PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of predictive factors related to family strength and develop a structural equation model that explains family strength among married working women. METHODS: A hypothesized model was developed based on literature reviews and predictors of family strength by Yoo. This constructed model was built of an eight pathway form. Two exogenous variables included in this model were ego-resilience and family support. Three endogenous variables included in this model were functional couple communication, family stress and family strength. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire from 319 married working women who were 30~40 of age and lived in cities of Chungnam province in Korea. Data were analyzed with PASW/WIN 18.0 and AMOS 18.0 programs. RESULTS: Family support had a positive direct, indirect and total effect on family strength. Family stress had a negative direct, indirect and total effect on family strength. Functional couple communication had a positive direct and total effect on family strength. These predictive variables of family strength explained 61.8% of model. CONCLUSION: The results of the study show a structural equation model for family strength of married working women and that predicting factors for family strength are family support, family stress, and functional couple communication. To improve family strength of married working women, the results of this study suggest nursing access and mediative programs to improve family support and functional couple communication, and reduce family stress.
Adult ; Family Characteristics ; Family Relations ; Female ; Humans ; Marriage ; *Models, Theoretical ; Social Support ; Stress, Psychological ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Women, Working/*psychology

OBJECTIVETo explore the quality of life and related social support among people living with HIV/AIDS with related factors.

METHODS331 people living with HIV/AIDS and 148 of their family members were selected using a typical sampling method. Questionnaires on general conditions, tables on history of infection, generic quality of life inventory-74 (GQOLI-74) and social support scale (SSS) were used.

RESULTSData from one-way analysis suggested that people living with HIV/AIDS and their family members with the different sexs, different villages and different cultural backgrounds had differences in GQOLI-74 scores (P < 0.05) while people living with HIV/AIDS with the different villages had differences in SSS scores (P < 0.05). Results from Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that being elderly and negative life events were negatively associated with social support (P < 0.05), while factors as more advanced educational background, harmonious neighborhood relationship and having bother pouring nature were the predictive factors (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONMany factors might affect dimensions of quality of life among people living with HIV/AIDS and their family members in rural areas of northern Anhui. Community care and social support of HIV/AIDS should still be greatly enhanced in the countryside of China. A community care mode based on family and neighborhood was expected to be developed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; complications ; ethnology ; psychology ; China ; Cultural Characteristics ; Family Relations ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Quality of Life ; Social Support

We constructed the family tree database (DB) by using a new family code system that can logically express interpersonal family relationships and by comparing and complementing health insurance eligibility data and resident register data of the National Health Information Database (NHID). In the family tree DB, Parents and grandparents are matched for more than 95% of those who were born between 2010 and 2017. Codes for inverse relationships and extended relationships are generated using sequences of the three-digit basic family codes. The family tree DB contains variables such as sex, birth year, family relations, and degree of kinship (maximum of 4) between subjects and family members. Using the family tree DB, we find that prevalence rates of hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer are higher for those with family history. The family tree DB may omit some relationships due to incomplete past data, and some family relations cannot be uniquely determined because the source data only contain relationships between head and members of the household. The family tree DB is a part of the NHID, and researchers can submit requests for data on the website at http://nhiss.nhis.or.kr. Requested data will be provided after approval from the data service review board. However, the family tree DB can be limitedly provided for studies with high public value in order to maximize personal information protection.
Cerebrovascular Disorders ; Complement System Proteins ; Computer Security ; Family Characteristics ; Family Relations ; Grandparents ; Head ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Insurance, Health ; Interpersonal Relations ; Korea ; Logic ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Parents ; Parturition ; Pedigree ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship among family stress, family meaning and family adaptation of families with high risk neonates. METHOD: The date was collected on the basis of self- report questionnaires (August 2004 to March 2005); Tow-hundred twelve parents, who had high risk neonates in C hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, participated on request. RESULTS: Family sense of coherence, family meaning, social support, family stress, marital communication and patient condition had a significant, direct effect on family adaptation. Family cohesion, religion, confidence in the health professional, and length of stay had a significant, direct effect on family meaning. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest the consequences associated with high risk neonates may be alleviated by a family support intervention designed to improve parental communication skills as well as to maintain family cohesiveness. Medical care could also encourage more emotional support of parents towards their neonate.
*Adaptation, Psychological ; Adult ; Family/*psychology ; Family Relations ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal/*psychology ; Male ; Parents/*psychology ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Questionnaires ; Social Support ; *Stress, Psychological

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to describe the experiences of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) among nurses. METHODS: Data were collected by in-depth interviews with 8 nurses in 8 different hospitals. Conventional qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Eight major themes emerged from the analysis: DNR decision-making bypassing the patient, inefficiency in the decision-making process of DNR, negative connotation of DNR, predominance of verbal DNR over written DNR, doubts and confusion about DNR, least amount of intervention in the decision for DNR change of focus in the care of the patient after a DNR order, and care burden of patients with DNR. Decision-making of DNR occurred between physicians and family members, not the patients themselves. Often high medical expenses were involved in choosing DNR, thus if choosing DNR it was implied the family members and health professionals as well did not try their best to help the patient. Verbal DNR permission was more popular in clinical settings. Most nurses felt guilty and depressed about the dying/death of patients with DNR. CONCLUSION: Clearer guidelines on DNR, which reflect a family-oriented culture, need to be established to reduce confusion and to promote involvement in the decision-making process of DNR among nurses.
Adult ; Attitude to Death ; Critical Care ; Decision Making ; Family/psychology ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Korea ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Professional-Family Relations ; *Resuscitation Orders/psychology ; Social Support ; Tape Recording

PURPOSE: This study was done to compare families of boys or of girls for actor and partner effect of stress, depression and parent-adolescent communication as perceived by mother, father and adolescent on adolescents' suicidal ideation. METHODS: Participants were 183 families (104 boys' families, 79 girls' families) who met eligibility criteria. All measures were self-administered. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 18.0 program. RESULTS: In boys' families, boys' depression and communication with father showed actor effect on boys' suicidal ideation. Boys' stress showed indirect effect on boys' suicidal ideation through communication with father and boys' depression. Mothers' depression showed indirect partner effect on boys' suicidal ideation through boys' depression. In families of girls, girls' depression and stress showed actor effects on girls' suicidal ideation. Girls' communication with mother showed indirect effects through girls' depression. Also girls' stress showed indirect effect through girls' depression. Stress in mothers and/or fathers showed partner effect on girls' suicidal ideation. CONCLUSION: To intervene in adolescents' suicidal ideation and promote adolescents' mental health, programs should be developed differently according to gender and based on parent's psychological states.
Adolescent ; Communication ; Depression ; Family Relations ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Parents/*psychology ; Psychology, Adolescent ; Social Class ; Stress, Psychological ; *Suicidal Ideation

INTRODUCTIONIn order to commit to their mission and placement requirements, medical education policy-makers are required to understand the background and character of students in order to admit, cultivate and support them efficiently and effectively.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThis study sample consisted of 408 homogeneous medical students with the same level of education, occupation, school and societal environment. They differed mainly in their family background. Therefore, this study used part of a multidimensional "student portfolio system" database to assess the correlation between family status (indexed by parental education and occupation) and medical students' mental health status and characters. The controls were a group of 181 non-medical students in another university.

RESULTSThe parents of the medical students were from a higher socioeconomic status (SES) than the parents of those in the control group. This showed the heritability of genetic and environment conditions as well as the socioeconomic forces at play in medical education. Students' personal and professional development were associated with their parents' SES. The mother's SES was associated with the student's selfreported stress, mental disturbances, attitude towards life, personality, health, discipline, internationalisation and professionalism. The fathers' SES did not show a statistically significant association with the above stress, physical and mental health factors, but showed an association with some of the personality factors. The greater the educational difference between both parents, the more stress, hopelessness and pessimism the student manifested.

CONCLUSIONSMedical educators need to be aware that socioeconomic factors have meaningful patterns of association with students' mental and physical health, and their characters relating to personal and professional development. Low maternal SES negatively influences medical students' personal and professional development, suggesting that medical education policy-makers need to initiate support mechanisms for those with latent vulnerability.

Education, Medical ; methods ; Family Relations ; Female ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Male ; Mental Health ; Retrospective Studies ; Social Class ; Students, Medical ; psychology ; Taiwan

PURPOSE: This qualitative study aimed to identify the common, lived experiences of grandmothers who cared for their grandchildren as the primary caregivers. METHODS: This study was based on the phenomenological method described by Colaizzi (1978). RESULTS: Seven theme clusters emerged from the data as follows: "grandmother caregivers accept the parenting role of the incessant responsibilities and the distrust of non-kin caregivers.", "grandmother caregivers have a double maternal roles; an instrument-oriented maternal role to their own child and relationship-oriented maternal role to their grandchild.", "grandmother caregivers are partially authorized to make decisions in the matters of their grandchild.", "grandmother caregivers suffer a deterioration in their health by an acceleration of the aging process.", "caregiving causes grandmother caregivers to feel a sense of social isolation, and persue various coping strategies to control this feeling.", "grandmother caregivers have a greater feeling of self-esteem, but they often conflict with their adult children if they don't feel appreciated by them.", "grandmother caregivers have limited social support and their health issues are often overlooked in the family context." CONCLUSION: The results of this study can guide nurses and health care workers to understand the experiences of grandmother caregivers and to implement individualized nursing interventions suited for them.
Aged ; Caregivers/*psychology ; Child ; Child Care/*psychology ; Child, Preschool ; Family/*psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Intergenerational Relations ; Middle Aged ; Nursing Methodology Research ; Parenting/*psychology ; Questionnaires ; Social Support

PURPOSE: This cross-sectional study was done to compare factors influencing young adolescents' aggression according to family structure. METHODS: Participants were 680 young adolescents aged 11 to 15 years (113 in single father families, 136 in single mother families, 49 in grandparent families, and 382 in both-parent families). All measures were self-administered. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 program and factors affecting young adolescents' aggression were analyzed by stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: Levels of young adolescents' aggression and all variables were significantly different among the four family structure groups. Factors influencing young adolescents' aggression were also different according to these 4 groups. For single father families, depression-anxiety and family hardiness significantly predicted the level of young adolescents' aggression (adjusted R square=.37, p<.001). For single mother families, depression-anxiety, gender, and friends' support significantly predicted the level of young adolescents' aggression (adjusted R square=.58, p<.001). For grandparent families, depression-anxiety and family support significantly predicted the level of young adolescents' aggression (adjusted R square=.58, p<.001). For both-parent families, depression-anxiety, family hardiness, and friends' support significantly predicted the level of young adolescents' aggression (adjusted R square=.48, p<.001). CONCLUSION: Nurses working with young adolescents should consider family structure-specific factors influencing aggression in this population.
Adolescent ; *Adolescent Psychology ; *Aggression ; Anxiety ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression ; Family ; Family Relations ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Questionnaires ; Sex Factors ; Single-Parent Family ; Social Support

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the relationship between social support and morale in the elderly. METHOD: A structured questionnaire was carried out from April, 2003 to June, 2003 on 203 elderly. The data was analyzed with a SPSS program for descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficients, t-test, ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression was done RESULT: The level of social support was moderate, and family support was the highest score. In types of support, appraisal support was the highest score. The level of morale was slightly lower than moderate, and the score of social support showed significantly positive correlation with morale. In general characteristics, several variables were significantly related to social support and morale. The most powerful predictor of morale was material support by family and the variance was 19.6%. A combination of material support by family, emotional support by relatives, level of satisfaction with pocket money, perceived health, level of intimacy with one's children, and material support by friends account for 43.3% of the variance in morale of the elderly. CONCLUSION: To increase the morale of the elderly, it is necessary to consolidate material support by family and relatives.
Aged/*psychology ; Family ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; *Morale ; *Residence Characteristics ; *Social Support