Correlations among Family Support, Self-Esteem and Compliance with Preventive Health Behavior in Elderly People / 기본간호학회지

The purpose of this study was to identify correlations among family support, self-esteem and compliance in preventive health behavior in elderly people. The results will provide valuable data for nursing interventions towards help the elderly lead better lives. Those who lived with elderly people in Kimchun were interviewed by the researcher and an assistant. The subjects were 191 elderly people over the age of 65. The study method used was a structured questionnaire and the data were collected from September 17th to September 31th in 1998. The tools for this study were the family support scale designed by Gang Hyun Sook, the self-esteem scale designed by Rosenberg and the preventive health behavior scale designed by Gang Yune Sook. The data were analyzed by the SAS program, Mean, SD, T-test, ANOVA, Pearson Correlation Coefficients. The results of this study are as follows ; 1. The mean score for family support was 40.49. The score of family support of the elderly showed significant differences according to age(F=2.66, p<.05), spouse presence(t=4.20, p<.001), family pattern(F=4.56, p<.01), economic status(F=10.47, p<.001) and pocket money(F=10.46, p<.001). 2. The mean score for self-esteem was 29.01. The score of self-esteem of the elderly showed significant differences according to educational level (F=3.47, p<.01), spouse presence(t =2.49, p<.05), family pattern(F=3.79, p< 01), economic staus(F=15.65, p<,001) and pocket money(F=14.04, p<.001). 3. The mean score for compliance with preventive health behavior was 53.15. The score of compliance of preventive health behavior of the elderly showed significant differences according to economic status(F=9.34, p<.001) and pocket money(F=8.13, p<.001). 4. The relation between family support and self-esteem was significantly different (r= .57, p<.001). The relation between family support and compliance with preventive health behavior was significantly different(r=.44, p<.001). The relation between self-esteem and compliance with preventive health behavior was significantly different (r=.51, p<.001). In conclusion, the correlations among family support, self-esteem and compliance with preventive health behavior in elderly people showed significant differences.

A Survey on Perception and Attitude of Patients and their Families to the Korean Shamanism / 기본간호학회지

This survey was done to construct a nursing theory according to Korean culture and to identify the Korean traditional view. From ancient time until now, shamanism has played an important role as determinant of Korean culture and of the personality formation of Korean people. The subjects are 321 patients and member of their families who were over 18 years old, and who are living in five large cities and two rural communities on Korea. Data collection was done from March, 8th to April, 29th in 1999. The tool developed by the investigator through literature review was used to measure the perception and the attitude of patients and their families to Korean shamanism. Collected data were analyzed by frequency, percent and test with SPSS program. The results are summarized as follows : 1) While 35% of respondents answered that the destiny or fate was only relied on the abilities and endeavor of individual, 65% of respondents were fatalists or eclectic are compromised between the fate and endeavor. 2) While half of the respondents belief in divination to some degree, the rest of them reported hardly any belief in divination. 3) There were almost twice as many respondents who directly consulted fortunetellers were as respondents who did not consult fortunetellers. 4) The reasons for consulting fortunetellers were job problems, home problems, health problems by in that order. 5) The respondents almost always interpreted the cause of physical disease and mental disease as being psycho-sociological, but 1% of them explained mental disease as a shamanistic manifestation. 6) In case of disease, the reasons for consulting a fortuneteller was a) no hope of recovery from the sickness in any other way, b) the chronic disease in that order. 7) Of the respondents, 65% answered that disease could not be cured by a 'Gut'(the performance done by the shaman), but 27% of respondents thought that disease could be cured by a 'Gut' in the case of mental disease. 8) Sixty six percent of the respondents answered that they have experienced praying for their wishes with clean water. 9) While 54% of the respondents answered that they have seen or heard the 'Beung Gut'(the performance to pray for recovery of sickness done by the shaman), 46% responded that they have they have never seen or heard it. 10) To the question, "do you intend to have a 'Beung Gut'", 51.7% of respondents answer "no" stongly, but 48% of them say "yes" or took a compromising attitude. 11) Generally the respondents differed in perception and attitude to shamanism. In short, females more than males, old aged more than younger aged, lower educated more than higher educated, believers in Buddhism more than believers in any other religion, and blue color more than white color have more positive attitudes to shamanism. Also men living in rural communities have more positive attitude to shamanism than men living in the large cities. Consequently, Shamanism can be understood as an anxiety relieving cultural system even though Shamanism itself looks like a cultural complex.

The Relationship of Anxiety, Hopelessness, and Family Support of Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy / 기본간호학회지

This study was attempted to provide the basic data for nursing intervention to improve the psychosociological adaptation of patients receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer by examining relationship between anxiety and hopelessness that they are experiencing and family support, in order to help them successfully cope with various psychological problems. This study was carried out with 93 breast cancer patients who are receiving chemotherapy in the injection treatment room of K University Hospital located in the downtown of Taegu after having underwent mastectomy in the hospital between December 1995 and August 1996. This study used the systematized questionnaires which contain 7 questions about general characteristics, Spielberger's trait anxiety & state anxiety scale, the tool that WON(1987) modified the hopelessness scale which was developed by Beck et al. (1967) and the family support tool made by TAE(1985). By using the SPSS/PC program, this study obtained the real number and percent-age for the general characteristics of the subjects, and mean and standard variation for the degrees of trait anxiety, state anxiety, hopelessness and family support. The correlation between each variables was identified on the basis of the Pearson Correlation, and the degrees of trait anxiety, state anxiety, hopelessness and family support in the general characteristics of the subjects were analyzed by using the t-test, ANOVA, and Duncan test. The results of this study were summarized as follows : In the general characteristics of the subjects, most of each group were 51 years old or more and the middle class in income, had educational background under elementary school, no job, Buddhism in religion and spouse, and were receiving chemotherapy using MTX and 5 FU. It was shown that the degree of the subjects' trait anxiety is, on an average, 50. 29, state anxiety 49. 68, hopelessness 51. 46 and family support 34. 28. Both trait anxiety and hopelessness showed normal correlation ; the higher the degree of trait anxiety is, the higher the degree of hopelessness is, while trait anxiety and family support showed reverse correlation ; the higher the degree of trait anxiety, the lower the degree of family support that the subjects perceive is. State anxiety and hopelessness also showed normal correlation ; the higher the degree of anxiety is, the higher the degree of hopelessness is. Family support and hopelessness showed reverse correlation ; the higher the degree of family support is, the lower the degree of hopelessness that the subjects perceive is. And family support and state anxiety showed reverse correlation but there was a statistically significant difference. The degree of trait anxiety in the general characteristics of the subjects showed a significant difference by age, job and religion, the degree of state anxiety a significant difference by job and religion, the degree of hopelessness a significant difference by age, educational background and existence or not of spouse. In conclusion, the breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy perceive anxiety and hopelessness due to several causes such as diagnosis itself or side effects of chemotherapy, so that it is required not only to develop specific nursing interventions including family support to alleviate anxiety and hopelessness but also to apply such interventions to clinical practice.