Objective：When nurses support patients, they exercise empathy in making judgments about care. Researchers have termed this “empathic support behavior,” and in another research project Ueno et al. attempted to construct scales measuring nurses’ empathy for patients. They then developed the Empathic Support Behavior Scale （ESB-14） comprising four structural factors based on the four components of Morse's model of nursing empathy. However, prompted by concerns that the number of questions in ESB-14 was not large enough to provide reliable results, we conducted an exploratory analysis to examine the validity and reliability of its structural factors using the same data.
　Method：Statistical methods were used to reanalyze data on 718 nurses.
　Result：The total number of questions （14） remained unaltered, but two questions were replaced. Structural factors converged into two：“automatization of understanding and action” and “sense of responsibility.” Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were also performed, providing positive goodness-of-fit indicators and confirming the validity of the factors. Their alpha coefficients were 0.8 or more. The factors were also valid in discerning the presence of depressive symptoms in patients, further confirming their validity and an association between the two factors and “Type Dominant of Sharing Experience” on the Empathic Experience Scale Revised.
　Conclusions：The revised ESB-14 had higher validity than the previous scale. Further examination of criteria-related validity will be required in order to enhance the accuracy of the scale.

 We distributed a self-administered questionnaire to 460 nurses working in 23 university hospitals in Japan to shed light on nursing fatigue and the factors affecting it. The questionnaire elicited 218 valid responses. Levels of fatigue categorized as “safe” were reported by 67.0% of respondents, levels indicating “caution needed” by 18.3%, and levels classed as “dangerous” by 14.7%. There was a moderate correlation between the degree of fatigue and sleep disorders（r=.655; p＜.001）. Of the respondents, 22.5% had attended a class on fatigue, and the overall degree of fatigue was more likely to be at a dangerous level among those who had failed to do so（p＜.05）. Sleep disorders and failure to set aside moments of relaxation during the day exacerbated fatigue, and attendance at a fatigue-management class reduced fatigue at a statistically significant level（p＜.01）. Over 30% of respondents cited a degree of fatigue requiring caution or indicating danger, which showed a deterioration when compared to a report from 2009. In addition, as many as 60% of respondents had a sleep disorder, which was associated with degree of fatigue. This study demonstrated an association between degree of fatigue and attendance at a fatigue-management class, suggesting that fatigue education can be useful in reducing nursing fatigue and the risks arising from it.

　The purpose of this study is to clarify triggers and processes leading to some software developers working in the IT industry taking long-term leave due to mental health issues, in order to gain insights into support that could facilitate early intervention. To achieve this purpose, we conducted semi-structured interviews with seven software developers in their 20s and 30s working in the IT industry. All interviewees had been reinstated after leaves of absence lasting more than a month due to mental health issues（or mood disorders）. Investigation of the causes of mental health issues arising from work stress revealed that the following three factors are involved in the process leading to mental shutdown and long-term leave：isolation despite the appearance of being connected to the workplace, bottling up problems and driving oneself into a corner, and turning in on oneself. This indicates that support to avoid isolation is the key preventive measure, and this requires occupational healthcare staff to cooperate with those in the workplace at all stages to promptly identify souring relationships and a sense of isolation, and provide timely counseling.