Effects of Self-Awareness, Other-Awareness and Empathy on Communication Ability of Nursing Students / 의료커뮤니케이션

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors affecting communication ability of nursing students.METHODS: The participants were 140 students in nursing college at the G city. The data were collected using online-questionnaires from July 4 to July 10 2018 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis with SPSS 20.0 program.RESULTS: The results show that communication ability was statistically significant according to self-awareness, other-awareness, empathy. Multiple regression analysis found that the factors influencing communication ability of nursing students were empathy(β=.540), self-awareness(β=.429), other-awareness(β=.375). These variable factors explained community ability as 46.3%.CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that empathy, self-awareness, other-awareness are significant factors of communication ability of nursing students. Therefore, strategies to improve communication ability of nursing students should be developed with consideration for empathy, self-awareness, other-awareness.

Tooth Loss Is Associated with Brain White Matter Change and Silent Infarction among Adults without Dementia and Stroke

Periodontal disease is a predictor of stroke and cognitive impairment. The association between the number of lost teeth (an indicator of periodontal disease) and silent infarcts and cerebral white matter changes on brain CT was investigated in community-dwelling adults without dementia or stroke. Dental examination and CT were performed in 438 stroke- and dementia-free subjects older than 50 yr (mean age, 63 +/- 7.9 yr), who were recruited for an early health check-up program as part of the Prevention of Stroke and Dementia (PRESENT) project between 2009 and 2010. In unadjusted analyses, the odds ratio (OR) for silent cerebral infarcts and cerebral white matter changes for subjects with 6-10 and > 10 lost teeth was 2.3 (95% CI, 1.38-4.39; P = 0.006) and 4.2 (95% CI, 1.57-5.64; P < 0.001), respectively, as compared to subjects with 0-5 lost teeth. After adjustment for age, education, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and smoking, the ORs were 1.7 (95% CI, 1.08-3.69; P = 0.12) and 3.9 (95% CI, 1.27-5.02; P < 0.001), respectively. These findings suggest that severe tooth loss may be a predictor of silent cerebral infarcts and cerebral white matter changes in community-dwelling, stroke- and dementia-free adults.

Tooth Loss May Predict Poor Cognitive Function in Community-Dwelling Adults without Dementia or Stroke: The PRESENT Project

Periodontal disease is a potential predictor of stroke and cognitive impairment. However, this association is unclear in adults aged 50 yr and above without a history of stroke or dementia. We evaluated the association between the number of teeth lost, indicating periodontal disease, and cognitive impairment in community-dwelling adults without any history of dementia or stroke. Dental examinations were performed on 438 adults older than 50 yr (315 females, mean age 63+/-7.8 yr; 123 males, mean age 61.5+/-8.5 yr) between January 2009 and December 2010. In the unadjusted analysis, odds ratios (OR) of cognitive impairment based on MMSE score were 2.46 (95% CI, 1.38-4.39) and 2.7 (95% CI, 1.57-4.64) for subjects who had lost 6-10 teeth and those who had lost more than 10 teeth, respectively, when compared with subjects who had lost 0-5 teeth. After adjusting for age, education level, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and smoking, the relationship remained significant (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.08-3.69, P=0.027 for those with 6-10 teeth lost; OR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.27-4.02, P=0.006 for those with more than 10 teeth lost). The number of teeth lost is correlated with cognitive impairment among community-dwelling adults aged 50 and above without any medical history of stroke or dementia.

Factors Affecting Physical Symptoms of Elders / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the relationship of trait anger, health state, physical symptoms. and general characteristics to physical symptoms and to identify factors affecting physical symptoms of elderly in urban areas. METHODS: The research design for this study was a descriptive survey design using a convenience sampling. Elders (n=276), who agreed to participate in this study completed a self-reporting questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. RESULTS: Study participants reported low trait anger (M=18.61), physical symptoms (M=7.15), and moderate health state (M=3.30). The 45.4% of variance in physical symptoms was significantly explained by emotional function health state (beta=-.284, p=.013), which is one of the sub-domain of the elderly health state, and trait anger (beta=3.841, p<.001). CONCLUSION: Findings of this study provide that the most important factors in explaining physical symptoms for the elders in Korea were emotional function health state and trait anger. Based on the findings of this study, further nursing practice and nursing research for the elders with physical symptoms should be focused on emotional support.

A Comparative Study of Cognitive Function, Anxiety, and Quality of Life for the Demented Elderly in Health Facilities / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: We aimed to describe and compare the cognitive function, anxiety, and quality of life for the demented elderly in day care centers or nursing homes. METHODS: We selected 44 subjects from day care centers and 63 subjects from nursing homes by performing convenience sampling. The Korean version of Mini Mental Status Examination was used for measuring cognitive status; Rating Anxiety in Dementia, for assessing anxiety; Korean Version of Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease, for assessing the quality of life. The data were collected from May to June 2008 and analyzed by SPSS WIN 14.0. RESULTS: 1) The cognitive function of the subjects in the day care center was higher than that of the subjects in the nursing home. Anxiety in the subjects in the nursing home was higher than that in the subjects in the day care center. 2) The cognitive function and quality of life of the subjects in the day care center showed statistically significant correlation 3) The anxiety and quality of life of the subjects in the nursing home showed statistically significant correlation. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing interventions that improve the quality of life of the demented elderly should be considered and applied according to the degree of cognitive function and anxiety.

The Influences of Physical Health, Cognitive Symptom and Nutritional Status on the Depression of the Elderly Dwelling in a Big City

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to investigate factors related to the depression of the elderly dwelling in a big city, and to explore the influence of physical health, cognitive symptom and nutritional status on the elders' depression. METHODS: After the approval of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and obtaining the participants' consent form, a face-to-face and private interview was conducted with each participant from May, 2007 to Aug, 2007 by trained graduate level students. A total of 201 elders aged over 65 years participated in the study. The questionnaire consisted of K-GDS, PHQ-15 and Nutritional Screening Initiative (NSI). Collected data were analyzed with the SPSS 13.0 program, which was used for frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. RESULTS: The major findings of this study were as follows. 1) 28.4% of the subjects belonged to the depression group, 78.1% had one or more diseases, 85.6% had experienced somatic symptoms, and 49.7% belonged to the nutritional risk group. 2) Older age, lower educational level, more pocket money, a larger number of diseases, more severe cognitive symptoms and poorer nutritional status were significantly related to a higher depression score. 3) Significant factors influencing depression were nutritional status, cognitive symptoms and the number of diseases, which explained 38.1% of the variance of elderly depression, and nutritional status was the most influencing factor. CONCLUSION: The finding of this study gives useful information for developing assessment tools and interventions for elders' depression.

A Study on the Falls, Fear of Falling, Depression, and Perceived Health Status among the Older Adults / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between a experience of falling, fear of falling, depression, and perceived health status in urban areas. METHODS: After obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, a one-time, face-to-face, and private interview was conducted with each participant who was eligible and agreed to participate in this study from May 2007 to August 2007 by trained graduate-level nursing students. The questionnaires consisted of Fall Efficacy Scale, K-GDS, and SF-36. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS/PC 12.0 program, which was used for frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, and hierarchical regression. RESULTS: The major findings of this study were as follows; 1) approximately 9% of participants had fallen within one year. Study participants reported moderate fear of falling(M=43.80); moderate physical health (M=42.31) and mental health(M=46.05); and low depression status(M=10.38). 2) there were significant differences in fear of falling according to gender, experience of falling, exercise, and depression. 3) significant factors influencing on fear of falling were experience of falling and physical health status. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that nurses working closely with older adults should be taught the impact of previous falls and physical health status on fear of falling and need to reinforce exercise behavior for older adults who are vulnerable to fear of falling.