PURPOSE: This study was done to explore the meaning of stigma in parents of a child with mental illness. METHODS: The participants were 6 mothers who had children with mental illness. Data were gathered using in-depth interviews. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi method. RESULTS: The significant results from analysis of the interviews can be grouped into 10 concept descriptions, 5 theme clusters. The essential theme clusters for the experiences of parents were 'Guilt as a parent towards an disabled child', 'Humiliation from loss of self-esteem', 'Loneliness from prejudice and discrimination', 'Frustration due to endless treatment', and 'Desire of normal happiness'. CONCLUSION: The finding of this study offer profound information on stigma experience of parents of children with mental illness and provide basic raw material for developing nursing intervention strategies for these parents.
Child ; Humans ; Mental Disorders ; Mothers ; Parents ; Prejudice

PURPOSE: This study was done to explore the meaning of joys and sorrows in mothers of children with Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS). METHODS: The participants were 9 mothers who each had a child with MPS. Data were gathered using in-depth interviews. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi method. RESULTS: The significant results from analyzing the interviews can be grouped into 12 concept descriptions, and 5 theme clusters. The essential theme clusters for the experience of the mothers were 'hopelessness about this rare disease', 'guilt because of the disease being hereditary', 'endless courses of treatment', 'wounds in the relationship', and 'relative composure of mind'. CONCLUSION: The finding of this study offer profound information on joys and sorrows experienced by mothers of children with MPS and provide basic data for developing nursing intervention strategies for the mothers of children with rare diseases.
Child ; Humans ; Mothers ; Mucopolysaccharidoses ; Rare Diseases ; Child Health

PURPOSE: This study was designed to explore and compare the self efficacy, social support, and quality of life between middle-aged Korean and Chinese women. METHODS: The sample included 430 (Korean: 220, Chinese: 210) middle-aged women. Study instruments were the Self Efficacy Scale developed by Shere et al (1982), the Social Support Scale modified and based on Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) developed by Cohen and Hoberman (1983), and The Quality of Life Scale (SF-36) developed by Ware and Book (1981). Data were analyzed by SPSS/WIN 16 version. RESULTS: Korean women reported more self efficacy and better quality of life than the Chinese women. The quality of life scores between middle-aged Korean and Chinese women showed a statistical significant difference. Self efficacy and quality of life scores reported by middle-aged Korean and Chinese women were below the reported standards of the instruments. In contrast to the other scores, Chinese women reported more social support than Korean women. CONCLUSION: The findings add to the body of literature about Chinese and Korean middle aged women. Additional research is needed to explain the differences among the two groups but the findings can inform the practicing nurse who works with these populations.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Quality of Life ; Self Efficacy ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was to identify what experience meant for the wives that attempted IVF-ET(In Vitro Fertilization-Embryo Transfer) program due to the spouse's infertility and provide fundamental materials to improve nursing interventions. METHOD: Giorgi's phenomenological method was employed, the subjects were five wives who had ever attempted IVF-ET program due to the infertility of their spouses. In-depth interview and observation method were utilized to gather information from April to December 2003. RESULT: The significant results from analyzing the interviews can be grouped into 34 themes, 8 categories. The essential themes for the experiences of the wives were 'shocked by the unbelievable reality', 'can't give up the connection to the blood', 'Lack of social education on pregnancy, and childbirth', 'self-pity', 'feelings of both families', 'Being afraid of the unexpected result', 'physical and mental agony', 'Positively coping with the reality. CONCLUSION: The results show that infertility is not a mere personal matter, and infertile people, their families and society should team up with in tackling it. The physical, psychological and social problems triggered by infertility could be ironed out by making both personal and collaborative approaches to that.
Humans ; Infertility ; Iron ; Pregnancy ; Social Problems ; Spouses

PURPOSE: The study was a survey study to identify the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and nursing needs of the elderly in the nursing home and derive the fundamental data for offering the better quality of nursing service to them. METHODS: The subjects were the 111 elderly aged over sixty five living in the nursing home located in Seoul. Measures were the nursing needs scale and ADL scale. The data were analyzed by SAS 11.0. RESULTS: First, with regard to the nursing needs, the general need was scored average 3.0, and the emotional d social need was 3.7, and the physical need was 3.1, and the informational need was 2.7. Second, the ADL was scored at the average of 2.7, bathing 1.9, eating 3.1. Third, In correlation between the nursing needs by area, the informational nursing needs showed the sheer correlation with the physical nursing needs, emotional.social nursing needs. The physical nursing needs showed the sheer correlation with the informational.social nursing needs, and the inverse correlation with the ADL. CONCLUSION: It is necessary that it should improve the service to meet the emotional and social nursing needs and develop the extensive nursing programs satisfying their desires based on the general traits of the elderly.
Activities of Daily Living* ; Aged* ; Baths ; Eating ; Humans ; Nursing Homes* ; Nursing Services ; Nursing* ; Seoul

PURPOSE: This study was to examine factors related to depression of the elderly, and using them, to lay the ground for the development of nursing intervention. METHODS: This was a descriptive correlation study. The subjects were 581 elders aged over 65 from senior centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression with SAS. RESULTS: The predictors of depression in the elderly were quality of life, moral, life satisfaction, self-esteem, loneliness, nonformal support, and perceived health state. Among them, quality of life was the most significant predictor in the elderly. These factors explained 72.2% of the total variance. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest the need to develop nursing strategies for decreasing depression in the elderly. To decrease the depression of the elderly, the above-mentioned major influencing factors should be considered.
Aged* ; Depression* ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Loneliness ; Nursing ; Quality of Life ; Senior Centers ; Seoul ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: This study was to compare and examine the factors influencing burden of primary family caregivers according to the severity of illness of elderly patients admitted in an intensive care unit. METHODS: Subjects were the families of elderly patients in intensive care units of K, S and Y hospitals in Seoul. Data were collected from March to October 2007. Subjects were 108 persons over age 65. Data were analyzed by SAS statistics. RESULTS: First, groups 5 and 3 showed higher burden than that of group 4. Second, high correlation was found between stress and burden, stress and anxiety, and burden and anxiety. Third, factors influencing family burden were found to be stress for group 5, stress, anxiety, and monthly income for group 4, and stress and patient age for group 3. CONCLUSION: Specific nursing interventions to decrease the stress of primary family caregivers of serious ill elderly patients in an intensive care unit are needed. Additionally, more effective and systematic activation of a long-term medical insurance system for seriously ill seniors is considered necessary to mediate the burden of primary family caregivers.
Aged ; Anxiety ; Caregivers ; Humans ; Insurance ; Critical Care ; Intensive Care Units ; Phenothiazines

PURPOSE: This study was designed to search for nursing intervention strategies centering around the meaning structure of the nurse's turnover experience by applying phenomenological methods. METHODS: The participants were 6 nurses in small and medium sized hospitals who had experienced at least 1 turnover. Data were collected used MP3 records. The data analysis was done by Giorgi (1985) method. RESULTS: The results were divided into the following categories: 1) Careless decision: wrong decisions, imprudent desire, insufficient patience, unclear future, 2) Inappropriate working environment: irregular working hours, high workload, poor working environment, insufficient understanding of related divisions, lack of opinion collection, low salary, 3) Interpersonal relations problems: discord with colleagues, difficulty in relationships with others, difficulty in daily lives, 4) Lack of specialization: feeling of inertia, lack of role identification, lack of self identification, 5) Inappropriate coping: regret with clinical challenges, difficulty with a new environment, repentance, expectation, relative humility, 6) New self-dignity: expectation, new challenge, relaxing lives, decisions based on future-oriented confidence. CONCLUSION: The finding of this study will offer profound information on the nurse's turnover experience and provide basic raw materials for improving the quality of nursing performance and contribute to the development of hospital organization.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Career Mobility ; Health Facility Environment ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/organization & administration/*psychology ; Personal Satisfaction ; *Personnel Turnover ; Salaries and Fringe Benefits ; Workload ; Workplace

PURPOSE: The study was to get basic data on the well-being of middle-aged people concerning their preparation for their upcoming old age and their quality of life. METHODS: The subjects were 440 people aged between 40 and 59 living in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. RESULTS: First, physical preparation for old age was affected by religion, children, health, monthly income, and economical status, and these factors were shown statistically significant. Emotional preparation and spiritual preparation were also related to the above-mentioned factors. Secondly, in the subjects' mental picture, a nursing home was a place for the aged without anyone who is going to take care of them and without abilities to care of themselves. Preference for nursing home was based on two factors, i.e., nursing and treatment care, and the cost was about one million won per month. Also they wanted that the government should pay a certain amount for private users. CONCLUSION: Therefore, people should lead a life of good health-related habits along with economical preparation for their old age.
Child ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Long-Term Care* ; Nursing ; Nursing Homes ; Quality of Life ; Seoul

PURPOSE: This study was to compare and analyze sleep patterns, satisfaction of sleep, and sleep enhancement behaviors between hospitalized and non-hospitalized elderly. METHODS: Subjects were 201 older adults, who were hospitalized patients or living in U-city, Gyung-gi province. Data was collected from June 10 to August 25, 2007, and was analyzed by the SAS program. RESULTS: 1) Non-hospitalized elderly had better sleep patterns than hospitalized elderly patients. 2) There was a strong positive correlation between sleep patterns and satisfaction of sleep in both groups. 3) In hospitalized elderly, there were significant differences in sleep patterns and satisfaction of sleep by month. 4) In non-hospitalized elderly, there was a significant difference in sleep patterns by presence or absence of spouses. There was a significant difference in satisfaction of sleep by those living with others. There were significant differences in sleep enhancement behaviors by age, religion, length of time, and sponsors. CONCLUSION: To relieve sleep disturbances of elderly, comprehension of sleep of the aged by nursing care givers should be obtained. Also, improving environments and elder's selfesteem with religious consideration and preparation of financial conditions are needed to promote the sleep of hospitalized and non-hospitalized elderly.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; *Behavior ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Female ; Humans ; Inpatients/*psychology ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Outpatients/*psychology ; Patient Satisfaction ; *Sleep ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/*psychology