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Employment Support for Individuals with Schizophrenia in Japan: A Literature
Review

1
A. Kuramoto and K. Watanabe 1

School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Japan
1

Background: In Japan, the policy on psychiatric health and welfare has been presented as “from focus on
inpatient care to focus on community life.” In the 2018 amendments to the Law on Employment Promotion
for Persons with Disabilities, persons with mental disabilities were included in the scope of the obligation to
employ persons with disabilities. One of the most common mental disabilities is schizophrenia. In the future,
“employment” will become an essential issue in supporting the community life of individuals with
schizophrenia.

Objective: To review research on employment support for individuals with schizophrenia in Japan and
examine the future of nursing support for employment.

Methods: The literature was based on individuals with schizophrenia in Japan from 2020 to 2024. The
literature search was conducted in PubMed and CINAHL using the terms “schizophrenia” AND “work”
OR “employment” AND “support” OR “assist” AND “Japan.” Ichushi-Web and CiNii were used to search
for Japanese literature. A total of 252 references were identified, and 18 were selected for analysis after
excluding duplicate references and references targeting individuals other than those with
schizophrenia. The target literature was carefully read, and the support methods were organized.

Results: Many of the articles that described the behaviors of individuals with schizophrenia reported
that support focusing on “the individual’s interests and satisfaction” was related to their continued
employment. Studies also examined the relationship between the usefulness of medication and
employment. Some articles explored the use of wearable devices and web systems, especially those
which share the dairy status with individuals with schizophrenia and their supporters.
Poster Presentation Abstracts

Conclusion: It is essential to provide services based on their wishes and intentions to provide employment
support to individuals with schizophrenia. Nurses should be aware of their role as members of employment
support teams and pay attention to the background factors and lives of individuals with schizophrenia.

Keywords: employment support, Japan, literature review, schizophrenia

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Correspondence: Aya Kuramoto, School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Japan
E-mail: kuramoto.aya@kagawa-u.ac.jp

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