PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors related to family health and develop a prediction model with an ability to explain family health in families of patients with schizophrenia.METHODS: A hypothesized model with twelve pathway forms was developed based on literature review. Family stress and social stigma were included as two exogenous variables; whereas family resilience, family empowerment, self-esteem, community integration, and family health were included as endogenous variables. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire from 206 families of patients with schizophrenia living in Republic of Korea. Data were analyzed with PASW/WIN 18.0 and AMOS 18.0 programs.RESULTS: Social stigma had a negatively indirect and total effect on family health. Family resilience, self-esteem, and community integration had positive and direct and overall effects on family health.CONCLUSION: A prediction model for families of patients with schizophrenia is proposed and social stigma, family resilience, self-esteem, and community integration are presented as predicting factors for family health. Nursing interventions and support programs should be developed to overcome social stigma and improve family resilience, self-esteem, and community integration.
Community Integration ; Family Health ; Humans ; Nursing ; Power (Psychology) ; Republic of Korea ; Schizophrenia ; Social Stigma

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to construct an acceptance-commitment therapy (ACT)-based stress management program for inpatients with schizophrenia and to examine its effects on hospitalization stress, self-efficacy, and psychological well-being. METHODS: A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. Participants were 44 inpatients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The experimental group (n=22) received the ACT-based stress management program twice a week for a total of four weeks. The control group (n=22) received the usual care from their primary health care providers. The study was carried out from August 7 to September 1, 2017, and data were analyzed using IBM SPSS/WIN 22.0 with a Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and an independent t-test. RESULTS: The experimental group showed a significant decrease in hospitalization stress (t=5.09, p < .001) and an increase in self-efficacy (t=2.44, p=.019). However, there was no significant difference in psychological well-being between the two groups (t=0.13, p=.894). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the ACT-based stress management program can be used as an effective mental health nursing intervention for hospitalization stress and self-efficacy for inpatients with schizophrenia.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ; Diagnosis ; Hospitalization* ; Humans ; Inpatients* ; Primary Health Care ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Schizophrenia* ; Self Efficacy ; Stress, Psychological

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify effects of a psychiatric and mental health nursing class to improve knowledge about schizophrenia, attitudes toward mental illness, and learning satisfaction after using an illness narrative of a patient with schizophrenia. METHODS: This study was in nonequivalent control group and a pretest-posttest design. Of the 88 nursing students, the 34 in the experimental group received 5 hours of lectures on schizophrenia plus 2 hours of learning using a patient's illness narrative. The control group (n=54) received only the 5 hours of lectures on schizophrenia. During September, 2017, an online survey was used to collect data before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests with SPSS Statistics version 22.0. RESULTS: There were no differences for knowledge on schizophrenia or for attitudes toward mental illness between the experimental group and the control group after the intervention. However, learning satisfaction was significantly higher in the experimental group compared to the control group (Z=−2.18, p=.029). CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that patient illness narratives could be a useful tool to improve learning satisfaction in nursing students. Therefore, using patient illness narratives in nursing classes is recommended.
Education, Nursing ; Humans ; Learning ; Lectures ; Nursing ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Schizophrenia ; Students, Nursing

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to develop an acceptance commitment-based cognitive behavioral program for patients with schizophrenia and to use it as an intervention tool for psychiatric mental health nursing and thereby confirm the program's effects on patients' psychological flexibility, psychological well-being, and treatment adherence including insight and attitude toward treatment. METHODS: This study consisted of a pretest, posttest 1, and posttest 2 for a nonequivalent control group design. The participants were 42 patients with schizophrenia (experimental group: 21, control group: 21). The acceptance commitment-based cognitive behavioral program was conducted in 10 sessions for 5 weeks. Data collected from February to April 2018 were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 25.0 for χ2 test, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test, and repeated measurement ANOVA. RESULTS: The differences between experimental and control groups were statistically significant regarding psychological flexibility, psychological well-being, and insight. CONCLUSION: This study findings suggest that the acceptance commitment-based cognitive behavioral program can be used as an effective mental health nursing intervention for psychological flexibility, psychological well-being, and insight of patients with schizophrenia.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Pliability ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Schizophrenia

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of the Gratitude Enhancement Program on self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, gratitude disposition, subjective happiness, stress index in patients with chronic schizophrenia. METHODS: The research was designed for a nonequivalent control group before and after the test design. The subjects of this study were 29 patients in the experimental group and 28 patients in the control group. The Gratitude Enhancement Program was conducted three times a week for a total of nine sessions. Data were collected with questionnaires and measured with autonomic nervous system response (stress index) and was analyzed by t-test, chi-square test, Fisher's exact, and repeated measures ANOVA with the SPSS/WIN 23.0 program. RESULTS: There are no significant differences in the homogeneity test of a dependent variable between groups. The experimental group showed significant higher scores of self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, gratitude disposition, and subjective happiness than the control group. There was no significant difference in the stress index between two groups. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, this Gratitude Enhancement Program can be a good nursing intervention to improve self-esteem, interpersonal relationship, gratitude disposition, and subjective happiness for chronic schizophrenia patients.
Autonomic Nervous System ; Happiness ; Humans ; Nursing ; Schizophrenia*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of cognitive behavioral group therapy improving social cognition on the self efficacy, relationship function and social skills for chronic schizophrenia. METHODS: This study employed a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Fifty-two participants were selected from patients with chronic schizophrenia, and they divided into an experimental group(26) and control group(26). Cognitive behavioral group therapy was used as the experimental treatment from March to May. Therapy was administered once a week over 10-weeks. RESULTS: The results showed that compared to the control group, experimental group improved on relationship function and social skills and showed better self-reported self efficacy. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that the cognitive behavioral group therapy improving social cognition is an effective nursing intervention to increase the levels of self efficacy, relationship function and social skills.
Cognition* ; Humans ; Nursing ; Psychotherapy, Group* ; Schizophrenia* ; Self Efficacy* ; Social Skills*

PURPOSE: This study was done to evaluate the relationship of stress, coping skill, suicide risk, and suicidal ideation according to treatment phases in patients hospitalized with schizophrenia. METHODS: Participants, 111 patients hospitalized with schizophrenia, were selected from three psychiatric hospitals in G province. Data were collected from March 5 to April 15, 2016 and analyzed using t-test, χ² test, Fisher's exact test, Pearson correlation coefficient, one-way ANOVA, and Scheffé's test analysis with the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. RESULTS: Based on NOSIE-30, the treatment phases were divided into Beginning, Intermediate, and Completion stages. Patients in the Intermediate stage showed a higher stress level (F=5.13, p=.007) and active coping skills (F=6.70, p=.002) than patients in other stages. They also showed the highest suicide risk (F=7.42, p=.001), and the patients in the beginning stage had the highest suicidal ideation (F=20.20, p<.001. There were significant relationships between study variables at each stage. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study show differences in levels of stress, coping skill, suicide risk, and suicidal ideation according to treatment phases and indicate the need to develop suitable nursing intervention programs according to patients' treatment phases.
Adaptation, Psychological* ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Nursing ; Schizophrenia* ; Suicidal Ideation* ; Suicide*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an aerobic exercise program on body mass index, mood state, and psychiatric symptoms in men with chronic schizophrenia. METHODS: Non-equivalent control group pretest and posttest design was used. The participants were men with chronic schizophrenia hospitalized in N mental hospital located in N city (29 in the experimental group and 30 in the control group). The program was provided 3 times a week for 8 weeks, 24 sessions each lasting 45~60 minutes. Effects of this program were evaluated using BMI, K-POMS-B, PANSS. The data were analyzed using percentage, chi2-test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, paired t-test, t-test, and ANCOVA with SPSS 12.0 version. RESULTS: After the aerobic exercise program, statistically significant decreases in BMI, depression, fatigue score of the K-POMS, and psychiatric symptoms were found for the experimental group. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that aerobic exercise programs are an effective psychiatric nursing intervention to decrease BMI, general psychiatric symptoms and fatigue, and also to improve mood states. Therefore aerobic exercise program are suggested as a potential approach for reducing re-hospitalization and facilitating social readjustment for patients with schizophrenia.
Body Mass Index ; Depression ; Exercise* ; Fatigue ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Male ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Schizophrenia*

OBJECTIVES: Nurses and social workers are key persons connecting patients with psychotic disorders to psychiatric treatment. This study investigated the attitude of college students majoring in nursing science and social welfare toward psychiatric medication and stigma toward the mentally ill. METHODS: The study enrolled 553 college students (369 nursing science, 184 social welfare). We administered a five-item questionnaire to assess attitude toward psychiatric medication and a 20-item scale to assess stigma (prejudice regarding the dangerousness of the mentally ill and discrimination against the mentally ill). Factors associated with attitude toward psychiatric medication were identified. In addition, the stigma scale scores were compared with each item on attitude toward psychiatric medication. RESULTS: In the multivariate analysis, students majoring in social welfare had a significantly poorer attitude toward psychiatric medication than those majoring in nursing science. Age, senior grade, and experience to contact the mentally ill were also significantly associated with a good attitude toward medication, while attending psychiatry lectures, having a religion, and gender were not significantly associated with attitude toward psychiatric medication, although they showed relationships in the univariate analyses. For three of the five items, a negative attitude toward psychiatric medication was significantly associated with higher scores on the prejudice and discrimination scales. CONCLUSION: Prejudice toward and discrimination against the mentally ill are closely associated with a negative attitude toward psychiatric medication. An anti-stigma campaign should be developed that includes education to promote knowledge about psychiatric medications and reduce the stigma against the mentally ill. In addition, our findings suggest that experience to contact the mentally ill might improve attitudes toward psychiatric medication.
Dangerous Behavior ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Education ; Humans ; Lectures ; Mentally Ill Persons ; Multivariate Analysis ; Nursing* ; Prejudice ; Psychotic Disorders ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Schizophrenia ; Social Welfare* ; Social Workers ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of group music therapy on brain waves, behavior, and cognitive function among patients with chronic schizophrenia. METHODS: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used with nonequivalent control group. The potential participants were recruited from inpatients in a psychiatric facility in a metropolitan city, assigned either to the experimental group (n = 28) or to the control group (n = 27) according to their wards to avoid treatment contamination. The experimental group participated in the group music therapy for 13 sessions over 7 weeks while continuing their standard treatment. The control group only received a standard treatment provided in the hospitals. The outcome measures include brain wave by electroencephalography, behavior by Nurses' Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation, and cognitive function by Mini-Mental State Examination. RESULTS: After participating in 13 sessions of the group music therapy, alpha waves measured from eight different sites were consistently present for the experimental group (p = .006e.045) than the control group, revealing that the participants in the music therapy may have experienced more joyful emotions throughout the sessions. The experimental group also showed improved cognitive function (F = 13.46, p = .001) and positive behavior (social competence, social interest & personal neatness) while their negative behaviors was significantly less than those of the control group (F = 24.04, p < .001). CONCLUSION: The group music therapy used in this study was an effective intervention for improving emotional relaxation, cognitive processing abilities along with positive behavioral changes in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Our results can be useful for establishing intervention strategies toward psychiatric rehabilitation for those who suffer from chronic mental illnesses.
Brain Waves* ; Brain* ; Cognition ; Electroencephalography ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Mental Competency ; Music Therapy* ; Music* ; Nursing ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Rehabilitation ; Relaxation ; Schizophrenia*