A Structural Equation Model on Quality of Life of Mothers of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore how characteristics of ADHD children affect social support for mothers, parenting stress, parenting sense of competence, coping, and quality of life. The conceptual model was based on the Lazarus and Folkman's stress-evaluation-coping theory. METHODS: Data were collected 208 mothers of children with ADHD. Data were analysed using SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 18.0 programs. RESULTS: The proposed model was good fit for the data based on the model fit indices. Parenting stress, parenting sense of competence and coping directly affected quality of life but characteristics of the children and social support had only an indirect effect. The explanatory power of these variables was 52.1%. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that nursing strategies to increase social support for mothers with ADHD children, lowers parenting stress, improves parenting sense of competence, and guides the parents to choose appropriate coping. In particular, as social support has the strongest influence on the quality of life, it is necessary to develop nursing intervention programs that utilize social support for parents with ADHD children.

Job Stress, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment of Customized Home Health Care Nurse / 農村醫學 地域保健

OBJECTIVES: This research was done to identify relationships among job stress, fatigue, job satisfaction, and commitment to organization in customized home health care nurses. METHODS: Research participants were 130 nurses who worked in the customized home health care of 20 county in Gyeongnam province. Data collection for this descriptive correlational study was done at August 2010 using self report questionnaires, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and we analyzed a four step approach in which several regression analyses were conducted and significance of the coefficients is examined at each step. RESULTS: The results from step 1 showed that, the effect of each job stress was significantly related to job satisfaction. In step 2, the direct effect of commitment to organization on job satisfactions were all significant too. Step 3 analysis showed that the total effect of each job stress on commitment to organization symptoms was significant. Step 4 showed the results of controlling for mediating factor (job satisfaction): job demand and insecurity were significantly associated with commitment to organization (p<0.001), the finding supports that others were fully mediated by each job satisfaction, and, the job demand and insecurity were partially mediated by job satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Results of this research indicated that job stress in customized home health care nurses was the principal variable affecting job satisfaction and commitment to organization. Appropriate stress management strategies based on assessment of job demand and job security for these nurses lead to development of improved commitment to organization.

Trends in the Incidence of Hospitalized Acute Myocardial Infarction and Stroke in Korea, 2006-2010

This study attempted to calculate and investigate the incidence of hospitalized acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke in Korea. Using the National Health Insurance claim data, we investigated patients whose main diagnostic codes included AMI or stroke during 2006 to 2010. As a result, we found out that the number of AMI hospitalized patients had decreased since 2006 and amounted to 15,893 in 2010; and that the number of those with stroke had decreased since 2006 and amounted to 73,501 in 2010. The age-standardized incidence rate of hospitalized AMI, after adjustment for readmission, was 41.6 cases per 100,000-population in 2006, and had decreased to 29.4 cases in 2010 (for trend P < 0.001). In the case of stroke was estimated at 172.8 cases per 100,000-population in 2006, and had decreased to 135.1 cases in 2010 (for trend P < 0.001). In conclusion, the age-standardized incidence rates of both hospitalized AMI and stroke in Korea had decreased continuously during 2006 to 2010. We consider this decreasing trend due to the active use of pharmaceuticals, early vascular intervention, and the national cardio-cerebrovascular disease care project as the primary and secondary prevention efforts.