欠食が心理状態に及ぼす影響の検討

欠食が心理状態にどのような影響を及ぼすのかを検討するために，５１人の看護学生を対象に調査を行った．
一日にわたって，午前の授業開始前・午前の授業終了直後・午後の授業開始前・午後の授業終了直後に，１０項目で構成される質問紙を用いて，今の心理状態について回答するように学生に依頼した．
この結果を因子分析したところ，２因子が抽出され，第１因子を「やる気に関する因子」，第２因子を「精神状態の安定に関する因子」と解釈した．因子ごとに因子得点を欠食のある学生とない学生で比較した．
朝食を欠食した学生は，摂取している学生に比べて，授業開始前にやる気が低い傾向にあり，精神的には不安定な状態であることがわかった．
昼食を欠食した学生は，摂取している学生に比べて，授業開始前にやる気が有意に低かった．
やる気と精神状態の安定に関する２因子は，欠食による影響を受けることが示唆された．

Effects of skipping meals on psychological state were studied in ５１ nursing students.
The students were asked to answer a １０-item questionnaire about their psychological state before the beginning of morning classes, immediately after the end of morning classes, before the beginning of afternoon classes, and immediately after the end of afternoon classes.
As a result of factor analysis of the answers to the questionnaire, two factors were extracted, and the first and second factors were interpreted as“a factor related to motivation”and“a factor related to the stability of the mental state”, respectively. The score of each factor was compared between the students who had eaten meals and those who had skipped them.
Before the morning classes, motivation toward classes tended to be lower, and the mental state was less stable, in the students who had skipped breakfast than in those who had eaten it.
Before the afternoon classes, motivation toward classes was significantly lower in the students who had skipped lunch than in those who had eaten it.
The two factors related to motivation and the stability of the mental state were suggested to be affected by skipping meals.