Influence of Self-Esteem and Family-Support on Powerlessness of Hospitalized Elderly Patients with Chronic Disease / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify an influence of self-esteem and family- support on powerlessness of hospitalized elderly patients with chronic disease. METHOD: The subjects were 151 hospitalized elderly patients, age over 60, with chronic disease and admitted for at least 1 week. The data were collected by individual interview using a tructured questionnaire during the period from July 10th to August l0th, 2003 from three general hospitals in Busan. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, hierarchical multiple regression. RESULT: The level of self-esteem, family support, and powerlessness was 38.00, 38.26, and 38.38, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between self-esteem and family support and a negative correlation between self-esteem and powerlessness and between family support and powerlessness. Self-esteem and family support were each significant predictor of powerlessness. CONCLUSION: This study showed the hospitalized elderly patients need greater family-support and higher self-esteem to relieve the level of powerlessness. I suggest to study for replication in a larger sample size and considering the lengths of hospitalization for generalization of this study and to develop individual intervention programs for increasing family support and self esteem and testify their effects on the relief of powerlessness of the elderly.

Effects of Weight-Bearing Exercise on Bone Metabolism in College Women / 간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the effects of weight-bearing exercise(WBE) on bone metabolism. METHOD: WBE was performed for 12 weeks by healthy college women. Bone-related parameters were measured four times during this period by evaluating the immunoradiometric assay and enzyme immunoassay. Bone mineral densities(BMDs) were measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry before and after the WBE program. Data was analyzed using t-test, paired t-test, x2-test, and repeated measures ANOVA. RESULT: Osteocalcin, a bone formation marker, increased more in the experimental group than in the control group based on the interaction between time and group(F=3.29 p=.024). Little difference between the two groups was found for the other parameters: urinary deoxypyridinoline, insulin-like growth factorI, parathormone, serum calcium, and serum phosphorus without showing any time interaction between the groups. The femoral trochanter BMD rose in the experimental group while that of the control group fell, showing a significant difference for BMD(t=3.06 p=.005). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups for changes in BMD of the forearm, lumbar spine, femoral neck, and femoral ward's triangle. CONCLUSION: These findings supported the WBE is beneficial for increasing bone formation in college women and long-term application is needed to substantiate the effects of WBE as a intervention in promotion of bone-health.

Immersion Experience of the Cyber World of Adolescents / 간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to explore the cyber world immersion experience of adolescents. METHOD: Multiple strategies for data collecting were used: an in depth face-to-face interview; analysis of adolescent` writings; and analysis of examples of phenomenon in the realistic world. The sample group consisted of 10 adolescents. RESULT: Although the experience was different for all adolescent interviewed, the essential themes of experience emerged: "fill up", "homoeologous feeling", "the older generation has a conflicting negative opinion", "change in social character", "become habitually skeptic", "have bad health", "mean of superiority and getting everything solved", "ease of access", "monetary benefit", "addiction to the computer", "forget real life solved stress", "do harm to society", "take comfort", or "new job". CONCLUSION: Accordingly this paper suggests that contact with various software is necessary in adolescents, and good quality contents function to prepare and activate adolescents to apply the internet for good use.

Predictors of Depression and Quality of Life among Older Adults with Osteoarthritis / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of depression and quality of life among older adults with osteoarthritis. The predictors included in the model were the client's characteristics(age, pain, disease duration, ADLs), personal resources(hardiness, self-care agency and family support), and depression. METHOD: 150 subjects who were older than 65 years and had diagnosis of osteoarthritis participated in the study. To answer the research questions, descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression were utilized using SPSS WIN program. RESULT: Older adults who were younger and had lower levels of pain and dependency on ADLs, and higher levels of self care agency and hardiness reported lower levels of depression(R2=0.517). Older adults who had lower levels of depression, pain, and dependency on ADLs, higher levels of family support and hardiness, and who are younger reported higher levels of quality of life(R2=0.804). CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of this study, development of nursing intervention program including pain reduction, enhancing ADL abilities and personal resources (hardiness, family support) can be suggested. Further study is needed to increase the ability of generalization of the study findings to the broader population.

The Effects of Self-efficacy Promoting Program on Self-efficacy, Self-care, and Anxiety of Cancer Patients / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of self-efficacy promoting program on self-efficacy, self-care, and anxiety in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. METHOD: A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group pre and post design was used. Subjects were 52 cancer patients who received chemotherapy in a hospital. Twenty-six patients were assigned to the experimental and the control groups, respectively. For the experimental group, the CD image for fifteen minutes and two consultations for about ten minutes each were applied. For the control group, ordinary hospital care was applied. The data was collected before and 2 weeks after chemotherapy. RESULT: The scores of self-efficacy and self-care of the experimental group was higher than those of the control group while the state of anxiety of the experimental group was not lower than that of the control group at posttest. CONCLUSION: The self-efficacy promoting program about prevention of infection and hemorrhage increased cancer patients' self-efficacy and self-care but did not decrease anxiety. Further study is needed to find other factors to decrease anxiety and nurses need to consider the concept of self-efficacy in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy when they plan to increase cancer patients' self-care.

Evaluation of Nutritional Status of Inpatients with Medical Health Problems / 재활간호학회지

PURPOSE: To investigate nutritional status of inpatients by using subjective. and objective evaluation methods and to find the relationship between them. METHOD: The subjects were 101 inpatients with medical health problems at a university hospital. Nutritional status was evaluated by the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) and physical assessment including percentage of weight loss, serum albumin, hemogloin, and hematocrit. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, Kendall's tau. RESULTS: Grouping by the SGA, 61.4% were classified as severe malnutrition group. When applying the objective methods{physical assessment). 1.9~42.6% were diagnosed as malnutrition each item. The percentage of weight loss during previous 1-6month(r=.43~.54. P=.0001), serum albumin(r=-.26, P=.0003), hemoglobin of male(r=-.38, P=.0001), and hematocrit of male(r=-.34, P=.0001) were significantly correlated with SGA score. The coincidence rate of nutrition evaluation between the objective methods and SGA were 27.7 35.6%, 20.8%, 47.5%, 58.4% in percentage of weight loss, albumin, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. CONCLUSION: These findings showed a majority of inpatients were exposed to the risk of malnutrition. We recommend to evaluate inpatients' nutritional status periodically and to develop nursing intervention to solve their nutritional problems.

Relationship between the Discomfort of Tinnitus and the Quality of Life in Tinnitus Patients / 재활간호학회지

PURPOSE: To investigate audiometery and characteristics related to tinnitus in tinnitus patients. and to understand the relationship between the discomfort of tinnitus and the quality of life. Methods: The subjects were 110 patients with tinnitus. The data were collected using tinnitus handicap questionnaire. quality of life, and pure tone audiometry, which measured hearing level in dB and frequency in Hz matching of tinnitus. RESULTS: Majority of tinnitus patients (75.5%~81.8%) had normal auditory sensation. but 82.7% of patients indicated that they have heard tinnitus frequently. or always, and the major sounds of tinnitus were wing, wung, wang, The matching sounds of tinnitus had various range in hearing level(dB) and frequency(Hz). Tinnitus patients reported moderate levels of the discomfort of tinnitus and the quality of life, and there were negative correlation between the discomfort of tinnitus and the quality of life(r=-.314, p .00l). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that special attention is needed for tinnitus patients because the physical. psychological. and social impacts of tinnitus could be decrease their quality of life, Specialized nursing intervention considering specific conditions related to tinnitus is required to solve various health problems of tinnitus patients.

Pain of Elderly Women with Osteoarthritis / 간호학회지

The purpose of this study was to determine the meaning of the pain and experiences of elderly women with osteoarthritis, by adopting Colaizzi's phenomenological method. The participants were 7 elderly women over the age of 65. They were selected using a theoretical sampling technique. The Data was collected by in-depth and open-ended interviews from Dec. 1. 1999. to Feb, 28. 2000. The length of the interviews varied from 120 minutes to 180 minutes. Data was recorded and analyzed by a constant comparative method. From the data, significant statements were extracted and then organized into 48 themes, which resulted in 15 clusters of themes and 6 categories. The final descriptions turned out to be valid through the interviewee' validation process. Essential themes of the pain experiences emerged : "physical discomfortness(disturbances)", "negative state of mind", "influence of the death", "positive change in life", "Cause of pain perceived", and "change of their personal relationships". From these results, it was found that elderly women need nursing care based on a deep understanding of pain, and a reflection on their past is imperative to overcome their given situations. In conclusion, it is suggested that the care givers provide more support to solve the problems experienced by the elderly. Thus the researchers expect to provide understanding of older people and give basic data of holistic care for them.

The Experience of the Middle Aged Women's Aging: A Phenomenological Approach(Colaizzi method) / 성인간호학회지

The purpose of this study was about the experience of middle aged women's aging process. The qualitative research method used was the phenomenological approach. This study tried to discover meaning of life and to understand real experiences of their life and to explore the essence of middle aged women's experience of aging. Furthermore, this study tried to establish of concept of middle age women's holistic health and to help of theoretical development to improve the health. The interviewees were 12 members. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with audiotape recording done by the investigators over a period of five months. The data were analyzed Colaizzi method, new data were continuously coded into statements, cored meanings, themes, groups of themes, and categories. The data were separated into 4 categories; body change, feeling the miss, wise coping and planning the future. The group of themes belonging to 4 categories were body change, sexual change; fleeting, tiredness, attachment of the youth; acceptance, a situation as the adult, fill up the hollow feeling, management body; dying peacefully, preparing for the senior age, being ready to pass away.