The middle class Japanese father: A survey of parents of preschoolers

This study examined the evolution and current status of middle class Japanese fathers. 1147 pairs of fathers and mothers participated in a questionnaire survey which covered 4 topics: the paternal role, childrearing goals, characteristics of fathers, and recollections of one's own parents. The respondents defined the father primarily as a breadwinner, support to the mother, and link between children and society. Men ranked the paternal role as their most important role, yet very few fathers were said to be actively involved with their children. The two most common goals of parents were to raise healthy children who could fit into society. A majority of men recalled that their own fathers seldom played with them, and 41% did not think that their fathers were good role models as parents. Finally, men and women both assigned different relative values to their 5 roles (parent, spouse, worker, male/female, and person), compared with the priorities they attributed to their own parents.     

J.D. Velleman,On Being Me: A Personal Invitation to Philosophy (with illustrations by Emily C. Bernstein). Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2020. ISBN 978-0-691-20095-8, $12.95, Hbk

The Journal of Value Inquiry -     

Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Parkinson's Disease: A Case Series Study1

Parkinson's disease (PD) patients frequently suffer from insomnia and insomnia can result in reduction of quality of life in PD. Although pharmacotherapy is most applicable for insomnia, it may cause side-effects in PD. The purpose of the study was to investigate the efficacy of brief cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) in PD. A total of 11 PD patients aged 43–84 years with chronic insomnia received two sessions of CBTI. Patients reported a significant decrease in total score for the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). The total score for the Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) improved. Although objective sleep measured by actigraph did not improve, subjective sleep measured by sleep diary improved. Functional impairment measured by the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) significantly decreased. These results revealed that brief CBTI was effective in improving insomnia in PD, with improvements extending to functional impairments that had been affected by insomnia. Additionally, this non-pharmacotherapy treatment could be easily applied to PD patients who may have difficulty coming to the clinic frequently due to physical symptoms.