Predictors of family caregivers' burden and quality of life when providing care for a family member with schizophrenia in the People's Republic of China.

Limited research has been undertaken regarding family caregivers' burden and quality of life (QOL) when providing care for a family member with schizophrenia in the People's Republic of China. This study examined the following in Chinese families caring for a member with schizophrenia: (i) the level of family caregivers' burden and QOL; (ii) the relationships among the demographic characteristics of family caregivers, the demographic characteristics of family members with schizophrenia, and family caregivers' burden and QOL; and (iii) the best predictors of family caregivers' burden and QOL. The findings suggest that family caregivers suffer a high level of burden when caring for a family member with schizophrenia. Numerous significant correlations were found among the variables. The best predictor of family caregivers' burden was found to be their level of education, while the best predictors of family caregivers' QOL were physical health and household income.

Workplace and personal factors associated with physical and mental health in hospital nurses in China.

Limited research exists on the workplace and personal factors that might be associated with the physical and mental health of nurses working in China. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to examine, in Chinese hospital nurses, the most frequently occurring workplace stressor, the most often used coping strategy, and the relationships that exist among workplace stressors, coping strategies, psychological hardiness, demographic characteristics, and physical and mental health. Four-hundred-and-eighty hospital nurses from five hospitals in three major Chinese cities were administered five self-report questionnaires. The findings indicated the most frequently cited workplace stressor was workload, while the most commonly used coping strategy was positive reappraisal. Numerous positive and negative correlations were found, suggesting the importance that workplace stress, coping strategies, psychological hardiness, and demographic characteristics play in relationship to each other, as well as to both the physical and mental health of Chinese nurses.

Caregiver burden and coping patterns of Chinese parents of a child with a mental illness.

The burden of providing care to a family member, who has a mental illness, has been investigated in the past. However, limited research has focused on how parents cope, as they attempt to maintain a functional family life, when they have a child with a mental illness. This study explored, using a descriptive correlational design, the: (i) differences between parents of a child with mental illness, regarding caregiver burden, coping patterns, and demographic characteristics; (ii) effect parental educational level, parental working status, educational level of the child, diagnosis of the child, and family economic status have on parental caregiver burden and coping patterns; (iii) relationships among caregiver burden and coping patterns; and (iv) demographic characteristics of parents and children that predict caregiver burden and parental coping patterns. Data were collected via interview using structured questionnaires, from 97 mainland Chinese parents who had a child with a mental illness. The findings revealed the parents perceived significant caregiver burden, while caring for their child with a mental illness, yet used limited coping patterns to maintain a functional family life. Also, a significant negative correlation was found between the parents' caregiver burden and the way of coping. Parental physical health and the child's educational level were the best predictors of caregiver burden, while parental physical health and educational levels were the best predictors of the way of coping. Findings suggest that effective nursing interventions should be instituted to help parents of a child with mental illness cope with caregiver burden, while maintaining a functional family life.

A survey of role stress, coping and health in Australian and New Zealand hospital nurses.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has identified international and cultural differences in nurses' workplace stress and coping responses. We hypothesised an association between problem-focused coping and improved health, emotion-focused coping with reduced health, and more frequent workplace stress with reduced health. OBJECTIVES: Test the above hypotheses with Australian and New Zealand nurses, and compare Australian and New Zealand nurses' experience of workplace stress, coping and health status. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: Three hundred and twenty-eight New South Wales (NSW) and 190 New Zealand (NZ) volunteer acute care hospital nurses (response rate 41%) from randomly sampled nurses. DESIGN AND METHOD: Postal survey consisting of a demographic questionnaire, the Nursing Stress Scale, the WAYS of Coping Questionnaire and the SF-36 Health Survey Version 2. RESULTS: Consistent with hypotheses, more frequent workplace stress predicted lower physical and mental health. Problem-focused coping was associated with better mental health. Emotion-focused coping was associated with reduced mental health. Contrary to hypotheses, coping styles did not predict physical health. NSW and NZ scored effectively the same on sources of workplace stress, stress coping methods, and physical and mental health when controlling for relevant variables. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest mental health benefits for nurses who use problem-solving to cope with stress by addressing the external source of the stress, rather than emotion-focused coping in which nurses try to control or manage their internal response to stress. Cultural similarities and similar hospital environments could account for equivalent findings for NSW and NZ.

The relationships among workplace stressors, coping methods, demographic characteristics, and health in Australian nurses.

Nursing is known to be stressful. Stress detrimentally can influence job satisfaction, psychological well-being, and physical health. There is a need for increased understanding of the stress that nurses experience and how best to manage it. Three hundred twenty Australian acute care public hospital nurses participated in a study by completing four questionnaires that examined (a) how various workplace stressors relate to ways of coping, demographic characteristics, and physical and mental health and (b) which workplace stressors, coping mechanisms, and demographic characteristics were the best predictors of physical and mental health. Significant correlations were found between stressors and physical and mental health. Multiple regression showed age to be the only significant predictor of physical health. The best coping predictors of mental health were escape-avoidance, distancing, and self-control. Other significant predictors of mental health were support in the workplace, the number of years worked in the unit, and workload. Mental health scores were higher for nurses working more years in the unit and for those who used distancing as a way of coping. Mental health scores were lower for nurses who used escape-avoidance, lacked workplace support, had high workload, and used self-control coping. The findings have implications for organizational management, particularly in terms of recommendations for stress management, social support, and workload reduction.

Cross-cultural comparison of workplace stressors, ways of coping and demographic characteristics as predictors of physical and mental health among hospital nurses in Japan, Thailand, South Korea and the USA (Hawaii).

In an attempt to cross-culturally compare factors that may contribute to the nursing shortage within countries that have produced a limited number of research findings on role stress in nurses, this research examined work stressors, ways of coping and demographic characteristics as predictors of physical and mental health among hospital nurses from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the USA (Hawaii). Subjects (n = 1554 hospital-based nurses) were administered four self-report questionnaires: Demographic Questionnaire, "Nursing Stress Scale", "Ways of Coping Questionnaire" and "SF-36 Health Survey". Findings suggested that nurses indicated similar workplace stressors, ways of coping, and levels of physical and mental health. While subjects, across countries, demonstrated a variety of predictors of physical and mental health, several predictors were found to be the same. Cross-culturally the role of nurses may vary; however, certain factors are predictive of the status of hospital nurses' physical health and mental health.

East meets West: a comparison between undergraduate nursing education in Japan and in the United States.

An increasing number of foreign students, especially those of Asian ethnicity, are enrolling in graduate nursing programs in the United States. The transition of these students into graduate nursing programs is not always easy. While a language difference may pose difficulties, a more crucial problem is the difference that often exists between the basic educational nursing preparations of Asian and American graduate students. Some Asian-educated students entering graduate nursing programs may not be prepared to the same degree as their U.S.-educated counterparts. This article presents some of the critical differences in educational philosophy, nursing faculty, types of nursing programs, admission criteria, nursing classroom and clinical experiences, and professional licensure that exist between Japan and the United States. Recommendations are proposed that could help mitigate some of these differences and facilitate the transition of Japanese graduate nursing students into the U.S. educational system.

Nursing education on women's health care in Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand.

Only within the last 3 decades have a select number of countries addressed issues surrounding the all-inclusive health and well-being of women. This factor has had a major influence on nursing education within these countries and the subsequent development of curricula. Because the preparation of nurses is pivotal in shaping a society's health care agenda, this article compares and contrasts demographic characteristics, curricular frameworks, the role of the nurse, quality control of nursing curricula, and the focus of nursing courses related to women's health care among the countries of Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. Recommendations based on infant mortality rates, life expectancy, leading causes of death, and country-based health care issues are provided to inform and guide the future focus of nursing education courses on women's health care within these countries.

Workplace stressors, ways of coping and demographic characteristics as predictors of physical and mental health of Japanese hospital nurses.

Role stress has always been a concern for nurses and health care administrators. Most research, however, on role stress in nurses has taken place in Western cultures. Limited research in the area has taken place in Asian cultures and particularly in the country of Japan. Since the role of the hospital nurse in Japan is vastly different from the role of the hospital nurse in Western cultures and select Asian cultures, it is unclear what part workplace stressors, coping mechanisms and demographic characteristics play in the physical and mental health of Japanese hospital nurses. Therefore, this study chose to examine, in Japanese hospital nurses: (a) the relationships among various workplace stressors, ways of coping, demographic characteristics, and physical and mental health; and (b) which workplace stressors, coping mechanisms and demographic characteristics were the best predictors of both physical and mental health. Data were obtained from 310 nurses who completed four questionnaires. Numerous significant correlations were found among the variables. Workload and number of people living in the household were found to be the best predictors of physical health. The best predictors of mental health were likelihood to leave the current nursing position, lack of support in the workplace, and escape-avoidance coping.

Nurse faculty perceptions regarding psychiatric-mental health nursing behavioral interventions: a cross-cultural comparison.

Mental disorders are internationally responsible for significant disease burden and disability. However, limited cross-culturally comparisons, related to psychiatric-mental health nurses and the care they deliver, have been conducted. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to present information obtained from nurse faculty from Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the USA (State of Hawaii) about: a) titles and educational preparation of the psychiatric-mental health nurses; b) the role and perception of others about the psychiatric-mental health nurses; c) nursing behavioral interventions, including medications; d) length of stay of hospitalized psychiatric patients; e) leading mental health problems; and, f) the profile of the population with a mental illness. The findings reflect diversity in the role and educational preparation of psychiatric-mental health nurses, as well as how psychiatric-mental health patients are treated.

Psychological hardiness, workplace stress and related stress reduction strategies.

Contending with stressful situations in the workplace is a common occurrence for all health care providers. Stress has numerous devastating effects on the workplace environment, as well as upon individuals who become victims of stress. However, enhancing psychological hardiness may facilitate an individual's ability to deal with workplace stress. Psychological hardiness, a personality style consisting of commitment, control and challenge, encourages human survival and the enrichment of life through development. This article provides an overview of psychological hardiness and workplace stress, and proposes strategies that one can use to enhance commitment, control and challenge in an effort to reduce the impact of stress.

Genetic education in baccalaureate and associate degree nursing programs in Japan.

The purpose of the present study was to ascertain the amount and type of genetic content in basic nursing education programs in Japan baccalaureate degree (BSN) and associate degree (ADN), and to describe the qualifications of faculty members teaching the genetics content. A questionnaire was used to examine these. The sample was derived from 66 basic nursing preparatory programs. Faculty members from 34 out of 75 (44.7%) of the BSN programs and 32 out of 52 (61.5%) of the ADN programs returned completed surveys, providing a total response rate of 52%. As a result of the analysis of the survey data, the researchers recommend increasing the amount of genetic content, related to nursing practice, in the curriculum of Japanese baccalaureate and associate degree nursing programs. In addition, the researchers recommend increasing the number of nursing faculty specialising in genetics. Japanese nursing education must incorporate genetic knowledge into the curricula to produce professionals who are prepared to practise in the current and future genetic health care arena.