Death is the critical moment of life. All elderly are faced with death. Therefore, the elderly's notion of death must be include in holistic care for the elderly. The purpose of this study was to understand the elderly's notion of death. The research questions were "What is the elderly's notion of death?", and "What is the embedded meaning of the elderly's notion of death?". This study was conducted using an ethnographic approch. The fieldwork for this study was done from July 1996 to July 1998 on an island in Chonbuk province. Data were collected by indepth interviews and participant observation. The result of this study is as follows The elderly's notion of death was founded on 'Being a ancestor god', 'Evaluation of one's own life', 'Be sujected to the evil(BuJung : the taboo of uncleanness)' 'Being a ancestor god' means the notion of death leading to eternal life. It means a relationship to this world, So, it is required for all descendants, especialy the son. Also, they thought that the Spirit is greater importance mote thait the body, and that the spirit is embedded in bone. And so, the spirit is delivered to descendants through a propitious site for grave(MoungDang). It is thought toa change in the fortune of the descendants(Balbok). 'Evaluation of ons's own life' means that life was evaluated personally and socially throughout the dy ing process. This means reflection on an individual's life and interpersonal relationship's, and appearance social aspects of the individual death. 'BuJung(be subjected to the evil)' emerged as fear about death, and pursuit of the cause of death, Most of the causes were attributed to supernatural entities. It contributed to the inspiration of a cornmunity identity. The elderly's notion of death was the present world oriented and actualized. This study contributed to the nurse's understanding of the Korean elderly's notion of death. Implications for nursing practice, education, and research were discussed. Further research at other settings and using other research methods were recommended.
Aged ; Cause of Death ; Education ; Humans ; Jeollabuk-do* ; Nursing ; Taboo

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to describe and interpret the nature of the experience inherent in the sex life of female breast cancer patients after treatment and understand the meaning behind it. METHODS: The participants were 10 female breast cancer patients who were married. Data were collected from March to September 2010. Van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenology was adopted in this qualitative study as a research method. RESULTS: There were 4 essential topics in the participants' experience of sex life; 'Sex life alert' was a result of negative changes in sexual relationships with spouse that they had never experienced before the breast cancer diagnosis; 'Precarious situation for pending divorce' was an experience of deteriorated sex life because of the failure to overcome 'sex life alert'; 'Sublimation of the difficulties by discovering an alternative solution' was an experience of discovering a solution to overcome the 'sexlife alert'. 'Leaving it as unsettled' was an experience of a condition in which the participants did not have any intension to resolve the difficulties in sex life due to the lack of appropriate support, thus tried to ignore the challenges faced. CONCLUSION: This study illustrates the necessity to develop proper nursing intervention on the issues related to sex life among breast cancer patients. Given the fact that the sexual topics are often considered taboo in day to day nursing practice, special attention and efforts need to be given in this area to build up nursing knowledge and evidence-based practice.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Evidence-Based Practice ; Female ; Humans ; Qualitative Research ; Sexual Behavior ; Spouses ; Taboo

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate knowledge, attitude, and experience regarding suicidal behavior among mental health workers in Gangwon province of Korea to use as a basis for development of suicide prevention and education programs. METHODS: Questionnaires consisted of 31 questions including general knowledge regarding suicide statistics and suicide related legislation, attitude toward suicide, awareness of suicide, and individual experiences of suicidal behaviors. Chi-square and binary logistic regression analyses were used to determine differences and association among attitude toward suicide, individual experience of suicide, and sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: Taboo attitude toward suicide showed association with age and male. Males thought that social responsibility for suicide is necessary. Religiously non-affiliated group and people who had previous suicidal ideation and attempts showed a more permissive attitude toward suicide. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that demographic characteristics and previous individual experience of suicidal behaviors might influence attitude toward suicide. These personal characteristics should be considered in development of suicide prevention programs for mental health workers.
Education ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Korea* ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Mental Health* ; Social Responsibility ; Suicidal Ideation ; Suicide ; Taboo

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate knowledge, attitude, and experience regarding suicidal behavior among mental health workers in Gangwon province of Korea to use as a basis for development of suicide prevention and education programs. METHODS: Questionnaires consisted of 31 questions including general knowledge regarding suicide statistics and suicide related legislation, attitude toward suicide, awareness of suicide, and individual experiences of suicidal behaviors. Chi-square and binary logistic regression analyses were used to determine differences and association among attitude toward suicide, individual experience of suicide, and sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: Taboo attitude toward suicide showed association with age and male. Males thought that social responsibility for suicide is necessary. Religiously non-affiliated group and people who had previous suicidal ideation and attempts showed a more permissive attitude toward suicide. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that demographic characteristics and previous individual experience of suicidal behaviors might influence attitude toward suicide. These personal characteristics should be considered in development of suicide prevention programs for mental health workers.
Education ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Korea* ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Mental Health* ; Social Responsibility ; Suicidal Ideation ; Suicide ; Taboo

This study was to find out the perception of toward death and caring behavior of lay parsons in one community : One Island in Pusan County, Chonbuk. The methodology of this study was ethnography. For this study, The fieldwork was conducted from October 1997 to July 1998. Data collected by in-depth interview and participant observations. The participants consisted of were 17 persons of both sexes. The key informants were four specific people. The result of this study is as follows; The people perceived two different kinds of death. Normal death, which means death from old age. The person was respected as an ancestor God and was believed to exist forever with their offspring. Abnormal death was regarded as negative, many had fears toward this king of death. The causes of abnormal death were supernatural phenomena and had absolute holy meanings. Whether death was good or bad, The death was not personal, but collective events as family or community affairs and was interpreted as death and birth for their offsprings. Funeral rites were family-centered and/or community-centered. The did normal procedures for normal deaths for abnormal deaths, there were many protective ceremonies(BuJungmagi : the prevention of the taboo of uncleanliness) for the remaining people. These ceremonies combined confucism and shamanism. Caring behavior for dying persons was ruled as community-centered, reciprocal and reality-centered principles.
Anthropology, Cultural ; Busan ; Funeral Rites ; Humans ; Jeollabuk-do ; Parturition ; Shamanism ; Taboo

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in Korean child-rearing practices between the generations of young mothers and grandmothers. METHOD: The participants were 98 mothers who were 20 to 39 years old and had raised one-year-old child and 103 grandmothers who were over 60 years old and had raised their children in a small city. Data were collected through self-report questionnaire based on the Korean traditional child-rearing practice from Yoo(1986). The data were analyzed using the SPSS Win 10.0 program. RESULTS: Of 37 items in the categories of feeding and weaning, health management and taboo matters, play, and baby celebrations, the grandmothers practiced 13 items (35%) more frequently than the young mothers. However, no generation differences were found in 21 items (57%), and 3 items were practiced more frequently by the young mothers. For the young mothers, there were 15 items (41%) which were practiced over 70%, 7 items (19%) which were practiced less than 30%. CONCLUSION: It seems that some Korean traditional child-rearing practices were transferred to modern child-rearing practices. Therefore pediatric nurses need to pay attention to traditional child-rearing practices for the best health, growth and development of children.
Adult ; Child ; Family Characteristics* ; Growth and Development ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Mothers* ; Taboo ; Weaning ; Child Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires

What if the angel of death suddenly came knocking on your door? Death and aging are inevitable. However, since investigations usually assume that death unanimously provokes anxiety, death is often termed the last taboo which makes it painful for most people to talk about, think about, or even plan for it. This study was conducted to determine the philosophies and attitudes of the elderly in terms of the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual aspects of death preparation. The study also sought to determine importance of a support system for the elderly faced or are facing neardeath experiences and/or terminal illnesses. The study utilized phenomenology as its research design. Eight informants from the different cities and municipalities of Pangasinan were chosen through purposive sampling. All of them have been involved in a near-death experience and/or are in a dying state. Data was gathered in the form of a semi-structured interview. The study found that the informants' respective concepts of death, the grieving process, their cultivated philosophies, and support system played major roles in helping them prepare for death.

 

Human ; Male ; Female ; Aged 80 And Over ; Aged ; Taboo ; Cities ; Grief ; Death ; Aging ; Spiritualism ; Attitude ; Anxiety

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the current status of communication about death and confidence levels concerning death-related issues among Korean adults.METHODS: A survey was conducted to ascertain the frequency of death related communication, factors promoting and impeding such communication, and confidence levels concerning death-related issues. Data of 112 participants who completed the survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a chi square test, and multiple logistic regression.RESULTS: More than half of the participants (52.7%–84.0%) appeared to have infrequent (never/at least one) conversations about death or death-related issues. Owing to socio-cultural aspects, death-related communication was considered a taboo or an unpleasant topic of conversation. Additionally, indifference toward death inhibited people from communicating; however, personal experiences of death or morbidity and favorable social contexts promoted communication. Overall, the confidence levels concerning death-related issues was low. Only 17.9%–32.2% of the participants were confident/very confident about their preferences concerning death-related issues. The more people talked about death, the more likely they were to develop a confident attitude toward death-related issues (odds ratio, 3.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.37–8.69).CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that communication about death is being withheld among Koreans, and this could possibly lower their level of confidence regarding death-related issues. To achieve death with dignity, a ‘death culture’ needs to be promoted alongside legislation and infrastructure.
Adult ; Advance Care Planning ; Attitude to Death ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Personal Autonomy ; Right to Die ; Taboo ; Terminal Care

Recent developments in medicine in our society have drawn attention to various phenomena related to death, such as brain death, cardiac death, vegetative death, euthanasia, death with dignity, near-death experiences, hospice, and suicide. The definition and conception of death is significant because its reductionist determination may bring about a denial or taboo of death and a certain limitation on the modes of life and death. As religious traditions like Christianity and Buddhism and life and death studies show, human death cannot and should not be explained by physical and biological criterion of death like brain death or cardiac death alone. In a society with such a reductionist definition of death there can be no space for a mature culture of death and only a colossal number of miserable deaths like suicide. Therefore, as Kubler Ross argues, death should be defined in terms of considering the continued existence of certain realities as to psyche, spirit, and the meaning of life beyond physical and biological aspects. The medical and legal approach to death is greatly incomplete and restricted in taking into account the physical and biological aspect of death. Thus, it is necessary to precisely and deeply reconsider the definition and understanding of death from a broader and more comprehensive perspective rather than concentrating solely on the physical and biological criterion of death such as brain death or cardiac death.
Brain Death ; Buddhism ; Christianity ; Death ; Denial (Psychology) ; Euthanasia ; Fertilization ; Hospices ; Humans ; Right to Die ; Spirituality ; Suicide ; Taboo ; Thanatology

Nocturnal enuresis is by any standard the most benign voiding dysfunction in children, with a spontaneous cure rate of up to 15% per year. On the other hand it is one of the most sociopsychologically disturbing diseases in children because of its association with taboos and rites, and for families with bedwetters it is also a significant economic burden. Many investigators have reported upon the effectiveness of drugs in alleviating nocturnal enuresis in children and adults. We evaluated the results of drug therapy in 60 children with nocturnal enuresis: 42 boys and 18 girls. mean age 8.7 years(range 5-15). All children were evaluated after treatment with imipramine, and the response rate of imipramine was 76.7%. For the remaining 14 non-responders, desmopressin was given intranasally at bedtime. And the response rate of desmopressin was 64.3%. So, the overall response rate of imipramine and desmopressin was 9l.7%. No serious side effects were observed. These data show that the combined therapy with imipramine and desmopressin is very effective in treating enuresis.
Adult ; Child ; Deamino Arginine Vasopressin* ; Drug Therapy ; Enuresis* ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Imipramine* ; Nocturnal Enuresis ; Research Personnel ; Taboo