Factors related to Meaning in Life in Elderly / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: The study examined factors related to the meaning in life in elderly in one city. METHODS: The sample consisted of 217 subjects all of which were over 60 years of age and were recruited from two community senior centers from December 2008 to February 2009. Data collection instruments were the Meaning in Life Scale, Social Support Index, CES-D, and RULS questionnaire. SPSS/WIN 17.0 was used for descriptive analysis, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The mean of the score from the Meaning in Life was 50.04 (range 10~70). There were significant differences in subjects' perception of meaning in life according to age, level of education, religion, having a spouse, satisfaction with relationship with children, and frequency of visits to a community senior center. Meaning in life was significantly correlated with family support, depression, and loneliness, which were significant predictors (21.5%) of meaning in life. CONCLUSION: To improve meaning in life of the elderly who visited a community senior center, nurses may pay attention to depression, loneliness, and family support.

The Relationship of Late-Life Function and Disability(LLFDI) with Quality of Sleep in Older Men with Prostatic Hypertrophic Symptoms / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between LLFDI and quality of sleep in older men with prostatic hypertrophic symptoms. METHODS: The secondary analysis of data collected for the 2nd stage BK(Brain Korea)21 project was performed. The original data were collected using a cross-sectional, face-to-face, and private interview method. The questionnaires consisted of prostatic hypertrophic symptoms, late-life function and disability, quality of sleep, and demographic profiles. RESULTS: A total of 112 older men included in this study. The major findings of this study were as follow; 1) 29.5% of participants had more than moderate symptoms of prostatic hypertrophy. 2) There were a significant positive correlation of prostatic hypertrophic symptoms with subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction found, whereas there was a negative relationship with frequency dimension. 3) The LLFDI is significantly associated with urgency, weak stream, and intermittency. The quality of sleep is significantly associated with weak stream which explained 11.2% of variance. CONCLUSION: These results may contribute to a better understanding late-life function and disability, quality of sleep in older men with prostatic hypertrophic symptoms. Therefore, health programs for prompting older men's health should be planned based on results of the study.

The Predictors of Subjective Well-Being among Older Adults / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was to explore the predictors of subjective well-being of Korean older adults. METHOD: Data were collected through the structured interview using questionnaire with 199 older adults over 60 years. To identify the most effective predictor of the SWB, a stepwise regression analysis was conducted on each subscale of SWB measure. RESULTS: The results showed that receiving support from family was the effective factor of life satisfaction. Receiving support from family, health, optimism, economy, positive reappraisal, and giving support to family were the effective factors of emotional well-being. CONCLUSION: This study found that family support was the most important predictor on SWB among Korean older adults.

Health as Expanding Consciousness: Based on the Experiences of Victims of Sexual Violence / 간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was to explore health experiences of victims of sexual violence reflected in Newman's health as expanding consciousness theory. METHOD: Nurse as researcher use Newman's praxis methodology because it is good for showing the process of interaction between researcher and sexual abuse victims. RESULTS: The significant characteristics of early health experiences during negative situations were a lot of suffering. However, after a turning point in health experience, the health experiences of most of the participants evolved as expanding consciousness. CONCLUSION: The study has provided support for Newman's theory of health. Most of the participants recognised meanings in their patterns and trustful caring relationships with the nurse as researcher. Pattern recognition as a nursing practice was a meaningful transforming process in the participant-nurse partnership.