PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to provide an understanding of the difficulties for facing parents of children with terminal cancer. METHOD: The design of this study was an inductive and descriptive study. Thirty-one parents of children with terminal cancer participated in-depth were interviewed s. C in depth and content analysis was used for analyzing the data. RESULTS: The main categories in the findings were 'difficulties in coping', 'physical and psychological suffering of children', 'suffering of family', 'bereavement with children', 'economic problems', 'incurable situation', 'preparation of death', 'social isolation', 'coping after a child dies', 'spiritual problems', receiving active treatment', 'informing children of their condition', 'a sense of meaninglessness', 'emotional iunstability', and 'giving up hope'. CONCLUSION: The main point identified from this result in this study was that parents who have a child with terminal cancer don't never give up the hope of recovery for their child even when the child is in by the terminal stage of their children, even though and they are unwillingly to prepare for their child's death. This is a unique characteristic in the attitude of the families' attitude in child hospice care and differs from that found in adult hospice care. This result can be used as an important guide for nurses to in assessing the parents' needs in the terminal care setting.
Adult ; Child* ; Hope ; Hospice Care ; Humans ; Parents* ; Terminal Care ; Child Health

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to set up a hypothetical model to explain causal relationships among influential variables in the mother-child relationship for Korean infants and toddlers and their mothers. The research was based on Barnard's (1978) mother-child relations model, and goodness-of-fit was examined. METHODS: The participants were 207 mothers with infants or toddlers. Data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS programs. RESULTS: Regarding the influence of the variables on the mother-child relationship between infants and toddlers and their mothers, social support had a 75% explanation of mother-child relationships, and attachment had a 58% explanation of social support. Attachment had both direct and indirect effects on the mother-child relationships, and social support had direct and total effects on the mother-child relationships. Among child-related variables, child temperament had a moderating effect on the mother-child relationships. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that the model has utility in developing effective nursing intervention methods to boost mother-child relationships between infants and toddlers and their mothers.
Child ; Humans ; Infant* ; Mother-Child Relations* ; Mothers* ; Nursing ; Temperament

The recent availability of recombinant human erythropoietin has opened new perspectives in the management of a variety of anemias. Clinical trials have been initiated in several countries using different approaches and methodology. We randomly assigned twelve premature infants(gestational age < 32 week) at high risk of requiring erythrocyte transfusion for anemia of prematurity with either subcutaneous recombinant human erythropoietin or a placebo. Treatment with rHuEPO was initiated at a dose of 100 units/kg day for 3 days a week. All patients were given supplemental oral iron therapy at a dose of 3 mg/kg per day, as tolerated and oral vitamin E at a dose of 25 units per day. Treated and control babies did not differ with respect to weight, hematocrit, overall mean reticulocyte count or rate of growth respectively. However, reticulocyte counts increased earlier in patients given rHuEPO. We conclude that rHuEPO administration is safe and feasible at the dose studied.
Anemia* ; Erythrocyte Transfusion ; Erythropoietin* ; Hematocrit ; Humans* ; Iron ; Pilot Projects* ; Reticulocyte Count ; Vitamin E ; Vitamins

PURPOSE: This study was intended to investigate the types and seriousness of the couvade syndrome, pregnancy-related physical and psychological symptoms among expectant fathers whose spouses were pregnant. METHOD: The subject was consists of 100 expectant fathers at one hospital in Seoul, Korea. The pregnant women had not been diagnosed any medical complication. Data were analyzed by SPSS/PC program. RESULT: 1) The total mean score was 1.85: the mean score of perceived physical symptoms (1.87) revealed higher than the mean score of psychological symptoms (1.81). 2) With the respect to the general characteristics of subjects, there were statistically significant correlations between subject's level of education and couvade symptoms (r=-.209, p=.037), gestational age and couvade symptoms (r=-.227, p=.023), family total income and couvade symptoms (r=-.198, p=.048), perceived self health status and couvade symptoms (r=-.254, p=.011). 3) With the respect to the general characteristics of subjects, there were statistically significant differences in pregnant woman's age (t=1.363, p=.044),occupation of subject (F=3.594, p= .009), educational level of subject (t=3.506, p=.002), family total income (F=16.822, p= .000), perceived self health status (F=3.151, p=.047). CONCLUSION: Couvade syndrome is an issue for nurses who perform an important role in the care of pregnant women and their spouses.
Education ; Fathers ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Korea ; Pregnant Women ; Seoul ; Spouses*

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to understand the caring experience of families with terminal cancer patients. METHOD: This was designed to be an inductive and descriptive study. Forty-seven families with terminal cancer patients were interviewed in depth and collected data were examined through content analysis. RESULT: The main categories of difficulties found in this study were "suffering of patient", "emotional suffering of family", "bereavement of patient", "difficulties in coping", "problems in treatment", "incurable situation", "family problems", "relationship with other people", "economic problems", "spiritual problems", "problems in the future", "informing patients of their condition", "preparing death", "emotional unstability", "meaninglessness", "unkindness of medical teams", "poor environment for treatment", "difficulties in hospital environment" and "economic burden". CONCLUSION: The main point found from this result was that families taking care of terminal cancer patients are suffering emotionally from watching the patients' pains and had difficulties in coping with the patients' situation and treatment. In addition, they had negative experiences in medical teams attitude and hospital environment. This result can be used as an important guide for nurses to assess families' needs in the terminal care setting.
Humans ; Terminal Care

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the fatigue of the mothers of the hospitalized children's mothers in descriptive study. METHOD: Two hundred eighty three mothers who take care of the hospitalized children in three University hospitals were enrolled from June, 1 to October, 30, 2003. Data were collected using a questionnaire titled "Symptom Table on Fatigue Perception" designed by the Fatigue Research Committee of Japan, consisted of a total 30 items categorized into three sub-dimensions: the physical, the psychological and the neuro-sensory. SPSS was used for the analysis of data with 0.05 of significance. RESULT: 1) The mean average fatigue score of subjects was 1.94(SD:.48): the physical fatigue revealed the highest value with a mean of 2.19(SD:.57), followed by psychological fatigue with a mean score of 1.85(SD:.52), neuro-sensory fatigue with a mean of 1.79(SD:.51). 2) With the respect to the general characteristics of hospitalized children and mothers, there were statistically significant differences in the mothers' fatigue perception by the child sex(t=-2.697, p=.008), the character of child(F=9.032, p=.000), the child condition compared to pre-hospitalization(F=3.523, p=.031), with or without support in domestic households(t=-1.981, p=.049), the amount of sleeping time(t=2.704, p=.007), and with or without of night-time sleep disturbance because of the child hospitalization(t=2.082, p=.038). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that health care professional need to be aware of the persistent presence of the maternal fatigue related to the child hospitalization and the factors worsen the degree of the fatigue.
Child ; Child, Hospitalized ; Delivery of Health Care ; Fatigue* ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Japan ; Mothers* ; Child Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Ocular metastasis of metastatic carcinoma is the most common intraocular malignancy. The most common pr1mary Site of the lntraocular metastatic tumor is the breast ln women and the lung 1n men respectlvely and the choroid Is by far the most common site for intraocular metastasis. RadlOtherapy has been reported hlghly effect1ve in pal1iative treatment for metastatic tumor. We experienced a case choroidal metastasis in a known metastatic breast carcinoma patient and gained clinical lmprovement by rad1otherapy in this case.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Choroid* ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis*

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationships among mother's perception of her own newborn, her caring-confidence level, and her child-rearing attitude; and to provide data for developing effective nursing education programs on maternal newborn care. METHOD: Explorative survey questionnaires were completed by 159 married mothers of newborns from November 2003 to March 2004. Data were analyzed using SPSS/Win 10.0 by t-test and Pearson's Correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The mean scores of the mother's perception of her own newborn, her caring-confidence level, and her child-rearing attitude were .26, 3.13, and 3.43 respectively. There was a positive correlation between mother's perception of her own newborn and her child-rearing attitude. There was a significant correlation between mothers caring-confidence level and her child-rearing attitude. Score of caring-confidence was significantly different depending on the availability of helper and history of delivery. CONCLUSION: Availability of helper and history of delivery significantly affected mothers caring-confidence. This in turn, along with mothers perception of her own newborn, enhanced mothers child-rearing attitude. Thus, an effective education for mothers should include these factors.
Education ; Education, Nursing ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Mothers* ; Child Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the awareness of child rearing among parents of children in early childhood and to provide fundamental data for parent education programs according to child rearing type. METHODS: Q-methodology which provides a method of analyzing the subjectivity of each item was used. Forty Q items which were derived from a literature review and interviews with nurturing mothers were classified into a normal distribution using a 9-point scale. Collected data were analyzed using the QUANAL PC Program. RESULTS: Four types of parents' child rearing were identified. Type I was named 'affection-respect type', type II, 'concern-rule compliant type', type III, 'solicitude-model type', and type IV, 'geniality-encouragement type'. CONCLUSION: For proper growth and development during early childhood, parents should have rational information and awareness of their child rearing type. Results of this study can be used as essential data to develop child rearing education programs according to parents' child rearing attitude.
Adult ; Attitude ; Awareness ; Behavior ; Child ; *Child Rearing ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Parents/*psychology ; Q-Sort ; Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between self-esteem and meaning of life in higher grade elementary school students. METHODS: Four hundred eighty four elementary school students in their 4 ~ 6th-grade at S, G and C City were recruited by convenient sampling. Data were collected from August to October, 2008 using a self-reported questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by the SPSS/WIN 12.0 program with mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Duncan's test, and Pearson's correlation. RESULTS: The average score of meaning of life was 3.07 +/- 0.38 and that of self-esteem was 3.43 +/- 0.62. There were significant differences in self-esteem according to variables region and religion, and in meaning of life scores according to variables region, grade, sex and religion. There was a significant positive correlation between self-esteem and meaning of life. CONCLUSION: Self-esteem and meaning of life should be considered as important factors for healthy development in the elementary school period. Self-esteem should be considered as a main content in developing programs for finding meaning of life for higher grade elementary school students.
Humans ; Religion and Sex ; Self Concept ; Surveys and Questionnaires