PURPOSE: To date most research related to patients with breast cancer has discriminately investigated the status within or after the treatment although the patients demand holistic nursing care from the time of diagnosis. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the trajectory of breast cancer diagnosis and patients' experiences in the pre-treatment period. METHOD: This qualitative study used qualitative thematic analysis. Nineteen Korean women who were diagnosed with breast cancer within the last 6 month participated in the study. Individualized interviews were conducted with each participant in a cancer center in K city. The interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the thematic analysis process. RESULTS: The overriding theme was "the scattered life in an unforeseen swirl", which illustrates the participants' unexpected crisis with confusion and emotional distress. Two subthemes included "falling into an unavoidable journey", and "staggering in a muddle with urgency". The categories were "unexpected probability", "nagging nodularity", "ominous presentiment", "emotional upheaval", "bad thought intrusion", and "a sense of urgency". CONCLUSION: Patients in the pre-treatment period encountered utter emotional distress and a sense of urgency after being diagnosed breast cancer. Strategies to develop nursing care for patients in this period and nursing implications are discussed.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Female ; Holistic Nursing ; Humans ; Nursing Care ; Qualitative Research

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of women problem gamblers, focusing on the meaning of gambling to them, how and why these women continue to gamble or stop gambling, and their needs and concerns. In order to effectively help women problem gamblers, practical in-depth knowledge is necessary to develop intervention programs for prevention, treatment, and recovery among women problem gamblers. METHODS: The hermeneutic phenomenology approach was used to guide in-depth interviews and team interpretation of data. Sixteen women gamblers who chose to live in the casino area were recruited through snowball sampling with help from a counseling center. Participants were individually interviewed from February to April 2013 and asked to tell their stories of gambling. Transcribed interviews provided data for interpretive analysis. RESULTS: In the study analysis one constitutive pattern was identified: moving beyond addiction by recognizing the two faces of gambling in their life. Four related themes emerged in the analysis-gambling as alluring; gambling as 'ugly'; living in contradictions; and moving beyond. CONCLUSION: Loneliness and isolation play a critical role in gambling experiences of women gamblers in Korea. In other words, they are motivated to gamble in order to escape from loneliness, to stop gambling for fear of being lonely as they get older, and to stay in the casnio area so as not to be alone. The need for acceptance is one fo the important factors that should be considered in developing intervention program for women.
Counseling ; Female ; Gambling* ; Hermeneutics ; Humans ; Korea ; Loneliness ; Qualitative Research ; United Nations

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop an Enneagram program (EP) and examine the effects on codependency, anger and interpersonal relationship in wives of alcoholics. METHODS: A nonequivalent control group pre-posttest design was used. Participants were 26 wives of alcoholics (experimental group: 12, control group: 14). From March 17 to August 18, 2014, six two-hour sessions of EP were provided to the experimental group over six weeks. Data were collected using the Codependency Recovery Potential Survey (CRPS), Korean State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-K) and Relationship Change Scale (RCS). and analyzed using PASW 18.0 with Fisher's exact test, t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: The experimental group showed lower scores for codependency (Z=-2.17, p=.030) and anger (Z=-2.43, p=.015) than the control group. However, there was no significant difference in interpersonal relationship score between two groups. CONCLUSION: The EP for wives of alcoholics was effective in improving codependency and anger. A randomized clinical trial is needed to confirm the value of this EP.
Alcoholics* ; Anger* ; Codependency (Psychology)* ; Humans ; Spouses*

PURPOSE: Recently, gambling problem have increased in Korea and the prevalence rate is much higher than in western countries. Prevention of gambling addiction is very important at this point, but we have no accreditation or certification system for gambling addiction prevention counselors. The purpose of this study was to analyze the job and to develope a curriculum for Gambling Addiction Prevention Counselor (GAPC). METHODS: The definition of GAPC, job analysis and curriculum development were done based on developing a curriculum(DACUM) method. RESULTS: The duties performed by GAPC are categorized as planning & implementing, public education, outcome evaluation and professional development, which are classified into 8 tasks. The curriculum for training GAPC had 20 lectures covering 6 subjects: Introduction to gambling addiction, Prevention policy & institute, Methods of prevention education, Development of prevention programs, Prevention programs for target population, Empowerment for prevention counselors. Among the total 50 hours, 27 were for theory and 23 for practice. The mean of CVI (Content Validity Index) was 77 by multidisciplinary professional panels. CONCLUSION: The specific tasks for gambling addiction prevention activities can be identified and curriculum developed for utilization in training GAPCs.
Accreditation ; Certification ; Counseling ; Curriculum ; Gambling ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Korea ; Lectures ; Power (Psychology) ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to develop a Minimal Insomnia Screening Scale for Korean adults (KMISS) and to evaluate psychometric properties and discriminant ability of the developed scale. METHODS: Data from a cross-sectional survey of 959 Korean adults were analyzed to develop the summated insomnia scale, which was evaluated in terms of reliability, validity, and discriminant ability by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: Item-total correlations ranged between .71-.79 and Cronbach's alpha was .87. Adequate validity was also evident. ROC-curve analysis showed area under ROC was .87 (95% CI: .84-.90) and identified the optimal cut-off score as < or = 20 (sensitivity, .83; specificity, .75; positive/negative predictive values, .40/.95). Using this cut-off score, the prevalence of insomnia in the study sample was 26.3% and most frequent among women and the oldest group. CONCLUSION: Data supports the psychometric properties of KMISS as a possible insomnia screening instrument. KMISS also shows promise as a convenient ultra-short screening measure of insomnia for adults and epidemiological studies in community health care settings.
Aged ; Area Under Curve ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; *Psychometrics ; Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; ROC Curve ; Republic of Korea ; Self Report ; Sex Factors ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/*epidemiology/pathology

PURPOSE: This study was done to propose an improvement in the Nursing Fee Differentiation Policy to alleviate polarization of nursing staffing level among hospitals and to rectify the confusion of legally mandated standards between the Korean Medical Law and National Health Insurance Act. METHODS: The policy regulation was reconstructed related to nurse staffing standards and nurse-to-patients ratios. Data on nurse staffing grades were obtained from database of the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) for the third quarter of 2010 for 44 tertiary hospitals, 274 general hospitals, and 1,262 hospitals. A break-even analysis was used to estimate financial burden of the revised policy improvement proposal. An industrial engineering method was used to calculate Nurse-to-Patients ratios per shift. RESULTS: Twelve tertiary hospitals were downgraded. 74 general hospitals and 102 hospitals were upgraded after application of the regulation. Finances for total hospitalization expenditures changed from -3.55% to +3.14%. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the proposed policy would decrease polarization between tertiary hospitals and small hospitals, and would not put a major strain on the finances of the Korean National Health Insurance. Therefore, it is suggested that government stake-holders and many interest groups consider this policy proposal and build a consensus.
Consensus ; Fees and Charges* ; Financial Management ; Health Expenditures ; Hospital Charges ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Jurisprudence ; Methods ; National Health Programs* ; Nurse-Patient Relations ; Nursing Administration Research ; Nursing Staff ; Nursing* ; Public Opinion ; Tertiary Care Centers

Purpose: The psychiatric survivors movement, which represents people with mental disorders (PWMD), recognizes the autonomy of PWMD activists and emphasizes peer support and advocacy. However, in South Korea, where this movement is still in its early stages, the activities associated with it are not clearly defined. This paper aims to explore the role identities of PWMD activists and examine their significance. Methods: We conducted one or two in-depth interviews with 12 PWMD activists to gather data. The interviews were designed to uncover the participants’ perspectives on their roles as PWMD activists and their understanding of these roles. Thematic analysis was used to identify common themes. Results: The overall theme that emerged from the role identities of PWMD activists was “one who publicly advocates for the rights of the group while leading colleagues towards personal growth and societal change.” Within this overarching theme, three sub-themes were identified: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and socio-political aspects. In total, we identified 10 sub-themes. Conclusion Our findings can inform the development of various activities that support the recovery of PWMD, enabling them to assist their peers and advocate for their future interests, while also ensuring that their roles are reflected in policies.

PURPOSE: This study aims to verify the effects of the Group Motivational Interviewing Compliance Therapy on drug attitude, medicine application self-efficacy and medicine application in psychiatric patients. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent control group pre-posttest design. Participants were 43 patients (22 in experimental group and 21 in control group) who were registered at neuro-psychiatric day care center in one university hospital, S city. The experimental group received the Group Motivational Interviewing Compliance Therapy for 6 sessions over 6 weeks. Data were collected between November, 2014 and September, 2016. Comparison of the pre-post results was performed by paired t-test and between-group effect was analyzed by ANCOVA with the SPSS/WIN 23.0 program. RESULTS: The experimental group had a significant increase in drug attitude compared to the control group. However, there was no significant difference in medicine application self-efficacy and medicine application between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The Group Motivational Interviewing Compliance Therapy is suggested as a promising program that helps psychiatric patients improve drug attitude. Further studies are needed to confirm the effects of the Group Motivational Interviewing Compliance Therapy.
Compliance* ; Day Care, Medical ; Humans ; Medication Adherence ; Motivational Interviewing* ; Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a relapse prevention program (RPP) and examine the effects of the RPP on insight, empowerment, and treatment adherence in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. Participants were 54 inpatients who had a diagnosis of schizophrenia (experimental group: 26, control group: 28). The study was carried out from February 7, 2012 to February 6, 2013. Over a 10-day period prior to discharge each participant in the experimental group received three one-hour sessions of RPP a one-to-one patient-nurse interaction. Data were collected using Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder (SUMD), Empowerment Scale, and Insight and Treatment Attitude Questionnaire (ITAQ) and analyzed using PASW 18.0 with chi-square test, independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and ANCOVA. RESULTS: The experimental group had a significant increase in insight and treatment adherence compared to the control group. However, there was no significant difference in empowerment between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that the RPP for patients with schizophrenia was effective in improving insight and treatment adherence. A longitudinal study is needed to confirm the persistence of these effects of RPP in patients with schizophrenia.
Diagnosis ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Longitudinal Studies ; Mental Disorders ; Power (Psychology)* ; Recurrence* ; Schizophrenia* ; Secondary Prevention*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe healing effects of the forest on alcoholics through a forest experience program. METHODS: The qualitative data was gathered from one focus group discussion with 6 alcoholics and individual interviews with 8 alcoholics. They had all participated in a "healing forest" program. All interviews were recorded and transcribed according to thematic content analysis processes. RESULTS: The four main themes on the attributes of forest were "a lively living being", "placidity and tranquility", "acceptive atmosphere", and "beautifulness as it is" which revealed the participants' perceived nature of the forest which was attributed to the healing effects. Eight other themes on participants' positive changes included "revived senses", "aspired to live", "relieved and relaxed from being tense", "gaining insight on self", "having an acceptive attitude", "becoming compliant with his/her life", "learning that life is being together" and "recognizing the value of one's existence". CONCLUSION: The findings of the study illustrated the participants' self-healing processes through interactions with the nature of the forest. Nursing interventions utilizing healing atmospheres such as "healing forest" programs can be considered helpful in providing a venue to alcoholics to reflect on their lives affirmatively.
Adult ; Alcoholism/*psychology ; Attitude to Health ; Focus Groups ; Holistic Health ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Mental Health ; Middle Aged ; *Psychiatric Nursing ; Tape Recording