Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a coaching program on saliva cortisol sensitivity in normal healthy mothers with young children.
Methods: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with objective and subjective outcome measurements of the stress indicator. A postal survey to assess emotional intelligence (EI) was administered by random sampling to mothers of young children aged 3 months to 6 years in Japan. A total of 74 mothers with median EI scores or lower were enrolled in a RCT involving the coaching program. The intervention group received a 3-month coaching program. The control group was given the coaching program at follow-up. Stress state outcomes (saliva cortisol level, EI score, and Profile of Mood States (POMS)) were measured at baseline and immediate follow-up, with salivary cortisol measured again at a one-month follow-up.
Results: Significant differences were found for saliva cortisol level and the EI score within and between the intervention and control groups. Some POMS subscale scores were significantly different within the intervention and control groups.
Conclusion: The participants in the coaching program had significantly reduced saliva cortisol levels and better secondary outcomes than those in the control group.

This article released online on December 6, 2014 as advance publication has been retracted by the Editorial Board of Journal of Rural Medicine due to the Printer’s error.

This article released online on December 6, 2014 as advance publication has been retracted by the Editorial Board of Journal of Rural Medicine due to the Printer’s error.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a coaching program on saliva cortisol sensitivity in normal healthy mothers with young children.
Methods: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with objective and subjective outcome measurements of the stress indicator. A postal survey to assess emotional intelligence (EI) was administered by random sampling to mothers of young children aged 3 months to 6 years in Japan. A total of 74 mothers with median EI scores or lower were enrolled in a RCT involving the coaching program. The intervention group received a 3-month coaching program. The control group was given the coaching program at follow-up. Stress state outcomes (saliva cortisol level, EI score, and Profile of Mood States (POMS)) were measured at baseline and immediate follow-up, with salivary cortisol measured again at a one-month follow-up.
Results: Significant differences were found for saliva cortisol level and the EI score within and between the intervention and control groups. Some POMS subscale scores were significantly different within the intervention and control groups.
Conclusions: The participants in the coaching program had significantly reduced saliva cortisol levels and better secondary outcomes than those in the control group.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the emotional intelligence quotient and health-related quality of life using structural equation modeling.
Methods: A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted among 1,911 mothers who visited the Health Center for an infant medical examination. A hypothetical model was constructed using variables of the emotional intelligence quotient, social support, coping, parenting stress, and perceived health competence.
Result: There were a total of 1,104 valid responses (57.8%). Significant standardized estimates were obtained, confirming the goodness of fit issues with the model. The emotional intelligence quotient had a strong impact on physical and psychological quality of life, and showed the greatest association with coping. This study differed from previous studies in that, due to the inclusion of social support and explanatory variables in coping, an increase in coping strategies was more highly associated with emotional intelligence quotient levels than with social support.
Conclusion: An enhanced emotional intelligence quotient should be considered a primary objective to promote the health of mothers with infant children.

Medical university students were divided into 5 types according to the process they used to decide on a course when entering a university, and the relationship between the decision-making process and occupational identity after entering the university was examined. The largest number of students, approximately 50%, were of the “meeting” type, followed in descending order by the “early decision” type, the “changing during 4 years” type, the “deciding at the last moment” type, and the “avoidance” type. There were differences in the frequency of decision-making types among departments, including the nursing department, which showed a large number of students of the “early decision” type. We examined the relationship between the decision-making process and occupational identity after entering the university and found that students of the “early decision” type were stable after entering the university, whereas students of the “avoidance” type had the lowest scores on all 4 subscales of occupational identity. This tendency was seen during the 4 years of university, and the importance of deciding on a course when entering the university was indicated.