OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to develop and validate a scale for measuring the negative effects of job stress on an individual, its family, and its community. METHODS: Based on open-ended questions, interviews, and expert comments, 73 preliminary scale items consisting of 12 factors were assembled. The initial survey was administered to 344 employees in order to conduct item analyses, reliability tests, and factor analyses of the stress assessment scale. The results of the factor analyses indicated that an 8 factor model comprising 43 items was most meaningful. For the final survey, data were obtained from 2732 employees. RESULTS: Factor analysis of the final survey data showed that the developed 8 factor model was appropriate for its intended use. Results of correlation analyses showed that the assessment scale was significantly related to stress response, thereby confirming convergent validity, and was related to various criteria including life satisfaction, hope, optimism, and subjective happiness, thereby confirming criterion-related validity. CONCLUSION: A scale useful in the assessment of negative effects on job stress on workers and on their community members including their families was developed and validated.
Happiness ; Hope ; Humans ; Optimism

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of workplace bullying and positive psychological capital on field adaptation in newly graduated nurses. METHODS: The participants in this study were 132 nurses from three tertiary hospitals who had less than 12 months of nursing experience. From March 28 to May 15, 2016, data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS/WIN 22.0. RESULTS: The mean score for field adaptation of participants was 2.98±0.39, for workplace bullying, 1.61±0.66, and for positive psychological capital, 3.67±0.54. Sub domains of workplace bullying showed a negative correlation with field adaptation (r=-.21~-.39), and Sub domains of positive psychological capital showed a positive correlation with field adaptation (r=.35~.47). Significant factors that influenced field adaptation were optimism of positive psychological capital and work related bullying of workplace bullying. These factors explained 33.0% of the variance in field adaptation. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that positive psychological capital at the individual level and workplace bullying at the organizational level should be the focus in the efforts to promote effective field adaptation in newly graduated nurses.
Bullying ; Nursing ; Optimism ; Psychology ; Tertiary Care Centers

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have demonstrated that spirituality has protective effects on depression. However, there are only few studies on the theoretical mechanism showing how spirituality effects on depression. Thus, to find mediating variables explaining the relationship between the spirituality and depression may help to develop appropriate program for reducing depression in elderly cancer patients. In this study, we examined the effect of optimism and pessimism as their mediating effects on depression. METHODS: This study is to verify the relationships between spirituality and depression along with the mediating effects of optimism and pessimism among 600 South Korean elderly cancer patients who participated in a community-based study about their mental health. RESULTS: Optimism and pessimism are linked with spirituality and depression. Higher spirituality levels were associated with increased optimistic thinking, and then optimistic thinking is associated with low possibility of depression, whereas lower spirituality levels were associated with more pessimistic thinking, and in turn pessimistic thinking is associated with high depression scores. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding optimism and pessimism affecting depression level is critical for developing spirituality-based programs to reduce depression in elderly cancer patients.
Aged* ; Depression* ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Negotiating* ; Optimism* ; Pessimism* ; Spirituality* ; Thinking

PURPOSE: This descriptive correlational study investigated the effects of violent experience and resilience on burnout in emergency medical technicians (EMTs). METHODS: The participants were 160 EMTs working in fire stations (safety center and local center) located in U, B, and D city. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé test post-hoc analysis, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0. RESULTS: The number of EMTs getting into ambulances was significantly associated with violent experience, resilience, and burnout. Position of EMTs was significantly associated with both resilience and burnout. In the multiple regression analysis, the subscales of durability and optimism in resilience were significantly associated with burnout after controlling for confounding variables. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that improving durability and optimism in resilience was important to cope with experience of violence and to prevent burnout in EMTs.
Ambulances ; Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Medical Technicians* ; Fires ; Humans ; Optimism ; Violence

BACKGROUND: In this study, state-owned medical institutes, industrial accident hospitals, veteran hospitals, and private medical clinics including 16 university medical institutes in the Seoul metropolitan area were selected to examine the causality of ethical management, positive psychological capital, and organizational effectiveness. METHODS: The study analyzed 1,056 valid questionnaires to which a total of 1,325 nurses, medical technicians, doctors, and administrative staff in 34 healthcare organizations answered over two months from June to August 2015. The study also utilized a ‘structural equation model,’ and a ‘hierarchical linear model’ to conduct the analysis. RESULTS: It was first found that ethical leadership, ethical management systems, and organizational ethics values, which are the three factors of ethical management, had significant influence on organizational commitment, and behavior. These are the three factors of employee organizational effectiveness. Second, ethical management, ethical leadership, ethical management systems, and organizational ethics values had significant influence on positive psychological capital. Third, positive psychological capital had significant influence on organizational commitment, turnover intention, and organizational citizenship behavior. Positive psychological capital presented an indirect effect on the relationship between the ethical management and organizational effectiveness of employees. The effect of positive psychological capital consisting of self-efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism was confirmed in the healthcare organizations. Fourth, in relations among ethical management variables, ethical leadership showed a significant impact on ethical management systems, which had significant impacts on organizational ethics values, which had significant impacts on ethical leadership.
Academies and Institutes ; Accidents, Occupational ; Delivery of Health Care ; Ethics, Institutional ; Hope ; Humans ; Intention ; Leadership ; Optimism ; Seoul ; Veterans

PURPOSE: Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is defined as 'positive psychological change experienced as a result of a struggle with highly challenging life circumstances'. The purpose of this study was to identify the level of PTG and its correlates in Korean patients with breast cancer. METHODS: A sample of 120 participants was recruited from outpatients, who had successfully completed primary treatment of breast cancer at a university hospital., Data were collected from June to December, 2014 using Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, lllness Intrusiveness Rating Scale, Cancer Coping Questionnaire, Revised Life Orientation Test and The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. RESULTS: Total score for the PTG was 79.18±17.54 in patients surviving breast cancer. Bivariate analyses indicated that PTG was positively associated with having a religion, perceived social support, greater optimism, cancer coping, and illness intrusiveness. Results of the regression analysis showed that cancer coping (β=.29, p=.001), optimism (β=0.28, p=.001) and illness intrusiveness (β=0.17, p=.037) were statistically significant in patients' PTG. CONCLUSION: The research findings show that the variables of cancer coping, optimism and illness intrusiveness significantly explain PTG and these psychological variables can be used to provide improvement in PTG for patients with breast cancer
Adaptation, Psychological ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Humans ; Optimism ; Outpatients ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ; Survivors*

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of depression, anxiety, and optimism on postoperative satisfaction and clinical outcomes in patients who underwent less than two-level posterior instrumented fusions for lumbar spinal stenosis and degenerative spondylolisthesis. METHODS: Preoperative psychological status of subjects, such as depression, anxiety, and optimism, was evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R). Clinical evaluation was determined by measuring changes in a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) before and after surgery. Postoperative satisfaction of subjects assessed using the North American Spine Society lumbar spine questionnaire was comparatively analyzed against the preoperative psychological status. The correlation between patient's preoperative psychological status (depression, anxiety, and optimism) and clinical outcomes (VAS and ODI) was evaluated. RESULTS: VAS and ODI scores significantly decreased after surgery (p < 0.001), suggesting clinically favorable outcomes. Preoperative psychological status of patients (anxiety, depression, and optimism) was not related to the degree of improvement in clinical outcomes (VAS and ODI) after surgery. However, postoperative satisfaction was moderately correlated with optimism. CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety and optimism were more correlated with patient satisfaction than clinical outcomes. Accordingly, the surgeon can predict postoperative satisfaction of patients based on careful evaluation of psychological status before surgery.
Anxiety* ; Cohort Studies* ; Depression* ; Humans ; Optimism* ; Patient Satisfaction ; Spinal Stenosis* ; Spine ; Spondylolisthesis*

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of negative affect (defined in terms of lack of optimism, depressogenic attributional style, and hopelessness depression) on the quality of life of women with type 1 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Participants (n = 177) completed either an online or paper questionnaire made available to members of Australian diabetes support groups. Measures of optimism, attributional style, hopelessness depression, disease-specific data, and diabetes-related quality of life were sought. Bivariate correlations informed the construction of a structural equation model. RESULTS: Participants were 36.3±11.3 years old, with a disease duration of 18.4±11.2 years. Age and recent glycosylated hemoglobin readings were significant contextual variables in the model. All bivariate associations involving the components of negative affect were as hypothesized. That is, poorer quality of life was associated with a greater depressogenic attributional style, higher hopelessness depression, and lower optimism. The structural equation model demonstrated significant direct effects of depressogenic attributional style and hopelessness depression on quality of life, while (lack of) optimism contributed to quality of life indirectly by way of these variables. CONCLUSION: The recognition of negative affect presentations among patients, and an understanding of its relevance to diabetes-related quality of life, is a valuable tool for the practitioner.
Depression ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1* ; Female ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Humans ; Optimism ; Quality of Life* ; Reading ; Self-Help Groups

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of the life goal-focused brief intervention, or the so-called the goal-focused self-regulation program (GFSRP), for patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). METHODS: The GFSRP was developed as an 8-week group-program, which is based on a wide range of self-regulation theories, such as goal setting and implementation intentions. Patients with AUD (n=50) took part in the GFSRP and were compared to the control group (n=48). This study examined the changes in outcome measures from baseline to follow-up (12-week) in a mixed design. RESULTS: The GFSRP group had higher scores for the abstinence self-efficacy in negative affect situations than the control group at the post-test. In addition, it showed greater scores of optimisms compared to the control group. Furthermore, in the GFSRP group, there was no difference in intrinsic life goals from baseline to the 12-week follow-up, whereas the control group showed a significant decrease. CONCLUSION: The GFSRP could increase the abstinence self-efficacy and optimism among patients with AUD. Moreover, it might prevent loss of life-goals as core factors in self-regulation among patients with AUD.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intention ; Optimism ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Self-Control

BACKGROUND: This study examined moderating effects of optimism and family support on the depression of family caregivers of cancer patients aged 55 and over by adopting stress process model. METHODS: 359 family caregivers who accompanied with cancer patients to out-patient clinics were recruited and completed questionnaire at three university hospitals located in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to test validity of the construction of the scale. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to determine moderating effects of optimism and family support on depression after making mean centering of each variable. RESULTS: Results showed that spouse caregivers have more depression than do adult children as the nursing period gets longer. Education and income status were significant variables affecting depression of family caregivers. Optimism and family support for family caregivers have moderating effects on the association between stressors (emotional functioning of cancer patients and role overload of family caregivers) and depression of family caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that more attentions are needed to the depression of spouse caregivers. Interventions are strongly recommended for health professionals to provide cancer patients and their family caregivers with "holding environments" caring for emotions and facilitating adjustment.
Adult Children ; Attention ; Caregivers* ; Depression* ; Education ; Gyeonggi-do ; Health Occupations ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Nursing ; Optimism* ; Outpatients ; Seoul