intrusion symptoms may be part of a normative, adaptive process after disaster relief activities and can co-exist with or promote PTG.

© 2020 Japanese Psychological Association. Published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. Dichotomous thinking is a feature of certain personality traits, such as the Dark Triad and Cluster B personality disorders, which commonly reflect a fast life history strategy. The Big Five and HEXACO personality models are useful for understanding the personality structure and individual differences in life history strategy. Our study aimed to shed light on the propensity for dichotomous thinking using the framework of the Big Five and HEXACO personality models. Participants (n = 229) completed the Dichotomous Thinking Inventory, the 60-item HEXACO Personality Inventory – Revised, and the Ten-Item Personality Inventory. We examined correlations between dichotomous thinking and each domain of the Big Five and HEXACO personality models, and then computed multiple correlations predicting total and dimensional scores on the propensity for dichotomous thinking with scores on the Big Five and HEXACO personality traits. Results indicated that dichotomous thinking tendency is characterized by the set of low Agreeableness and Honesty–Humility. This study suggests that dichotomous thinking has antagonistic characteristics and a linkage to the fast life history strategy.

© 2020 Elsevier Ltd Geographical personality differences robustly predict diverse consequential outcomes. However, comparatively little is known about the factors that create such differences, in particular the role of the built environment. To bridge the gap, the present study used a socioecological approach to examine the relationship between walkability and personality. Walkability reflects the degree to which urban areas are easily walkable and accessible for pedestrians. As such it is considered a defining feature of people's living environments. We utilized a large sample from the Data Sharing for Psychology in Japan (DSPJ) project, which assessed the Big Five personality traits of 5141 Japanese residents. Walkability estimates were extracted from Walk Score, an established online platform, based on individuals' place of living. Building on prior research, we hypothesized that walkability would be positively linked to Agreeableness and Extraversion due to increased opportunities for social interactions and selective migration. Multiple regression analyses showed that walkability was positively related to Extraversion (B = 0.033; 95%CI [0.019, 0.047]; β = 0.066), but not to Agreeableness. This pattern persisted in the presence of a conservative set of individual and socioecological controls. Taken together, our research suggests that walkable urban environments may be conducive to a more animated and lively social climate which is reflected in heightened extraversion among residents of such areas. As such it advances psych-geographical theory and our understanding of the role of the built environment in the emergence of geographical personality differences.

This study investigated the age differences in the Dark Triad (DT) traits with 2 independent samples. Personality was measured using the Short Dark Triad and the Dark Triad Ditty Dozen. Results showed a significant negative correlation between age and DT traits except for narcissism, which differed between the samples. Significant age-by-sex interaction effects were observed for Macitiavellianism and the DT composite score, indicating that women showed a steeper downward age trend in dark personalities.

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine associations between the Big Five personality traits and tolerance toward foreign residents in Japan, and to examine the moderating effect of the population ratio of foreign residents in a residential area on these associations. We conducted a multiple regression analysis on a dataset including 18,656 Japanese residents (9,097 females; M_age = 47.80). The results of the analysis showed that tolerance was positively associated with Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Openness and negatively associated with Conscientiousness and Neuroticism. There was a significant interaction between Conscientiousness and the population ratio of foreigners on tolerance toward foreigners. A simple slope analysis showed a stronger negative association between Conscientiousness and tolerance for the high population ratio of foreigners than for the low population ratio of foreigners. We discussed the associations between the Big Five personality traits and tolerance.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between the Big Five personality traits and a person's body mass index (BMI). We used three large datasets (survey 1, N = 3,063; survey 2, N = 4,242; survey 3, N = 17,471) including Japanese participants and examined the associations using correlation and multiple regression analyses. Consecutively, we conducted a meta-analysis including the results in the present study and a previous study. The results of these analyses show that Conscientiousness is consistently negatively associated with BMI. Extraversion is positively associated with BMI only for male participants. The pattern of relationships between the Big Five personality traits and BMI in Japan is similar to Western countries rather than to other East Asian countries. We discuss these associations in terms of eating habits and lifestyles.</p>

<p>The present study examined the relationships between the tendency to consume energy drink and personality traits. The participants were 288 Japanese undergraduates （M_age=20.15; 207 females）. They completed the questionnaire including Big Five personality traits, sensation seeking, and tendency to consume energy drink. Logistic and Poisson regression analyses revealed that the consumption of energy drink was associated positively with Thrill & Adventure and Disinhibition dimensions of the sensation seeking, which is a part of Extraversion. The results imply the psychological characteristics of its consumers.</p>

<p>The present study examined the relationships of sunshine duration with extraversion and neuroticism. Previous studies suggested that individuals living in regions that receive little direct sunlight tend to experience depression and lack of sleep, which are associated with particular personality traits. Moreover, they are associated with increases in the amount of serotonin with longer daylight durations. We used a Japanese dataset including 18,922 adults (9,227 females; mean age: 47.74) and conducted a prefecture-level analysis. Results of multiple regression analysis indicated that neuroticism was negatively associated with sunshine duration while extraversion was not. The results showed that sunshine duration may explain the variance of regional differences in personality traits.</p>

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Research has indicated that human morality is associated with cognitive ability. However, morality is not a unified concept but rather is a multi-faceted concept. Moral Foundation Theory suggests that human beings have at least five innate moral foundations: Care/Injury, Fairness/Deception, Loyalty/Betrayal, Authority/Subversion, and Sacred/Fallen. The present study aimed to investigate the associations between these moral values and cognitive ability. A large-scale cross-sectional survey was conducted online, which was completed by a total of 4863 Japanese adults (2922 females, 1935 males, and 6 “other;” Mage = 48.78, SDage = 10.93, range 20–70). Correlation and multiple regression analyses revealed that cognitive ability was positively linked to Care/Injury, Fairness/Deception, and Sacred/Fallen. Notably, the positive associations of cognitive ability with Loyalty/Betrayal and Authority/Subversion were statistically significant only for people below the age of approximately 50. These findings indicate that although moral foundations are based on emotions and intuitions, they are substantially associated with cognitive ability. In addition, the positive direction of associations of cognitive ability with Loyalty/Betrayal and Authority/Subversion was inconsistent with previous findings in Western countries, which suggests that these associations are culture-dependent.

<p>The relationship between exercise behavior and the Big Five personality traits in Japanese adults (N=4,313, 2,618 men, 1,695 women; mean age=49.05 years, SD=10.84, age range=20–69 years) was investigated. Results indicated that exercise behavior was significantly correlated with Neuroticism (ρ=−.12), Extraversion (ρ=.18), Openness (ρ=.14), Agreeableness (ρ=.06), and Conscientiousness (ρ=.13). Controlling for sex, age, body mass index, educational level, household income, marital status, and the number of children indicated that levels of Extraversion and Openness were positively and significantly associated with exercise behavior. These findings suggest that personality traits influenced exercise behavior in Japanese people, and corroborated international studies.</p>

<p>The purpose of the present research was to examine the relationship between Dark Triad (Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy) and manipulation strategies (Terashima & Kodama, 2004). Participants were 210 Japanese undergraduates who completed the Short Dark Triad (SD3-J) and the scale of manipulation strategies. Structural equation modeling showed that Machiavellianism and Psychopathy were positively affected by manipulating others from both superior and inferior positions, as well as by manipulation of feelings. Narcissism had a positive effect on the manipulation of feelings from a superior position. The results indicate that there is evidence of the validity of the SD3-J and people who have high Dark Triad tendencies tend to use not only the manipulation of behavior from the superior position, but also the manipulation of feelings from the inferior position.</p>

<p>This study aimed to investigate whether sadism is related to high competitive performance and whether this relationship is mediated by gamesmanship. Responses to sadism and gamesmanship scales of 339 university students majoring in physical education were analyzed. Results showed that sadism is significantly related to high competitive performance in relative competitions, and that this relationship is mediated by gamesmanship. Our findings suggest that sadism has positive aspects, despite its negative ones. This study contributes to the development of an accurate understanding of sadism.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between littering behavior and Dark Triad personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy). Forty-one college students (average age=19.83 years, SD=1.11; 9 males, 32 females) were assigned randomly into either a clean or a dirty laboratory condition, and participated in an experiment to assess their littering behavior. Results of Bayesian logistic regression analysis that predicted the littering index, indicated that cumulative probabilities that the odds ratio for narcissism and psychopathy exceed 1 in posterior distribution under dirty condition were 84% and 87%, respectively. The results of the present study showed that the Dark Triad personality traits may be related to littering behaviors, while previous studies focused on manipulations of condition.</p>

<p>This study aimed to reinvestigate age differences in resilience in a large cross-sectional Japanese sample (N=18,843; 9,657 men, 9,156 women; mean_age=47.74 years, SD_age=14.89, range_age=15–99 years). The data were obtained from a large cross-sectional study by NTT DATA Institute of Management Consulting, Inc. The results of hierarchical multiple regression indicated that age and squared term of age were significantly positively associated with resilience. These results reconfirm that resilience in Japanese individuals increases with age, corroborating the findings of previous studies.</p>

<p>This study examined the circumplex structure of Japanese interpersonal trait words based on a psycho-lexical approach. Seven hundred and nineteen undergraduate students rated 259 interpersonal trait words in regard to how accurately these words described their personality; the data were analyzed using principal component analysis. The trait words were plotted on a two-dimensional space according to their conceptual similarity, which showed a circumplex structure with two orthogonal axes—Dominance and Affiliation—suggesting the cross-cultural validity of the circumplex structure of the interpersonal trait words. Extraversion trait words were located at almost the same position as in previous studies using languages other than Japanese. Agreeable trait words were located near the Affiliation axis, which requires further research. In conclusion, trait words may be useful for constructing an item pool of interpersonal traits in Japan.</p>

BACKGROUND: Postgastrectomy syndromes (PGS) after curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer are influenced by not only gastrectomy type but also by background factors. Recently, a nationwide PGS study was performed using the Postgastrectomy Syndrome Assessment Scale-45 (PGSAS-45) questionnaire. AIM: To determine the influence of each background factor on PGS for each gastrectomy type using PGS assessment study (PGSAS) data as an additional analysis. METHODS: The data of 2368 patients were obtained from the PGSAS. This included patients undergoing distal gastrectomy (DG) with Billroth I reconstruction, DG with Roux-en-Y reconstruction, total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y, proximal gastrectomy, pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG), and local resection. Multiple regression analysis was performed to explore the independent effects of each background factor on the main outcome measures (MOMs) of PGSAS-45 for each gastrectomy type. The background factors included postoperative period, age, sex, surgical approach (laparoscopic or open), and the status of the celiac branch of the vagal nerve. RESULTS: The MOMs of DG and PPG were highly affected by background factors, whereas those of total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y, proximal gastrectomy, and local resection were not. Worse PGS were found in females, whereas a longer postoperative period alleviated some of the MOMs. For DG and PPG, a laparoscopic approach and preservation of the celiac branch improved several MOMs. CONCLUSION: Various background factors affected PGS, and their influence varied with the type of gastrectomy performed. Laparoscopic surgery and celiac branch preservation can improve PGS in patients undergoing DG and PPG.

The current review synthesized studies investigating the relationships between resilience and Big Five personality traits and aimed to investigate how the relationships vary according to the two types of resiliency, psychological resilience and ego-resiliency. Thirty studies with a total sample size of 15,609 met the inclusion criteria to be used for the current meta-analysis. Results indicated that overall, estimated average correlation coefficients for resilience were: r = −0.46 with Neuroticism, r = 0.42 for Extraversion, r = 0.34 for Openness, r = 0.31 for Agreeableness, and r = 0.42 for Conscientiousness. When comparing the differences between the two types of resiliency, a stronger negative relationship with Neuroticism, and stronger positive relationships with Openness and Agreeableness were obtained with ego-resiliency, compared with trait resilience. However, there was a lack of homogeneity in effect sizes across studies especially for ego-resilience. Directions for future research regarding resilience and the limitations of present research are discussed.

Recent studies have suggested that ruminative and distractive response styles to negative moods could have adaptive and maladaptive consequences, respectively. However, whether there is a common component in the adaptive aspects of ruminative or distractive response styles has not been examined sufficiently. Adaptiveness of ruminative or distractive response styles is considered to be associated with decentering
thus, we investigated the indirect effects of four types of the response style (adaptive/maladaptive aspects of each response style) on depression through decentering. In this study, 241 Japanese undergraduate students (75 men and 166 women) were assessed using the Response Style Scale, the Japanese Version of Experience Questionnaire, and the Japanese Version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Mediation analyses revealed that decentering fully mediated the effects of adaptive aspects of ruminative and distractive response styles on depression whereas it partially mediated the effects of maladaptive aspects of response styles. These results indicate that the adaptiveness of response styles is influenced by decentering, and it particularly works in the adaptive aspects of ruminative/distractive response styles as a common element. Thus, a possibility is suggested that cultivating decentered perspective is effective in reducing maladaptive aspects of both response styles to negative moods or objects.

<p>This study aimed to examine the relationship among athletes' envy, athletic events, and competitive level. A survey was conducted among 496 university athletes (428 men and 68 women). The results indicated that competitive level was positively associated with benign envy in competitive sports (open-skill sports), while no significant association between the two was observed in record sports (closed-skill sports). Moreover, athletic events and competitive level were not significantly associated with malicious envy. Therefore, envy scores differed depending on the athletic events, competitive level, and the combinations thereof.</p>

<p>This study aimed to examine the relationship between resilience and age in Japanese adults. Participants were Japanese adults (N = 5,143; 3,078 men and 2,065 women, mean age = 49.62 years, SD = 10.76, age range = 20–69 years). They responded to the Bidimensional Resilience Scale, examining innate and acquired factors of resilience. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted, and the results indicated a linearly increasing trend for resilience with age in acquired resilience factors that are strongly related to character. Additionally, a linearly increasing trend with age was also indicated in innate resilience factors that are strongly related with temperament. A significant correlation was observed with the squared term of age, suggesting a curvilinear relationship. These results suggest that resilience in Japan increases with age, which corroborates the findings of previous international studies; however, the status of age-related changes differs slightly based on whether the resilience factors are innate or acquired.</p>

<p>This study investigated the influence of the combination of an athlete's big five personality traits and athletic event (individual/group event) regarding competitive level. A questionnaire survey was conducted with university athletes (N=857, 303 men and 554 women, mean age=19.7 years, SD=1.0). The results showed that competitive level was significantly lower when individual events were combined with high agreeableness and higher when group events were combined with high conscientiousness. These results suggest that the function of the big five personality traits differs depending on their combination with the type of athletic event.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to develop the Japanese version of the Dispositional Greed Scale (J-DGS), and to examine its reliability and validity. The participants in this study were Japanese university students (N = 856). The principal component analysis indicated that the J-DGS had a unidimensional structure and adequate internal consistency. There were positive associations between the J-DGS and envy, psychological entitlement, materialism, impulsive buying behavior, extravagance, and neuroticism. Conversely, J-DGS scores were negatively correlated with self-control, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and agreeableness. These results, which are consistent with previous studies, confirmed the concurrent validity of the J-DGS.</p>

<p>This study investigated the relationships between interpersonal traits (Nurturance and Dominance) measured by the Interpersonal Circumplex (IPC) model and Big Five personality traits. As hypothesized, a meta-analysis revealed that the angular location of Extraversion was located at 51 degrees on the IPC space, and Agreeableness was located at 325 degrees. The results also showed that Extraversion and Agreeableness were strongly correlated with Interpersonal traits than with Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness. The angular locations of Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness were 347, 224, and 46 degrees, respectively.</p>

In contrast to work examining motivational and affective biases, we examined potential cognitive biases, in the shape of dichotomous thinking (i.e., a tendency to see the world as black or white), linked to the Dark Triad traits. In Study 1 (N = 712), Japanese participants revealed that the latent variance the ostensible "adaptive" competent of the Dark Triad traits was linked to a tendency to see the world as black or white. In Study 2 (N = 1489), we replicated effects from Study 1 using a multinational sample and structural equation modeling and revealed some moderation by participants' sex and country in the relationship between the Dark Triad traits and dichotomous thinking. We discuss our results in terms of life history theory, contending black and white thinking might be part of the cognitive adaptations that make the Dark Triad traits function.

In samples drawn from Australia, Japan, and Russia (N = 1032) we replicated an extended work on the relationships between the Dark Triad traits (i.e., narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism) and individual differences in time perspectives. We documented that narcissism was associated with recollections of favorable pasts, whereas psychopathy and Machiavellianism were associated with recollections of unfavorable pasts. Consistent with life history models of the Dark Triad traits, the Dark Triad traits were associated with hedonism and limited future concerns. Country-wise comparisons suggested that narcissism was associated with less future concerns in Australia and Russia but more future concerns in Japan. Sex differences in future concerns were mediated by individual differences in psychopathy but suppressed by individual differences in narcissism. Results are discussed using a life history framework.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to cross-culturally examine associations among three different anger regulation strategies, namely, anger-in (AI), anger out (AO), and anger control (AC), perceived stress status as the psychological antecedent, and the number of claimed chronic medical conditions as the physical health. Large samples of American and Japanese adults participated in this study. The results show the cultural differences that are consistent with previous findings in the literature while extending them to the association with physical health. Consequently, culturally different path models were identified. In this study, we found that anger regulation affects perceived stress, which in turn, was associated with physical health. Discussion of these findings and their implications is provided. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

This study examined a model of independent and interdependent self-construal, individual and collective self-esteem, and subjective well-being in a sample of college students from the mainland USA, Hawaii, and Japan. Specifically, the mediation role of individual as well as collective self-esteem in the effects of independent and interdependent self-construal on subjective well-being was explored. Results indicated that the hypothesized model fit well. The study found the direct effects of independent self-construal on subjective well-being in all three cultural groups. Collective self-esteem was a significant mediator of the effects of both independent and interdependent self-construal on subjective well-being only in the mainland USA. The negative effect of interdependent self-construal on collective self-esteem was observed only in the mainland USA. Better understanding of both universal and culture-specific aspects of collective self-esteem in promoting subjective well-being seems essential for further theoretical development as well as effective prevention/intervention efforts across three cultural groups.

This study examines the relationship among personality traits, day-to-day resilience, and athletes’ resilience among Japanese athletes. Participants, comprising 165 Japanese athletes (male = 57, female = 108, mean age = 19.4 years, SD = 1.2), were asked to complete a questionnaire. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that the personality traits of “Extroversion,” “Agreeableness,” “Conscientiousness,” and “Openness” were significantly associated with athletes’ resilience and related concepts such as “Athletic Mental Toughness,” “Athletic Self-understanding,” and “Athletic Physical Toughness,” which develop through innate resilience. Their personality traits were also significantly associated with concepts such as “Athletic Motivation and Challenge” and “Athletic Self-understanding,” which develop through acquired resilience. In addition, “Neuroticism” showed a significant negative association with athletes’ resilience developed through innate resilience. The findings of our study support our hypothesis that the personality traits of athletes, owing to their resilience, may vary based on whether they are involved in day-to-day life situations or in competitive situations.

Work on the Dark Triad traits has benefited from the use of a life history framework but it has been limited to primarily Western samples and indirect assessments of life history strategies. Here, we examine how the Dark Triad traits (i.e., psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism) relate to two measures of individual differences in life history strategies. In Study 1 (N = 937), we replicated prior observed links between life history strategies, as measured by the Mini-K, and the Dark Triad traits using samples recruited from three countries. In Study 2 (N = 1032), we measured life history strategies using the Consideration of Future Consequences Scale and correlated it with the Dark Triad traits in samples recruited from three additional countries. While there was some variability across participants' sex and country, the results were generally consistent in that psychopathy and (to a lesser extent) Machiavellianism were related to faster life history strategies and narcissism was related to slower life history strategies. These results add cross-cultural data and the use of two measures of life history speed to understand the Dark Triad traits from a life history perspective.

In a sample (N = 1969) drawn from six countries, we examined the relationships between individual differences in independent and interdependent self-construals and the Dark Triad traits (i.e., psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism). Overall, the Dark Traits were largely unrelated to interdependence whereas Machiavellian ism and narcissism, in particular, were associated with stronger independent self-construals. Men scored higher than women did on the Dark Triad traits in all countries with some cross-cultural variance. Women were used both more independent and interdependent self-construals than men were but these were weak and driven by country-specific effects. Sex differences in the Dark Triad traits were partially accounted for by individual differences in self-construals, but these mediation effects were quite small and speculative given limited evidence for sex differences in self-construals in the six countries we sampled. Results are discussed in terms of differentiating the Dark Triad traits. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

AIM
To evaluate the psychometric properties of a newly developed questionnaire, known as the gastroesophageal reflux and dyspepsia therapeutic efficacy and satisfaction test (GERD-TEST), in patients with GERD.
METHODS
Japanese patients with predominant GERD symptoms recruited according to the Montreal definition were treated for 4 wk using a standard dose of proton pump inhibitor (PPI). The GERD-TEST and the Medical Outcome Study Short Form-8 Health Survey (SF-8) were administered at baseline and after 4 wk of treatment. The GERD-TEST contains three domains: the severity of GERD and functional dyspepsia (FD) symptoms (5 items), the level of dissatisfaction with daily life (DS) (4 items), and the therapeutic efficacy as assessed by the patients and medication compliance (4 items).
RESULTS
A total of 290 patients were eligible at baseline; 198 of these patients completed 4 wk of PPI therapy. The internal consistency reliability as evaluated using the Cronbach's alpha values for the GERD, FD and DS subscales ranged from 0.75 to 0.82. The scores for the GERD, FD and DS items/subscales were significantly correlated with the physical and mental component summary scores of the SF-8. After 4 wk of PPI treatment, the scores for the GERD items/subscales were greatly reduced, ranging in value from 1.51 to 1.87 and with a large effect size (P &lt; 0.0001, Cohen's d; 1.29-1.63). Statistically significant differences in the changes in the scores for the GERD items/subscales were observed between treatment responders and non-responders (P &lt; 0.0001).
CONCLUSION
The GERD-TEST has a good reliability, a good convergent and concurrent validity, and is responsive to the effects of treatment. The GERD-TEST is a simple, easy to understand, and multifaceted PRO instrument applicable to both clinical trials and the primary care of GERD patients.

本研究では、スポーツ競技者を対象とした、二分法的思考と心理的健康、成長感との関連を検討することを目的とする。調査対象者は、大学の体育会運動部に所属する学生154名（男性54名、女性100名、平均年齢19.4歳、SD=1.2）であり、質問紙を用いた調査を行った。分析の結果から、二分法的思考尺度の下位尺度である二分法的信念はバーンアウト傾向との間で正の関連、自尊感情と部活動適応感、競技的成長感、人間的成長感との間で負の関連、損得思考では自尊感情と部活動適応感との間で正の関連が示された。一方で、二分法の選好では有意な関連を示す変数が確認されなかった。以上のことから、二分法的思考の下位概念によって、スポーツ競技者の心理的健康や成長感に対して適応的・不適応的な反応が多様であることが示唆された。

<p>Correlations between factors characteristic of competitive sports (athletic events and competitive levels) and dichotomous thinking were investigated. A questionnaire survey was conducted with university students in university athletic clubs (N=200, 67 men and 133 women, mean age=19.5, SD=1.2). The results indicated the following. (1) Dichotomous Thinking Inventory (DTI, Oshio, 2009) is appropriate for use with athletes. (2) Athletes in general use more dichotomous thinking, compared to average Japanese university students. (3) No significant differences in DTI scores were observed between individual and group events, although the possibility of a hierarchical structure consisting of micro (individual athletes)–macro (athletic group: athletic event) was suggested. (4) DTI score of male athletes tended to be higher in the high-competitive, compared to the low-competitive group. These results indicate that dichotomous thinking, which could be maladaptive, might have adaptive functions in sports.</p>

<p>Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy are collectively called "Dark Triad" because of they are socially aversive traits. The Dark Triad Dirty Dozen (DTDD) and the Short Dark Triad (SD3) were developed as brief measures of the Dark Triad outside Japan. While the DTDD has recently been translated into Japanese, the SD3 has not yet been translated. The purpose of this study was to develop the Japanese version of the SD3 (SD3-J) and to examine its reliability and validity. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the SD3-J had a bi-factor structure. Alpha coefficients for each dimension of the SD3-J showed sufficient levels. Correlation analyses and partial correlation analyses between the SD3-J and existing scales of each Dark Triad trait confirmed the concurrent, discriminant, and incremental validity of the SD3-J. Thus, the SD3-J was confirmed as a useful measure of the Dark Triad in Japan.</p>

In theoretical criminology, it is argued that the recent heightened punitiveness toward criminals has its root in the "emotionalization of law" and "irrational" thinking. To test this theoretical suggestion, this question- naire-based research attempted to show how variables such as dichotomous thinking, social dominance orien- tation, assumed self-competence, and information processing style affect punitiveness. Our results show that although all these variables are related to punitiveness, rational processing style and dichotomous thinking are stronger predictors of punitiveness than the other variables. This implies that some "irrational" elements are embedded in punitive attitudes, which must be taken into consideration if we wish to understand public opinion on punishment. In addition, social and theoretical implications are discussed.

Correlations between the factors characteristic of competitive sports, such as the type of athletic event and competitive level, and the dark triad were investigated. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 506 Japanese university athletes (217 male and 289 female, mean age = 19.9, SD = 0.8). A three-way ANOVA indicated significant and marginal significant main effects of gender (male/ female), type of athletic event (record-style events/ game-style events), and competitive level (low-competitive group/ high-competitive group) on total dark triad score and its sub-scale scores, including Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism, as well as marginally significant two-way and three-way interactions among their specific combinations. These results are suggestive of correlations between the dark triad and gender, type of athletic event, and competitive level. It is suggested that future studies should investigate causal relationships between the strength of the dark triad and the processes of exhibiting performance and problem behaviors in athletes.

Binary or dichotomous thinking may lead to aggression throughout people’s lifespan
additionally, relationships are likely to be affected by types of aggression (i.e. physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility) as well as gender and age. Using large-scale data (N = 2,315), the current study tested if age or gender moderated dichotomous thinking’s correlation with four different types of aggression. Participants (Mage = 36.1, SD = 16.2, range = 18–69) completed the Dichotomous Thinking Inventory and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Dichotomous thinking differentially affected aggression depending on participants’ age: dichotomous thinking and aggression were more strongly correlated in younger participants. Individuals’ tendency to think dichotomously appeared relatively stable
however, age appeared to moderate dichotomous thinking’s effects.

This study was used to develop a Japanese version of the International Personality Item Pool-Interpersonal Circumplex and examined its reliability and validity. Participants included 625 Japanese university students. They completed the IPIP-IPC-J and one or two other scales: the Japanese version of Ten Item Personality Inventory (Oshio et al., 2012)
a short form of the Japanese Big Five Scale (Namikawa et al., 2012)
the Japanese Version of Dark Triad Dirty Dozen (Tamura et al., 2015)
the Friendship scale (Okada, 1995)
or the Assertion Inventory (Murayama et al., 1991). The IPIP-IPC-J was administered again to 65 participants five weeks later to determine test-retest reliability. The results generally supported the reliability and validity of the IPIP-IPC-J.

AIM
To identify certain clinical factors other than the type of gastrectomy which affect the postoperative quality of life (QOL) of patients after gastrectomy.
METHODS
The postgastrectomy syndrome assessment scale (PGSAS)-45 was designed to assess the severity of symptoms, the living status and the QOL of gastrectomized patients. It consists of 45 items, of which 22 are original items while 23 were retrieved from the SF-8 and Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scale questionnaires with permission. A nationwide surveillance study to validate PGSAS was conducted and 2368 gastric cancer patients who underwent various types of gastrectomy at 52 medical institutions were enrolled. Of these, 1777 patients who underwent total gastrectomy (TG) reconstructed with Roux-Y (n = 393), distal gastrectomy (DG) reconstructed with Billroth-I (n = 909), or DG reconstructed with Roux-Y (n = 475) were evaluated in the current study. The influence of the type of gastrectomy and other clinical factors such as age, sex, duration after surgery, the symptom severity, the degree of weight loss, dietary intake, and the ability for working on the postoperative QOL (i.e., dissatisfaction for daily life subscale, physical component summary and mental component summary of the SF-8) were examined by multiple regression analysis (MRA). In addition, importance of various symptoms such as esophageal reflux, abdominal pain, meal-related distress, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation and dumping on the postoperative living status and QOL were also appraised by MRA.
RESULTS
The postoperative QOL were significantly deteriorated in patients who underwent TG compared to those after DG. However, the extent of gastrectomy was not an influential factor on patients' QOL when adjusted by the MRA. Among various clinical factors, the symptom severity, ability for working, and necessity for additional meals were the most influential factors to the postoperative QOL. As for the individual symptoms, meal-related distress, dumping, abdominal pain, and esophageal reflux significantly affected the postoperative QOL in that order, while the influence of indigestion, diarrhea and constipation was insignificant.
CONCLUSION
Several clinical factors such as the symptom severity (especially in meal-related distress and dumping), ability for working and necessity for additional meals were the main factors which affected the patients' wellbeing after gastrectomy.

A sedentary lifestyle is harmful for health; personality traits may contribute to physical (in)activity. With participant-level data from 16 samples (N &gt; 125,000), we examined the personality correlates of physical inactivity, frequency of physical activity, and sedentary behavior (in a subset of samples). Lower Neuroticism and higher Conscientiousness were associated with more physical activity and less inactivity and sedentary behavior. Extraversion and Openness were also associated with more physical activity and less inactivity, but these traits were mostly unrelated to specific sedentary behaviors (e.g., TV watching). The results generally did not vary by age or sex. The findings support the notion that the interest, motivational, emotional, and interpersonal processes assessed by five-factor model traits partly shape the individual's engagement in physical activity. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Previous studies have reported evidence that indicates differences between Western and East Asian cultures in anger regulation and its psychological consequences. However, many of these studies have focused on a specific anger regulation strategy and its relation with a psychological consequence. Here, we developed an integrated model that can comprehensively examine three different anger regulation strategies (anger suppression, expression, and control), independent and interdependent self-construals as the psychological antecedent, and life satisfaction as the psychological consequence. We estimated the model using large samples of American and Japanese adults to examine the associations between the two self-construals, three anger regulation strategies, and life satisfaction. We compared the difference in the patterns of relationships among the key constructs between the American and Japanese samples. The results confirmed previously suggested cultural differences while also discovering new culturally different paths. The results generally suggest that individual-level self-construals matter more when anger is a culturally condoned emotion (vs. condemned). The implications and limitations of the integrated model are discussed.

<p>Self-esteem is one of the popular constructs in psychological studies, and there have been many studies wherein a meta-analysis of self-esteem research has been conducted. This study focused on research involving cross-temporal meta-analyses, wherein samples who completed the same psychological questionnaires at different points in historical time are located. Oshio et al. (2014) found that mean scores of self-esteem tended to decrease with survey year. Okada et al. (2015) conducted a meta-analysis to examine gender differences in reported self-esteem in Japan, and found that effect size decreased with survey year. This article provides a detailed description of cross-temporal research on self-esteem and discusses the direction of future research on self-esteem from the perspective of historical change.</p>

<p>Reporting of reliability coefficients is an important procedure in articles describing the development of new psychological scales. However, it appears that Japanese psychology researchers have not yet arrived at a consensus regarding what constitutes a desirable magnitude for a reliability coefficient. In this study, I conducted a meta-analysis summarizing 65 test-retest correlations from 58 studies published in the Japanese Journal of Psychology, which is a highly-ranked peer-reviewed psychological journal in Japan. The results of a meta-analysis, which involved the use of a random effect model, showed that the desirable mean test-retest correlation was ρ =.76 (95% CI =.70–.81). There was no significant relationship between the test-retest correlations and coefficients alpha. The number of items of the scale correlated positively with the test-retest correlation coefficients. Researchers tended to mention problems regarding test-retest coefficients only when they were less than r =.50. The desirable usage of reliability coefficients was also discussed.</p>

This study was used to develop a Japanese version of the International Personality Item Pool-Interpersonal Circumplex and examined its reliability and validity. Participants included 625 Japanese university students. They completed the IPIP-IPC-J and one or two other scales: the Japanese version of Ten Item Personality Inventory (Oshio et al., 2012); a short form of the Japanese Big Five Scale (Namikawa et al., 2012); the Japanese Version of Dark Triad Dirty Dozen (Tamura et al., 2015); the Friendship scale (Okada, 1995); or the Assertion Inventory (Murayama et al., 1991). The IPIP-IPC-J was administered again to 65 participants five weeks later to determine test-retest reliability. The results generally supported the reliability and validity of the IPIP-IPC-J.

Narcissistic entitlement can be divided into two subtypes: grandiose entitlement (GE) and vulnerable entitlement (VE). However, there is also psychological entitlement (PE), which is different from narcissistic entitlement. This study examined the similarities and differences of GE, VE, and PE. Participants were 941 Japanese individuals who responded to an Internet survey and 174 Japanese undergraduates who completed a questionnaire-based survey. GE and VE were related to devaluing others, and had dichotomous thinking in common. GE and PE were different from VE in relation to neuroticism. PE was distinct from GE and VE in association with self-esteem. Based on these results, the conceptual features of the three types of entitlements are discussed.

In a large national sample of American and Japanese older adults, this study investigated how bicultural identity affects perception of health and well-being in 11 individual psychological variables (i.e. positive well-being: self-esteem, optimism, subjective well-being Japanese equivalent, gratitude, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-positive adjectives, and satisfaction with life
negative well-being: depression, pessimism, social anxiety, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-negative adjectives, and perceived stress). This sample consisted of 1248 Americans from the Midlife in the United States survey, 2004-2006, and 380 Japanese from the Midlife in Japan survey in Tokyo, Japan, 2008-2010. Results showed that bicultural individuals (having both highly independent and interdependent self-construals) in both countries tend to exhibit higher scores across most perceived health and well-being measures when compared to other groups (i.e. marginal, interdependent, and independent). Cultural-specific aspects of self-construal, health, and well-being are explained to support the findings. Discussion of these findings and their implications is also provided.

AIM: Dumping syndrome is a well-known adverse outcome after gastrectomy, but the precise clinical features have not been described. The aim of this study was to examine global aspects of dumping syndrome and to explore factors affecting the intensity of dumping syndrome in a large cohort using a newly developed integrated questionnaire, the Post-Gastrectomy Syndrome Assessment Scale (PGSAS)-45. METHODS: Eligible questionnaires retrieved from 2,368 patients after 6 types of gastrectomy were analyzed. The incidence, intensity and number of symptoms of early general, early abdominal and late dumping syndrome were examined across various types of gastrectomy, and clinical factors affecting the intensity of each category of dumping syndrome were identified by multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Dumping syndromes occurred most frequently and strongly in patients who underwent total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y (TGRY), followed by proximal gastrectomy (PG), distal gastrectomy with Billroth-I, distal gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y, pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) and local resection (LR), in that order. Significant positive correlations among different categories of dumping syndromes were observed. TGRY, female sex, younger age, division of the celiac branch of the vagus nerve, PG and shorter postoperative period were independently related to worse dumping syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Dumping syndromes were most common after TGRY and least common after PPG and LR among the various gastrectomy procedures. Type of gastrectomy and several clinical factors were related to the intensity of dumping syndrome. PGSAS-45 could offer a useful tool for evaluating dumping syndrome after gastrectomy.

Background Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy, the first-line treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is not always effective. This study aimed to examine the effect of pretreatment patient characteristics on response to PPI therapy.
Methods Japanese outpatients with symptomatic GERD scheduled to receive endoscopy and PPI therapy were enrolled in this multicenter prospective observational study. The patients' characteristics, including GERD and dyspeptic symptoms, anxiety, depression, and quality of life, were assessed using questionnaires before and 2 and 4 weeks after the start of PPI therapy. Factors affecting therapeutic response were examined by simple and multiple regression analyses using three patient-reported outcome measures as objective variables.
Results Data from 182 patients were analyzed. In multiple regression analysis using the residual symptom rate as an objective variable, lower GERD symptom score (p &lt; 0.05), absence of erosive esophagitis (p &lt; 0.05), higher epigastric pain/burning symptom score (p &lt; 0.05), and higher depression subscale score (p &lt; 0.05) accompanied poorer therapeutic response. In analyses using the patient's impression of therapy, lower GERD symptom score (p &lt; 0.05) and absence of erosive esophagitis (p &lt; 0.05) accompanied poorer therapeutic response. In analyses using the relative GERD symptom intensity evaluated using a numeric rating scale, lower GERD symptom score (p &lt; 0.05), higher epigastric pain/burning symptom score (p &lt; 0.1), and lower body mass index (p &lt; 0.05) accompanied poorer therapeutic response.
Conclusions Patients who complained of milder GERD symptoms before treatment were likely to have poorer response to PPI therapy. Association of absence of erosive esophagitis, severer epigastric pain/burning symptoms, lower body mass index, and severer depression with poorer therapeutic response was also suggested.

Posttraumatic growth (PTG), positive change that may occur as a result of psychological struggle with a traumatic event, has been widely reported across cultures. However, there is some disagreement on how the self-reported PTG, measured by the PTG Inventory (PTGI), reflects the construct that is described in PTG theory. The current study was designed to conduct an item-level analysis of the PTGI to identify the type of growth that is explained by an examination of one's core beliefs and deliberate rumination - two major precursors for PTG, according to a PTG theoretical model. A multivariate multiple regression analysis predicting each of the PTGI items was conducted with young adults who experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake (N = 316). Results indicated that five out of 21 items were explained by both core beliefs' examination and deliberate rumination and 13 were explained by only core beliefs' examination. Three items were not accounted for by either core beliefs' examination or deliberate rumination. These findings indicate that most types of PTG assessed by the PTGI are likely to occur when core beliefs are challenged; however, some types of PTG may occur without cognitive effort. Future research should consider the variation within the PTGI. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (PPG) is sometimes performed as a function-preserving surgery for the treatment of early gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to use an integrated assessment scale for postgastrectomy syndrome to determine the appropriate indicators and optimal methods for PPG.
The Postgastrectomy Syndrome Assessment Study (PGSAS) is a multicenter survey based on an integrated questionnaire (PGSAS-45) consisting of 45 items. Questionnaire responses were retrieved from a total of 2,520 patients, each of whom had undergone one of six different types of gastrectomy procedures; 313 responses from patients who had received PPG were analyzed here.
The size of the proximal gastric remnant (less than one-quarter, about one-third, or more than one-half of the original size) significantly influenced the change in body weight, the scores for dissatisfaction at the meal, and dissatisfaction for daily life subscale (P = 0.030, P = 0.005, P = 0.034, respectively). The nausea score in patients who underwent hand-sewn anastomosis was significantly lower than in those who underwent anastomosis with a linear stapler (P = 0.006). The scores for diarrhea subscale, increased passage of stools, and sense of foods sticking differed significantly depending on the length of the preserved pyloric cuff (P = 0.047, P = 0.021, P = 0.046, respectively).
The results suggest that preservation of a sufficient proximal gastric remnant is recommended when utilizing PPG as function-preserving surgery.

We know that there are cross-cultural differences in psychological variables, such as individualism/collectivism. But it has not been clear which of these variables show relatively the greatest differences. The Survey of World Views project operated from the premise that such issues are best addressed in a diverse sampling of countries representing a majority of the world’s population, with a very large range of item-content. Data were collected online from 8,883 individuals (almost entirely college students based on local publicizing efforts) in 33 countries that constitute more than two third of the world’s population, using items drawn from measures of nearly 50 variables. This report focuses on the broadest patterns evident in item data. The largest differences were not in those contents most frequently emphasized in cross-cultural psychology (e.g., values, social axioms, cultural tightness), but instead in contents involving religion, regularity-norm behaviors, family roles and living arrangements, and ethnonationalism. Content not often studied cross-culturally (e.g., materialism, Machiavellianism, isms dimensions, moral foundations) demonstrated moderate-magnitude differences. Further studies are needed to refine such conclusions, but indications are that cross-cultural psychology may benefit from casting a wider net in terms of the psychological variables of focus.

This study explored the effects of age and gender on the mean levels of Big Five personality traits in Japanese adulthood. The data for the present study were drawn from a large cross-sectional study. The participants were 4,588 adults (2,476 women, M age＝53.5 years, SD age＝12.9, age range: 23–79 years), and the analyzed measure was a Japanese version of the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI-J; Oshio, Abe, & Cutrone, 2012). Multiple regression analyses were carried out to determine the effects of age, gender, and the interaction between the two on each Big Five scale. Age differences were found suggesting that agreeableness and conscientiousness are positively associated with age. Gender differences were also found suggesting that females have higher levels of extraversion, while males are more open to experience. An Age×Sex effect was confirmed only on neuroticism, indicating that younger females' level of neuroticism is significantly higher than males, but older females' level is lower and is at the same level as males.

This report documents the instrumentation of a Scale of Immature/Mature Love (SIML). 750 individuals who had a boyfriend or girlfriend completed an on-line questionnaire with scale items scale based on a three-dimension model (Kosaka, 2011). The "Relativity-Absoluteness(R-A)" dimension represented loving one's partner because he/she compared favorably with others, or loving the partner unconditionally. The "Ownership-Openness(O-O)" dimension was about monopolizing the partner, or hoping for the partner's happiness and well-being. The "Immersiveness-Leapingness(I-L)" dimension reflected excessive focus on the relationship with one's partner, or challenges for the future based on the existence of the partner. Confirmatory factor analysis supported these three dimensions. A "Lover Score" based on all SIML items showed positive correlations with scores for identity, intimacy, relationship satisfaction, desire to marry the partner, and positive effects of the romantic relationship, and negative correlations with scores for negative effects of the romantic relationship. R-A scores correlated significantly with evaluations of the relationship and satisfaction, I-L scores shows significant correlations with ego development, and O-O scores showed only weak correlations with other variables.

This study investigated the dual processing model of psychological resilience among university athletes. Participants were 162 university athletes (male=55, female=107, mean age=19.7, SD=1.2), who were asked to complete a questionnaire containing questions on psychological resilience, self-esteem, burnout, self-evaluation of competitive performance, and athletic growth. Results of structure equation modeling indicated that psychological resilience was negatively associated with burnout via self-esteem and positively associated with athletic growth through self-evaluation of competitive performance. The findings of this study support our hypothesis that university athletes' psychological resilience promotes growth and reduces burnout.

The mediating role of social anxiety was explored within the effect of anger regulation on perceived stress in the national sample of American and Japanese older adults. Results indicated that anger suppression is a significant factor in perceived stress mediated by social anxiety. Anger suppression was also directly related to perceived stress. The correlation of anger suppression with social anxiety was stronger in Japan than in the United States. Understanding both universal and culture-specific aspects of emotion regulation and perceived stress will be essential for the development of sound theory, future research, and effective prevention and intervention efforts.

Lack of a suitable instrument to comprehensively assess symptoms, living status, and quality of life in postgastrectomy patients prompted the authors to develop postgastrectomy syndrome assessment scale (PGSAS)-45.
PGSAS-45 consists of 45 items in total: 8 items from SF-8, 15 items from GSRS, and an additional 22 items selected by 47 gastric surgeons. Using the PGSAS-45, a multi-institutional survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of postgastrectomy syndrome and its impact on everyday life among patients who underwent various types of gastrectomy. Eligible data were obtained from 2,368 patients operated and followed at 52 institutions in Japan. Of these, data from 1,777 patients were used in the current study in which symptom subscales of the PGSAS-45 were determined. We also considered the characteristics of the postgastrectomy syndrome and to what extent these symptoms influence patients' living status and quality of life (QOL).
By factor analysis, 23 symptom-related items of PGSAS-45 were successfully clustered into seven symptom subscales that represent esophageal reflux, abdominal pain, meal-related distress, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, and dumping. These seven symptom subscales and two other subscales measuring quality of ingestion and dissatisfaction for daily life, respectively, had good internal consistency in terms of Cronbach's alpha (0.65-0.88).
PGSAS-45 provides a valid and reliable integrated index for evaluation of symptoms, living status, and QOL in gastrectomized patients.

The Dark Triad (DT) is a constellation of three socially undesirable personality traits: Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism. This study developed a Japanese version of the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen (DTDD-J) which used a self-report measure of the DT, and examined its reliability and validity. Undergraduate students (N=246) completed the DTDD-J, three measures of each DT personality trait, and the Big-Five Scale. Hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the DTDD-J had three group factors corresponding to each DT personality trait, and one general factor of comprehensive DT. Internal consistencies of the DTDD-J were high, except for psychopathy. Concurrent validity and discriminant validity of the DTDD-J were almost consistent with previous research. Although there are remaining issues, the results generally support the reliability and validity of the DTDD-J.

This meta-analysis examined gender differences in self-esteem reported in Japanese research studies. The moderating effects of the ages of the participants in the samples, the years when the research studies were conducted, and the types of translation were also examined. Studies that measured self-esteem of Japanese participants, analyzed by gender, using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were searched via a comprehensive literature review. Fifty studies published from 1982 to 2013 were collected. The estimated population effect size (Hedges's g) was .17, indicating that males scored slightly higher in self-esteem than females. Analyses of moderating variables revealed that the effect sizes varied according to the ages of the participants and the years when the research studies were conducted. These findings provide an empirical basis for discussion of gender differences in self-esteem among Japanese people.

The Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI; Gosling, Rentfrow, & Swann, 2003) is a widely used very brief measure of the Big Five personality dimensions. Oshio, Abe, and Cutrone (2012) have developed a Japanese version of the TIPI (TIPI-J), which demonstrated acceptable levels of reliability and validity. Until now, all studies examining the validity of the TIPI-J have been conducted in the Japanese language; this reliance on a single language raises concerns about the instrument's content validity because the instrument could demonstrate reliability (e.g., retest) and some forms of validity (e.g., convergent) but still not capture the full range of the dimensions as originally conceptualized in English. Therefore, to test the content validity of the Japanese TIPI with respect to the original Big Five formulation, we examine the convergence between scores on the TIPI-J and scores on the English-language Big Five Inventory (i.e., the BFI-E), an instrument specifically designed to optimize Big Five content coverage. Two-hundred and twenty-eight Japanese undergraduate students, who were all learning English, completed the two instruments. The results of correlation analyses and structural equation modeling demonstrate the theorized congruence between the TIPI-J and the BFI-E, supporting the content validity of the TIPI-J.

&nbsp;&nbsp;The present study reports a cross-temporal meta-analysis exploring age and survey-year differences in the average scores obtained on Rosenberg&rsquo;s (1965) Self-Esteem Scale in Japan.&nbsp;&nbsp;An examination of refereed journals published in Japan from 1980 to 2013 resulted in the selection of 256 studies involving 48,927 participants.&nbsp;&nbsp;Multiple regression analysis revealed significant effects of both age level and survey year on the average self-esteem scores.&nbsp;&nbsp;The self-esteem scores of junior high and high school students were lower than those of the other age groups, whereas the adults had higher self-esteem scores than did the other age groups.&nbsp;&nbsp;Survey year had a significant negative effect on the average self-esteem scores.&nbsp;&nbsp;The effects of survey year differed by age level.&nbsp;&nbsp;The average self-esteem scores of the junior high and high school students and the adults decreased linearly with survey year, whereas a curvilinear decrease with survey year was found in the college students&rsquo; scores.&nbsp;&nbsp;Several translations of Rosenberg&rsquo;s Self-Esteem Scale are available in Japan.&nbsp;&nbsp;The results of the present study indicated that the number of choices in the scale had an effect on the average self-esteem scores among the junior high, high school, and college students, and also the adults.

The purpose of this study is to examine the concept of "magical thinking". "Magical Thinking Followers" are persons who believe in the effect of thinking. This research will contrast magical thinking to the ideas of positive psychology, construct the scale to measure it and investigate its benefits and pitfalls. With the aid of three surveys comprising data of 306 and 382 Japanese undergraduate students, a scale was developed. The scale was made of two factors: "a positive set of thinking and results," and "a negative set of thinking and results." Internal efforts of control to be positive were positively related to both of the two factors. Positive daily activities were positively related to a positive set. Dichotomous thinking was positively related to a negative set. Results implied that Magical Thinking Followers were more motivated to be positive persons partly depending on a naive dichotomous pattern of thinking mechanism.<br>

The purpose of this study is to explore factors which affect the degree and change of freshmen's sense of adjustment to university during the first 6 month. Investigations on freshmen were performed three times (April, July, October, 2007) . Participants were 189 freshmen, 99 males and 90 females. They were asked to respond to the following questions, 1) whether or not it was their first-choice university, 2) their level of confidence in admission to their chosen university, 3) the degree of adjustment to university life, and 4) the tendency of their peer relationship. A correlation analysis and an analysis of Latent Curve Model revealed as follows. First, the degree of their adjustment to university gradually went down from April to July. Second, Female freshmen showed a higher degree of adjustment than male freshmen. Third, freshmen who thought their universities were their first choice and had more peer-oriented tendency showed higher adjustment to university life right at the beginning of the first year, and their adjustment level went down gradually. From these results, the process of adjustment to university among freshmen and issues regarding future investigations were discussed.

Dichotomous thinking is an individual's propensity to think terms of binary opposition. While this thinking style may be useful for quick decision-making, some clinical psychologists have indicated that such a style is related to personality disorders. Oshio (2009) revealed that the Dichotomous Thinking Inventory (DTI) has significant positive correlations with borderline personality and narcissism. This study examines whether dichotomous thinking is associated with cluster A, B, and C personality disorders. The participants comprised 152 Japanese undergraduates (84 male and 68 female). They completed the DTI and Ten Personality Styles scale (10 PesT
Nakazawa (2006)), developed from the definitions of personality disorders the DSM-IV. Structural equation modeling supported the hierarchical factor structure of personality disorders. The dichotomous thinking effects "cluster" level of disorders more than other levels. The results indicated that thinking dichotomously may lead to wide-ranging personality disorders. © 2012 Japanese Psychological Association.

This study developed a Japanese version of the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI-J) and examined its reliability and validity. The participants were 902 Japanese undergraduates (376 males, 526 females). They completed the TIPI-J and one of the other Big-Five scales: Big Five Scale (BFS; Wada, 1996); Five Factor Personality Questionnaire (FFPQ-50; Fujishima et al., 2005); BFS short version (Uchida, 2002); Big Five (Murakami & Murakami, 1999); or the NEO-FFI (Shimonaka et al., 1999). The TIPI-J was administered again two weeks later to 149 participants to determine test-retest reliability. Also, 31 pairs of participants rated their self-image and the other-image using the TIPI-J to explore the relationship between self-rated and friend-rated TIPI-J scores. The results generally supported the reliability and validity of the TIPI-J.

The relationship between dichotomous thinking and music preferences was investigated with a sample of 176 Japanese undergraduates (111 males, 65 females). Participants completed the Dichotomous Thinking Inventory (Oshio, 2009) and the Short Test of Music Preferences (Rentfrow & Gosling, 2003). Individuals who thought dichotomously preferred intense and rebellious, energetic and rhythmic, and fast and contemporary music rather than music that was complex and conventional. Specifically, they most liked rock, alternative, soul, funk, and heavy metal and disliked classical music.

Contemporary society faces continual expansion in various aspects. However, humans' innate psychological mechanisms have not been able to change so dramatically. Thus, relatively speaking, the range of the world that individuals can grasp becomes smaller as the world expands. The world appears more ambiguous and complex, and thus people may employ various tactics that prioritize adaptation only within the restricted range of the society that they can immediately understand. However, because these strategies are shortsighted and restrictive they may not be very useful in other contexts, and in fact may have various negative effects on broader society as a whole. This article is a summary of conference workshop to introduce some provocative research projects associated with the above issues. Each presenter specifically discusses possibilities that some behavioral and psychological strategies that have been arising in the current society are actually maladaptive. First, Yuji Kanemasa presents his research findings regarding "self-discovery" among adolescents, which he refers to as "reflexive fixation on the self." Next, Toshihiko Soma develops a discussion about "perceived distinctiveness," the tendency of evaluating one's own romantic relationships as excessively positive. Third, Atsushi Oshio introduces research concerning the positive and negative effects of "dichotomous thinking" and "excessive positive thinking." Finally, Masaki Yuki discusses requirements for the theoretical and empirical examinations of the phenomena of social and psychological change, using a socio-ecological approach.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine prognostic factors for seizures in 106 epileptic patients with SMIDS.
Subjects and methods: One-hundred-six epileptic patients with SMIDS were the subjects of this study. The study group consisted of 60 mate and 46 female patients. The ages ranged from 4 to 61 years. They were all followed up for more than 4 years in our residential facility hospital "Kobato Gakuen". Fourteen possible prognostic factors were investigated statistically, and the validity is studied by factor analysis (principal component method).
Results: Statistically significant poor prognostic factors for epileptic seizures in SMIDS were (1) status epilepticus; (2) multifocal spikes (MFS) or Diffuse spike and waves (DSW) on final EEG; (3) symptomatic generalized epilepsy; (4) MFS or DSW on first EEG; (5) multi-antiepileptic drugs; (6) postnatal etiology; and (7) short duration of institutional hospitalization. As a result of factor analysis, the following five factors are elucidated: (1) Age/Time Passage; (2) Status epilepticus/Etiotogy; (3) Epileptic syndrome/EEG; (4) intensive medical care; and (5) Severity of Disabilities/Gender.
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that intractability of epilepsy may be identified early in the course of the disease, even in SMIDS, and EEG and epileptic syndrome are the very important factors for predicting the seizure prognosis. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V.

The Dichotomous Thinking Inventory (DTI) was developed for this study as a self-report measure used to assess a black-and-white cognitive thinking style or worldview. Validation of the DTI was explored with regard to the relationships among dichotomous thinking, borderline personality, narcissism, self-esteem, undervaluing others, intolerance for ambiguity, perfectionism, and the Big Five; and relationships between dichotomous thinking and peer ratings of traits and attitudes. Factor analysis of the DTI revealed 3 components: preference for dichotomy, dichotomous beliefs, and profit-and-loss thinking. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the DTI were at a sufficient level. Correlations among self-measures supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the DTI. Participants who scored highly on the DTI were rated as being articulate and straightforward by their friends. These results generally supported the reliability and validity of the DTI.

Two studies examined the relationships among assumed competence based on undervaluing others, implicit self-esteem, and explicit self-esteem. In Study 1, 119 university students completed paper-and-pencil version of Implicit Association Test (IAT) to measure their implicit self-esteem, in addition to scales of self-esteem and assumed competence. In Study 2, 155 university students completed computer-based IAT to measure their implicit self-esteem. Two basic findings emerged from the studies. First, assumed competence had a positive correlation with implicit self-esteem, although it had no significant correlation with explicit self-esteem. Second, people with low explicit and high implicit self-esteem showed a higher level of undervaluing others than the other groups.

This study examined the relationships between assumed-competence that was based on undervaluing others, and emotional experiences of depression and hostility in interpersonal situations. Scales measuring assumed-competence and self esteem were administered to 445 university students. They were then requested to describe the most remarkable event of the day in their interpersonal relationships, and to evaluate various emotions at that time, each day for a week. Results showed that respondents who were categorized as assumption type, with high assumed-competence and low self esteem, experienced a higher level of depression and hostility in their interpersonal events than the other types. Furthermore, it was revealed that they had larger fluctuation in their emotions than those of high self esteem type, who possessed low assumed-competence and high self esteem.

Currently, individuals tend to encounter many unavoidable, painful events and hardships in the process of growth and development. To lead one's life adapting to these social conditions, it is necessary to maintain one's mental health even while experiencing challenging events; in other words, resilience is required. This study of 130 undergraduates focused on the Adolescent Resilience Scale which assesses capacity for successful adaptation despite challenging or threatening circumstances and examined correlations with scores on the Big Five Personality Inventory. A significant negative correlation of -59 (p &lt;.001) was noted for scores on the Adolescent Resilience Scale and the Neuroticism dimension of the Big Five Personality Inventory, accounting for 35% of the variance, and positive values with the Extraversion, Openness, and Conscientiousness dimensions (rs-.37,.40,.48, accounting for 14, 16, and 18% of the variance, respectively. Personalities of adolescents who have psychological traits leading to resilience may be partially predicted using these results.

The aim of this study was to assess the construct validity of the Adolescent Resilience Scale which measures the psychological features of resilient individuals. Research involving this scale, the Negative Life Events Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire was conducted with a group of 207 Japanese undergraduate students (104 men and 103 women
M age = 20.2 yr., SD = .9). A cluster analysis for the Negative Life Events Scale and General Health Questionnaire yielded three clusters: (1) mentally healthy with little experience of Negative Life Events, (2) poorer mental health with many experiences of Negative Life Events, (3) mentally healthy despite many experiences of Negative Life Events. These three groups were defined as (1) Well Adjusted, (2) Vulnerable, and (3) Resilient, respectively. Mean differences in scores on the Adolescent Resilience Scale among the three groups were subjected to one-way analysis of variance. The mean scores of both the Well Adjusted and Resilient groups were higher than that of the Vulnerable group, and therefore support the construct validity of the Adolescent Resilience Scale.

The purpose of the present paper is to classify adolescents and young adults from the viewpoint of narcissism, and to identify characteristics of their interpersonal styles and adaptation. In Study 1, 511 adolescents and young adults (mean age 19.8 years) completed the Social Phobic Tendency Scale, the Aggressive Behavior Scale, the Individual and Social PN Orientation Scales, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-Short Version (NPI-S), and a General Health Questionnaire. In Study 2, 384 of the participants in Study 1 were described by their friends. A principal component analysis of subscales of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-Short Version resulted in 2 principal components: one implying entire narcissism, and the other, a dominant level on the "need for attention and praise" subscale of the Inventory. The participants were then divided into 4 groups according to their scores on the 2 principal components. The results indicated that adolescents and young adults who score high on narcissism could be divided into 2 groups that have similar characteristics to the 2 types of narcissism dealt with in psychoanalytic studies.

The purpose of the present paper is to classify adolescents and young adults from the viewpoint of narcissism, and to identify characteristics of their interpersonal styles and adaptation. In Study 1, 511 adolescents and young adults (mean age 19.8 years) completed the Social Phobic Tendency Scale, the Aggressive Behavior Scale, the Individual and Social PN Orientation Scales, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-Short Version (NPI-S), and a General Health Questionnaire. In Study 2, 384 of the participants in Study 1 were described by their friends. A principal component analysis of subscales of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-Short Version resulted in 2 principal components: one implying entire narcissism, and the other, a dominant level on the &ldquo;need for attention and praise&rdquo; subscale of the Inventory. The participants were then divided into 4 groups according to their scores on the 2 principal components. The results indicated that adolescents and young adults who score high on narcissism could be divided into 2 groups that have similar characteristics to the 2 types of narcissism dealt with in psychoanalytic studies.

Some theorists and clinicians have pointed out that self-image and self-esteem of a narcissist were unstable. This study explored the relationship of narcissistic tendency, instability of self-image, and level of self-esteem and its stability. Narcissistic Personality Inventory Short Version(NPI-S)and Stability of Self Scale were administered. Then, daily experiences and their evaluation were recorded for six consecutive days, along with daily self-esteem, by 184 undergraduates(a mean age of 20.3 years). Results indicated that two of the narcissist factors: sense of superiority and competence and assertiveness, positively correlated with level of daily self-esteem. Instability of self-image was a mediator of the effects of the other narcissist factor: need for attention and praise. The instability, which had a positive correlation with the need, correlated negatively with level of daily self-esteem, and positively with instability of daily self-esteem.

The purpose of this paper was to develop and provide validation information for a Risk-taking Behavior Scale for Undergraduates (RIBS-U). In study 1,60 undergraduates (mean age=20.20 years) were asked to nominate up to five behaviors that they believed to be risky, and then Risk-taking Behavior Scale for Undergraduates (RIBS-U) was constructed. In study 2,523 undergraduates (mean age=19.82 years) completed the RIBS-U. A factor analysis of the RIBS-U revealed two significant factors that were labeled Personal Risk-taking (PR; e.g., driving while intoxicated, smoking, speeding) and Social Risk-taking (SR; e.g., tardy, running a red light, breaking a promise). The correlation between the two factors was .24. Analysis of variance revealed that males were more likely to engage in the PR behaviors than females, and females were more likely to engage in the SR behaviors than males. Study 3 investigated the test-retest reliability of the RIBS-U across 6-months period in sample of 178 undergraduates. Correlation analysis showed good reliability of the scale. Study 4 investigated the effects of risk-taking behavior tendency on negative events across 6-months period in sample of 166 undergraduates. The regression analysis revealed that adolescents who engaged in risk-taking behaviors were likely to have culpable accidents. Study 5 investigated the effects of risk-taking behavior tendency on attendance at lectures in sample of 291 undergraduates. The regression analysis revealed that adolescents who engaged in the PR behaviors were likely to be absent from the lectures. Results of these analyses showed good reliability and high construct validity of the RIBS-U.

In this paper, I investigated the relationship between narcissistic personality and present or past interpersonal experiences with the opposite sex. Subjects were 383 students (mean age 19.61 years). They were asked to rate their attitude to the opposite sex, their present heterosexual relationships, the six love styles based on J.A. Lee's theory (1973,1974), and their past experiences of romantic love. The narcissistic personality inventory short version developed by Oshio (NPI-S; 1999) was also conducted. The NPI-S contains three subscales : a sense of superiority and competence (SC), need for attention and praise (AP), and self-assertion (SA). The results were as follows : First, SC and SA were relevant to close relationships with the opposite sex, while AP had relevance to hypersensitivity to an evaluation from the other sex. Secondly, the NPI-S and SC showed significant, positive correlations with Eros and Pragma, and SC showed significant, negative correlations with Ludus. AP was positively correlated with Mania and Eros. SA was positively correlated with Eros. These relationships were typical of females. Thirdly, those who were disappointed in love in the last few months reported higher scores on AP than those who weren't. Those who have dated with more people reported higher scores on SA.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between narcissistic tendency and friendship in adolescence. Three hundred ninety-nine (399) first-year high school students, all male, participated in the study. Of those, 318 completed Narcissistic Personality Inventory-Short Version (NPI-S), a Friend Expectation Scale that asked how the student wanted his friends to behave toward him, and a scale of new friendship after entering high school (SNF). Eighty-one (81) students completed NPI-S, SNF, and a sociometric questionnaire. Results were as follows: (1) Students with high narcissism scores were more likely to want their friends to understand and trust them. (2) They tended to think that they were more successful in friend-making and peer group-formation after entering high school. And (3) classmates saw them as more popular and having more friends than those with low scores.

The purpose of this study was to examine relations among narcissistic personality, self-esteem, and friendship in adolescence. The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), the Self-Esteem Inventory (SE-I), and a questionnaire regarding friendship were administered to 265 subjects (mean age 19.5 years). A factor analysis of the NPI revealed three significant factors labeled : "a sense of superiority and competence", "a need for attention and praise", and "self-assertion". Only the "self-assertion" and the "sense of superiority and competence" factors showed a significant, positive correlation with the SE-I. As a result of the factor analysis on the friendship questionnaire, friendship was categorized as a two-dimensional space, with intimacy on one axis and the number of friends on the other. The results indicated that adolescents with more friends tended to report high narcissism, while adolescents with more intimate friendship were inclined to report high self-esteem.

The main purpose of this study was to examine the relation between narcissism and sex roles. The Narcissistic Personality Inventory Short Version (NPI-S) and the M-H-F Scale devised for the evaluation of sex roles consisting of three elements : Masculinity, Humanity, Femininity (Ito, 1978) were administered to 520 participants (319 males and 201 females, mean age 18.79). A factor analysis of the NPI-S revealed three significant factors which were labeled "need for attention and praise, " "sense of superiority and competence, " and "self-assertion." The results were as follows : The NPI-S showed a positive relationship with Masculinity. The "sense of superiority and competence" factor and "self-assertion" factor also showed a positive relationship with Masculinity. The "need for attention and praise" factor showed positive relationships with Masculinity and Femininity. Implications of these findings were discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine relations among narcissistic personality, self-esteem, and friendship in adolescence. The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), the Self-Esteem Inventory (SE-I), and a questionnaire regarding friendship were administered to 265 subjects (mean age 19.5 years). A factor analysis of the NPI revealed three significant factors labeled: &ldquo;a sense of superiority and competence&rdquo;,&ldquo;a need for attention and praise&rdquo;, and &ldquo;self-assertion&rdquo;. Only the &ldquo;self-assertion&rdquo; and the &ldquo;sense of superiority and competence&rdquo; factors showed a significant, positive correlation with the SE-I. As a result of the factor analysis on the friendship questionnaire, friendship was categorized as a two-dimensional space, with intimacy on one axis and the number of friends on the other. The results indicated that adolescents with more friends tended to report high narcissism, while adolescents with more intimate friendship were inclined to report high self-esteem.

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The purpose of this study was to examine relations among narcissism, self-esteem, and social desirability. The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) revised by Ohishi et al. (1987), the Self-Esteem Scale (SE-S), the MMPI-L Scale, the MMPI-K Scale, and Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSD) were administered to 192 subjects (mean age 20.6 years). A factor analysis of the NPI revealed three significant factors which were labeled "sense of superiority and competence, " "need for attention and praise, " and "self-assertion." As a result of a factor analysis on the SE-S, two significant factors were revealed : "active self-esteem (A-S)" and "passive self-esteem (P-S)." The NPI showed significant, positive correlations with SE-S, A-S, and P-S, and significant negative correlations with MMPI-L, MMPI-K, and MCSD. The "sense of superiority and competence" factor showed significant positive correlations with SE-S, A-S, and P-S. The "need for attention and praise" factor showed a significant, positive correlation with S-A, and significant negative correlations with MMPI-L, MMPI-K, and MCSD. The "self-assertion" factor showed significant positive correlations with SE-S, A-S, and P-S. Implications of these findings were discussed.