The University of Tokyo · Psychology
Professor Kotaro Imamura's research lab specializes in mental health promotion and workplace well-being, with a focus on developing and evaluating digital mental health interventions—particularly Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) and smartphone-based stress management programs—for working populations, especially in occupational settings. The lab investigates key psychological factors such as work engagement, psychological safety, and stress resilience, with a strong emphasis on evidence-based, scalable solutions for diverse populations, including nurses and employees in low- and middle-income countries. Their research integrates rigorous clinical trial methodologies with culturally adapted digital tools to improve mental health outcomes and prevent depressive episodes.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000006210.
The present study demonstrates that an iCBT program is effective in preventing MDE in the working population. However, it should be noted that MDE was measured by self-report, while the CIDI can measure the episodes more strictly following DSM-IV criteria.
The present study first demonstrated work engagement as an important predictor of the onset of MDE diagnosed according to an internationally standard diagnostic criteria of mental disorders.
There are growing concerns on stress among nurses in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in South-East Asia. It is important to improve mental health among nurses in these countries. The objective of this study was to examine the efficacy of two types of newly developed smartphone-based stress management programs in improving depressive and anxiety symptoms among hospital nurses in Vietnam. This study was a three-arm (including two intervention groups and one control group) randomized trial
Objective: This study reported a randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of an Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) program on work engagement and secondary work-related outcomes. Methods: Participants who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated to an intervention or a control group (N = 381 for each). A 6-week, 6-lesson iCBT program using a Manga (Japanese comic) story was provided only to the intervention group. Work engagement was assessed at baseline a
The Japanese version of the measure of the psychological safety scale presented good reliability and validity. Psychological safety is important for employees' mental health and performance.
Combination of the annual stress survey and improvement in psychosocial work environment may have been effective in reducing psychological distress in workers, although the effect size was small.
UMIN000033139; Pre-results.
A web-based psychoeducation resource of mental health literacy and cognitive behavioral skills may be effective for improving work engagement among individual workers with low work engagement.
The UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR; ID = UMIN000014081 ). Registered 27 May 2014.
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