[Relationship of 'sekentei' to Utilization of Health, Social and Nursing Services by the Elderly]

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between 'sekentei' and utilization of health, social and nursing services. 'Sekentei' is the level of a person's self-consciousness of others observing one's behavior and endeavoring to meet the perceived norms of behavior. A questionnaire assessing 'sekentei' was developed and utilized in a survey with 1,294 persons responding to the questionnaires. The results of this study were as follows: (1) 'Sekentei' was related to the place of birth, former occupation and education of persons. (2) Respondents who had a higher 'sekentei' score showed a tendency to have a sense of resistance concerning the use of services. (3) There was a significant relationship between 'sekentei' and utilization of services. These results show the importance of considering individual consciousness of 'sekentei' and characteristics of a community to facilitate use of services and remove the stigma related to social services in a community.