Introduction: Caring for stroke survivors in primary care settings substantially impacts family life and health. Caregivers of stroke survivors have different challenging experiences in providing care in relation to family happiness. This study aimed to explore family happiness and its contributing factors among family members caring for stroke survivors in suburban Thailand. Methods: Qualitative semi-structured interviews and observations were conducted among 54 family caregivers in suburban Thailand communities from January to July 2020. Interviews and focus group discussions were digitally recorded, independently transcribed and analysed using ATLAS.ti 8.0. Qualitative data analysis method was used. Results: Family happiness was found to help a family function and be satisfied with caring. The analysis revealed three themes for achieving family happiness: 1) ideal caregiver characteristics: virtue, love and gratitude, experience in caring, good health and self-care ability, good management of emotions and freedom to manage problems and obstacles; 2) family function: family structure, roles and duties, relationships and management of family problems; and 3) resource support: financial, health and environmental supports. Conclusion The findings demonstrate how life adaptations can improve family happiness within families of stroke survivors. Understanding caregivers’ perceptions of their experiences in caring for stroke survivors is a challenge for healthcare providers; overcoming this could transform an unpleasant life into caregiving happiness. Appropriate and practical support from healthcare authorities could empower families of stroke survivors to succeed in caregiving and achieve family happiness.
Perception ; Stroke ; Caregivers ; Happiness

BACKGROUND: Happiness may help to prevent negative physiological outcomes in response to life events; however, factors contributing to happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic have not been longitudinally investigated. This study explored the predictors of happiness in mothers of young children in Japan using comparable data that were obtained before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted the baseline survey in February 2020, and 4 months later, we also conducted the follow-up survey. Throughout all 47 prefectures in Japan, 4,700 (100 respondents/prefecture) mothers of infants and/or preschoolers (0-6 years) participated in the baseline online survey; 2,489 of these also participated in the follow-up survey. RESULTS: We performed hierarchical multiple regression analysis and our final model indicated that maternal happiness during COVID-19 pandemic was positively related to employment status (homemaker, β = 0.052, p = 0.014), levels of available social support (average, β = 0.052, p = 0.012, high, β = 0.055, p = 0.010) and happiness score before the pandemic (β = 0.467, p < 0.001), and satisfaction toward the measures against the COVID-19 at partners' workplace (average, β = 0.129, p < 0.001; high, β = 0.279, p < 0.001), preventive behavior against COVID-19 (average, β = 0.055, p = 0.002; high, β = 0.045, p = 0.015) and positive attitudes/thinking (β = 0.087, p < 0.001) during the pandemic. In contrast, poor mental health (K6 ≥5, β = -0.042, p = 0.011) before the pandemic and negative changes during the pandemic (≥3, β = -0.085, p < 0.001) were negatively related to maternal happiness during the pandemic. Our final model explained 44.9% of the variance in mothers' happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS Satisfaction toward the measures against the COVID-19 at partners' workplace, preventive behavior, and positive attitudes/thinking were especially important for maternal happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future study is needed to consider measures against infectious diseases in the workplace that are desirable for the well-being of parents with young children, taking into account the gender perspective.
COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Happiness ; Humans ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Mothers/psychology* ; Pandemics

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the ‘Becoming Happy I’ program on gratitude disposition, self-esteem, flow, and subjective happiness in nursing college students.METHODS: Participants in this study were 39 nursing college students (20 in the experimental group and 19 in the control group) at a college of nursing. The research design was a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest as a quasi-experimental study. Data was collected from February to April in 2011 and analyzed via the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program with the χ² test, Fisher's exact test, repeated measures ANOVA, and Tukey HSD test.RESULTS: There were significant changes in gratitude disposition, self-esteem, flow, and subjective happiness in the experimental group before and after treatment, which was significantly different from the control group, and these effects lasted at a 4-week follow-up.CONCLUSION: The ‘Becoming Happy I’ program was effective in improving gratitude disposition, self-esteem, flow, and subjective happiness for nursing college students. As a result, we recommended that the ‘Becoming Happy I’ program be utilized as an effective intervention for nursing college students to improve gratitude disposition, self-esteem, flow, and subjective happiness.
Follow-Up Studies ; Happiness ; Humans ; Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Nursing ; Research Design ; Self Concept

PURPOSE: This study tries to systematically understand factors that explain levels of happiness among pregnant women in the Ecological systems theory. METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 169 pregnant women in Korea. Collected data from self-report questionnaires were analyzed by hierarchical regression analysis using the SPSS statistics 23 program. RESULTS: A total of 5 models were examined according to individual, microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem in the Ecological systems theory. In the first model including individual factors, extraversion, neuroticism, and physical and psychological change constitute significant factors explaining happiness. In the second model with microsystem factors and in the third one with mesosystem factors, marital intimacy appears to be a significant factor. In the fourth model including exosystem factors, community service is a significant factor. In the final model with social atmosphere, personality (β=.15 for extraversion; β=−.30 for neuroticism), physical and psychological change (β=−.15), marital intimacy (β=.35), and community service (β= .18) turn out to be significant. These factors explain 59% of the variance of happiness in the pregnant women in Korea. CONCLUSION: Considering the fact that pregnant women's happiness is explained by microsystem and exosystem factors as well as individual factors, developing intervention programs that can promote influencing factors such as marital intimacy and community service is necessary to improve levels of happiness among pregnant women in Korea.
Atmosphere ; Community Health Services ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Ecology ; Ecosystem ; Extraversion (Psychology) ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Happiness ; Humans ; Korea ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Social Welfare

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop and test a model of the happiness of mothers with young children based on the stress-coping-adaptation model of Lazarus and Folkman. METHODS: The data collection period was from May to July 2016. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect data from 210 mothers with children under 5 years of age living in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon provinces. The exogenous variable was parenting stress, and the endogenous variables were parenting alliance, depression, optimism, ways of coping, and happiness. Data from 201 questionnaires were analyzed using the SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 20.0 programs. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. RESULTS: The final modified model showed a reasonable fit to the data, and out of 25 paths, 13 were statistically significant. This model explained 78.4% of the variance in the happiness of mothers with young children and confirmed that depression, optimism, parenting alliance, and social support-focused coping have a direct effect on the subject's happiness. Parenting stress also influenced happiness through parenting alliance, depression, and optimism. CONCLUSION: In order to bolster the happiness of mothers with young children, positive psychological interventions that can minimize psychological vulnerabilities, such as depression, and that can enhance their strengths, such as optimism, may serve as effective ways of coping with and adapting to stress.
Child ; Data Collection ; Depression ; Gangwon-do ; Gyeonggi-do ; Happiness ; Humans ; Mothers ; Optimism ; Parenting ; Parents ; Seoul ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to develop a structural model based on Bronfenbrenner's ecology of human development theory, that illustrates relationships of happiness and associated factors among Korean college students. METHODS: Study participants were 357 college students recruited from five universities throughout the convenience sampling. Self-reported data were collected from November, 2018 to January, 2019. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and a structural equation modeling in order to identify factors associated with college students' happiness. RESULTS: The tested model demonstrated the acceptable model fit compared to the hypothesized model, that explained college students' happiness with 68.7% accuracy. Positive family function, high self esteem and ego-resilience were significant factors associated with happiness for college students. However, positive friend support was not significant in our model. CONCLUSION: Our study findings suggest that both family and individual interventions are required to reduce negative emotions and increase happiness of college students. In particular, multicomponent interventions should include the concepts of self esteem, ego-resilience, and family function in terms of assessment and intervention contents tailored to Korean college students.
Ecology ; Ecosystem ; Friends ; Happiness ; Human Development ; Humans ; Models, Structural ; Self Concept

PURPOSE: This aim of this study was to investigate the mediating effect of interpersonal relations on the association between emotional intelligence and happiness of nursing students. METHODS: Both junior and senior nursing students were selected for this study (N=187). The survey was conducted using self-reported questionnaire between March and May, 2018. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression analysis with Sobel test. RESULTS: The happiness of nursing students had positive correlation with emotional intelligence (r=.70, p<.01) and interpersonal relations (r=.60, p<.01). Emotional intelligence had positive correlation with interpersonal relations (r=.63, p<.01). Interpersonal relations had a partially mediating effect on the relationship between emotional intelligence and happiness of nursing students. CONCLUSION: According to this study, interpersonal relations played an important role to buffer the impact of emotional intelligence on happiness among nursing students. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a psychological program to improve interpersonal relations to enhance the happiness of nursing students.
Emotional Intelligence ; Happiness ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Linear Models ; Negotiating ; Nursing ; Students, Nursing

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the effect of a Happiness Self-Coaching program for new graduate nurses working in cancer care units. METHODS: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest, nonequivalent control-group design was applied to conduct the study. Study participants were new graduate nurses employed within 12 months and working as shift employees at G university hospital, located in J city. A total of 21 new graduate nurses participated in the study, 10 in the experimental group, and 11 in the control group. The happiness self-coaching program was conducted weekly for 70 minutes from February 1 to June 6, 2016 for 6 weeks. The experimental group received the Happiness Self-Coaching program through lectures, presentation, group activities, and strength card play. Data were analyzed by using repeated measure ANOVA and paired t-test. RESULTS: The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher happiness (F=6.82, p=.003) and self-efficacy (F=3.38 p=.045) levels compared to the control group.
Happiness ; Lectures ; Nursing ; Oncology Service, Hospital ; Self Efficacy

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the components and nature of happiness in middle-aged women in Korea. METHODS: Thirty middle-aged women living in metropolitan Seoul and Gyeonggi and Chungcheong provinces agreed to participate in this study. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with the participants in one-on-one settings. The data were analyzed qualitative using Colaizzi's method of phenomenology. RESULTS: The three theme clusters were extracted from the raw data, along with 13 themes and 138 meaningful sentences and phrases. The three happiness theme clusters in middle-aged women were “live healthy for stability,” “rule one's mind for harmony,” and “activate hopes for self-esteem.” The first theme cluster included healthy life, economic stability, physical youth, and positive thought. The second theme cluster included that harmonious family, ruling of mind, my position as invisible person in social relationships, and precious relationships to support. The last theme included the center of one's life is oneself, a sense of accomplishment, self-improvement, recognition of one's worth and rest for one self. The three theme clusters were associated with the existence, relatedness, and growth (ERG) of ERG areas, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the core components of happiness in middle-aged women are to live healthy and mind-ruled and activate hope. The nature of happiness is egocentric stability in middle-aged women. The results suggest that theme clusters might be used to develop a scale for measuring happiness in middle-aged women. This will be helpful to assess the psychosocial status of middle-aged women in Korea.
Adolescent ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Happiness ; Hope ; Humans ; Korea ; Methods ; Middle Aged ; Qualitative Research ; Seoul

OBJECTIVE: Middle-aged women experience a lot of events of physical changes and various mental conflicts. The purpose of this study is to determine variables related to happiness, and to make and verify the model for happiness of middle-aged women. METHODS: We constructed conceptual model for happiness of middle-aged women in Korea, based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This model consisted of three exogenous variables (health status, financial distress, and social support) and three endogenous variables (self-esteem, positive thinking, and happiness). For middle-aged women in Korea, we returned 442 questionnaires of 460 participants. RESULTS: Model fit of the modified model was satisfied; χ²=102.108, GFI=0.959, CMIN/DF=2.917, RMSEA=0.068, AGFI=0.922, CFI=0.977, SRMR=0.0368. Happiness was explained by 82% through health status, financial distress, social support, self-esteem, and positive thinking. As Maslow's hierarchy of needs, happiness of middle-aged women is related to basic needs (health status, financial distress, and social support), psychological needs (self-esteem and positive thinking) and self-fulfillment needs (happiness). CONCLUSION: Our study shows that it is required intervention for meeting basic factor such as health status, financial distress and social support in order to increase happiness of middle-aged women.
Female ; Happiness ; Humans ; Korea ; Thinking