From around 1990s, social disparity issues and their effects on mental health have been gaining increasing attention in Japanese society. Findings from previous studies on socioeconomic status (SES) and mental health in Japan are inconsistent. Subjective Social Status (SSS) has been proposed and...

Although the triadic encounter of physician, patient, and an accompanying family member is a common phenomenon in geriatrics, previous research on the communication in medical encounters has primarily focused on dyadic interactions between physician and patient. This study aimed to explore the...

Over the past few decades, physician-patient communication has been intensively studied in western countries, because of its importance for the physician-patient relationship and patient health outcomes. Although various concepts and models of this relationship have recently been introduced in...