title: Public Health Nurses' Activities for Suicide Prevention in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Suicide is a major health issue worldwide, including in Japan. Japanese public health nurses (PHNs) play a distinctive role in suicide prevention, although few studies have delineated this role. The purpose of this study was to develop a conceptual framework that elucidates PHNs' activities for suicide prevention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2012-2013 with 15 PHNs who worked in Tokyo metropolitan regions. Data were analyzed qualitatively using grounded theory, and a conceptual framework with seven categories was developed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three phases that depict the PHNs' suicide prevention activities emerged. Phase I, Pursuing to understand suicide cases, included two categories: tracing back individual suicide cases and raising consciousness among the general public. Phase II, Spreading a web of care, included three categories: knitting a caring network, weaving regular programs into the web, and continuing to be a member of the web. Phase III, Maintaining motivation and commitment, included two categories: legitimatizing suicide prevention and cultivating continued commitment in the community.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The activities of suicide prevention by PHNs included a process of developing a caring network that lead to the enhancement of the caring capacity of the community as a whole.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Nursing and Nursing Informatics, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima-Ken, Japan.
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marutani
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences and Nursing, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamamoto-Mitani
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Nursing and Nursing Informatics, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima-Ken, Japan.
authors.forename: Shimpei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kodama
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D024802:Nurse's Role; D064689:Nurses, Public Health; D011637:Public Health Nursing; D036301:Qualitative Research; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
keywords: Japan; community development; practice skills; public health nursing; qualitative study; suicide prevention