Objective: This study aims to clarify the factors related to work-family conflict (WFC) among dual-earner couples raising infants and toddlers, with particular focus on social capital (SC).

Methods: A self-administered, anonymous survey was conducted among 720 families with children enrolled in nursery schools. The survey items included basic attributes, the WFC scale, SC, working environment, childcare environment, and attitudes toward the division of labor according to gender roles.

Results: A total of 127 households were included in the analysis. Multiple regression analysis revealed that husbands’ WFC was influenced by trust in other people, expectations and trust in relatives, expectations and trust in work colleagues, degree of socializing with neighbors, frequency of socializing with work colleagues, working hours, and traditional gender role attitudes. On the other hand, wives’ WFC was influenced by trust in others, expectations and trust in relatives, expectations and trust in work colleagues, frequency of socializing with work colleagues, and working hours.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that fostering and encouraging the use of SC is important to support measures to reduce WFC among dual-earner couples raising infants and toddlers.

Objective: This study seeks to explore the characteristics of the difficulties in providing individual support by nurses in Comprehensive Support Centers for Families with Children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

Methods: We conducted an anonymous self-administered questionnaire mail survey with 652 Support Center nurses in 11 prefectures. The survey items included personal attributes and 40 items regarding difficulties.

Results: A total of 83 respondents (valid response rate: 12.7%) were included in the analysis. Regarding the respondents’ attributes, 68.7% were full-time, and 32.5% had more than five years of Center-based experience. For the question about the most common difficulty faced in providing individual support to families, most nurses identified implementing direct support (63.9%), sharing the role of support in cooperation with other organizations (44.6%), and cooperation during pregnancy period (38.6%).

Discussion: In the case of individual support for center nurses during the pandemic, face-to-face opportunities decreased owing to various restrictions. Therefore, a characteristic such that there was difficulty in providing direct support to the family, building a relationship of trust, and sharing support roles in collaboration with specialists in other institutions may have emerged.

Purpose: This study aims to identify perspectives on Assessment of Older Adults from the Characteristics of Questions in case discussions by public health nurses.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative descriptive analysis of questions regarding five older adult cases posed by 25 newly appointed, preceptor, and management level public health nurses.

Results: The analysis identified the following characteristics of questions: “Livelihood skills of the older adults and their families” that includes “usual activities necessary in daily living,” “problems related to social life,” “family structure and connections to support the household of the older adults,” “awareness and coping skills for family problems,” and “integration of the environment that supports daily living.” Public health nurses assessed the “Ability to maintain health” that includes “ability to eat”, “progress of health status,” “ability to build and maintain the connection with medical care,” and “decisions by an attending physician,” while evaluating “prospects for life at home” as the “Purpose of the support.”

Discussion: As a perspective to assess older adults, public health nurses need to make assessments focused on the prospect for life at home while considering both their livelihood skills and ability to maintain health conditions. The findings reveal that encouraging newly appointed public health nurses to use these perspectives may improve their assessment skills.

Purpose: This study seeks to identify early to mid-career public health nurses’ views on balancing work and family life after taking childcare leave.

Methods: A total of 10 municipal public health nurses with 5 to 10 years of work experience, excluding the childcare leave period, were interviewed using a semi-structured interview method.

Results: A total of 12 categories were extracted from the interviews: 1) anxiety and confusion before and after returning to work, 2) recognition of job requirement changes, 3) recognition of the skills to be improved, 4) desire to learn and emotional conflict, 5) recognition of the need to modify work procedures, 6) perceived value of childcare experience in the workplace, 7) work motivation, responsibility, and pressure, 8) work satisfaction, 9) struggle to balance work and family life, 10) shifting gears between work and family life, 11) support from family and relatives, and 12) commitment to fostering a supportive post-childcare leave work environment.

Conclusion: After taking childcare leave, early to mid-career public health nurses were faced with the dilemma of not being able to adequately cope with the work entrusted to them and struggling with the challenge of balancing work and family life. However, they also reported finding ways to use their childcare experience to enhance their work and achieve greater satisfaction in their jobs.