• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.161-173
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to develope and test the structural model for quality of life in women having hysterectomies. A hypothetical model was constructed on the basis of previous studies and a review of literature. The conceptual framework was built around eight constructs. Exogenous variables included in this model were marital intimacy, importance of uterus, professional support, positive coping behavior and pre-operative symptoms. Endogenous variables were spouse's support, sense of loss and quality of life. Empirical data for testing the hypothetical model was collected using a self-report questionnare from 203 women having hysterectomies at the outpatient clinics of four general hospitals and a mail survey in Pusan City. The Data was collected from December, 1997 to January, 1998. Reliability of the eight instruments was tested with Cronbach's alpha which ranged from 0.639-0.915. For the data analysis, SPSS 7.5 WIN Program and LISREL 8.12 WIN Program were used for descriptive statistics and covariance structural analysis. The results of covariance structure analysis were as follows : 1. Hypothetical model showed a good fit with the empirical data. ［$\chi$$^2$＝6.93(df＝5, P＝.23), GFI＝.99, AGFI＝.94, RMSR＝.019, NNFI＝.97, NFI＝.98, CN＝440, standardized residuals(-2.14-2.10)］ 2. For the parsimony of model, a modified model was constructed by deleting 3 paths and adding 1 path according to the criteria of statistical significance and meaning. 3. The modified model also showed a good fit with the data. ［$\chi$$^2$＝5.26(df＝7, P＝.63), GFI＝.99, AGFI＝.97, RMSR＝.014, NNFI＝1.02, NFI＝.99, CN＝710, standardized residuals(-1.46-1.70)］ Results of the testing of the hypothesis were as follows : 1. Marital intimacy(${\gamma}$11＝.78, t＝14.37) and professional support(${\gamma}$13＝.12, t＝2.12) had a significant direct effect on the spouse's support. 2. Pre-operative symptoms(${\gamma}$25＝.32, t＝3.12), importance of uterus(${\gamma}$22＝.20, t＝2.61) and spouse's support($\beta$2l＝-.19, t＝-2.43) had a significant direct effect on the sense of loss. 3. Sense of loss($\beta$32＝-.66, t＝-9.83) had a direct effect on the quality of life. Marital intimacy had a direct(${\gamma}$31＝.19, t＝3.33), indirect(${\gamma}$31＝.14, t＝2.52) and total effect(${\gamma}$31＝.25, t＝4.41) on the quality of life. Professional support had a direct effect(${\gamma}$33＝.11, t＝2.07) and total effect(${\gamma}$33＝.13, t＝2.31) on the quality of life. The direct effect of pre-operative symptoms(${\gamma}$35＝-.36, t＝4.02) and positive coping behavior(${\gamma}$34＝.15, t＝2.06) had the insignificant effect on the quality of life while, due to the idirect effect these variables had overall significant effect on the quality of life. The results of this study showed that the sense of loss had the most significant direct effect on the quality of life. Marital intimacy, pre -operative symptoms and spouse's support had a significant direct effect on this sense of loss. These four variables, the sense of loss, marital intimacy, pre-operative symptoms and spouse's support, were identified as relatively important variables. The results of this study suggested that there is needed to determine if nursing intervention would alleviate this sense of loss and promote a greater quality of life in women who have had hysterectomies.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.379-391
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to gain an in-depth understanding of the experience of married immigrant women who lost their spouse, and it is meaningful in that it examined the empirical perception on the recently newly-focused issue, bereavement of marriage immigrant women, from their perspective for the first time. For this, in-depth interviews were conducted on seven immigrant women who have experienced the death of their spouse and analyzed in Colaizzi's phenomenological method. The results showed that the experience can be classified into 20 topics and 5 categories: 'happy marriage life', 'marriage life they had put up with', 'death of spouse', 'life to be lived alone', and 'bearable life with hope'. The experience of bereavement was found to be a transition from the life in which they depended on their spouse in every aspect to the one where they make efforts to live an independent life adjusting to changes in their life after the loss. Based on this, the study will be a fundamental source of practical measures and social welfare support for them to live a better life in Korean society after their bereavement.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.312-318
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• 2016

This study examined the influence of a Mindfulness Based Compassion Meditation Program on the brain activation and stress of elderly women who experienced loss of spouse using 2 channel EEG (Electroencephalography). The total number of subjects was 60, consisting of elderly women aged from 65~75years of in Y county; 30 in the experimental group and 30 in the control group who were checked by EEG before and after the study. The study was conducted from August to November, 2015. The Mindfulness Based Compassion Meditation Program was designed for the convergence of body and mind integration with compassion meditation for the purpose of developing love, sympathy, and compassion. The treatment was conducted once a week, for 60 minutes at a time, over a period of 16 weeks. The results in the experimental group showed an increase in the Activity Quotient (ATQ) Rt(82.51/85.83, p<.013) and AntiStress Quotient (ASQ) Lt (74.711/71.17, p<.050). The Activity Quotient shows the mental function and behavior tendency in the brain, while the AntiStress Quotient shows the state of physical and mental relaxation. The Mindfulness Based Compassion Meditation Program was shown to influence the brain activation and stress of the elderly women using the practical application of neuroscience.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.491-505
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• 1992

The purpose of this research was to understand the structure of the lived experience of parents of a child terminally ill with cancer The research question was “What is the structure of the experience of parents of a child terminally ill with cancer\ulcorner” The sample consisted of 17 parents of children admitted to the cancer units of two university hospitals in Seoul. The unstructured interviews were carried out from October 10, 1991 through January 10, 1992. They were audio-recorded and analysed using Van Kaam's method. Parents ascribed the cause of the cancer to the mother's emotional imbalance during pregnancy, the mother's stress, failure to observe religious rites, food, the parent's sin, misfortune and pollution. The theme clusters were tension, fear and depression experienced during pregnancy, stress that children suffer from abusive parents, failure to observe religious activites, bad luck, and sins committed during a previous life. When the child suffered a recurrence of cancer, the parents experienced negative emotions, nervousness, sorrow. depression and death. The theme clusters were feelings of despair, helplessness, regret, guilt, insecurity, emptyness and apathy. The long struggle with cancer resulted in the loss of economic security, loss of psychological and physical well being, and social withdrawal. The theme clusters were the economic burden of medical cost, giving up treatment, debt, limited medical insurance coverage and blood transfusion. The loss of psychological well being included stress, lack of support systems, inability to carry out responsibilities, lack of trust of the medical ten family breakdown, inappropriate expression of emotion and not disclosing the diagnosis to the child. Physically the parents suffered fatigue, insomnia, loss of appetite, loss of weight, dizzness, headache, psychosomatic symptoms, and increased consumption of liquor and cigarettes. Social withdrawal was manifested by taking time off from work to look after the child, decrease of outside social activities and feelings of isolation. Influences on family life were spousal conflicts, negative response of siblings, separation of the family members and economic hardship. The theme clusters were blaming a spouse for the cause of the illness and disagreements, maladjustment, lonliness, hostility and depression of siblings. The high price of medical care over the long period was a major factor influencing the life of the family. Positive experiences during the child's long illness were the strengthening of support systems and religious beliefs and financial help from social organizations. The support of one's spouse primarily helped to overcome the stress of the long illness. In addition, support was received from parents of other children with cancer and from nurses and religious leaders. The nurse, by providing empathetic support, should be a person with whom parents can express their feelings and share their experiences.

• 한국노년학
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.675-687
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• 2012

This study is aimed to investigate the difference of leisure time use of elderly groups clustered with demographic factors and finally produce the leisure profile. A total 5392 time diaries, filled up by 65-years old and over in 2009 Time Use Survey, were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, correlation, cluster analysis, and ANOVA accompanied with the Scheffe's tests. The subjects could be clustered into 7 groups such as still working, work than leisure, hobby with friends, various leisure in a city, with religion and friendship, working and doing leisure in their spare time, and leisure in suburb based upon demographic factors such as age, gender, spouse, education, job, income and living area. The data also revealed that the clusters had different time use patterns in pursuing leisure. Overall, leisure in later life could be influenced by working status, and play an important role in filling their loss of job or spouse. The findings could help us plan upcoming leisure program and policies for the elderly.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.11-22
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• 1998

Social support may be a crucial aspect in single mothers' adjustment from the loss of spouse. Using a survey data collected from 285 widowed or divorced mothers, this study investigated whether social support buffers the deleterious effects of stress on psychological adjustment among poor single mothers. Results revealed that social support is not provided for at a desirable level. After controlling the single mothers' characteristics, stress in daily life, emotional support, job status and child relationship were associated with depression of them. It was also founded that emotional support buffer the negative effect of stress on depression of single mothers. Therefore, the support programs focused on emotional support are necessary for single mothers to enhance their mental health.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.165-193
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• 2013

This study purposes to explore the growing process through spousal bereavement in later life, and to develop the theory. A qualitative research was conducted, and the participants were 17 seniors. The analysis according to Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory(1998), resulted in 143 concepts, 43 subcategories, and 19 categories. Range analysis according to paradigm showed that the causal conditions were 'marital relationships', 'independent/dependent tendencies', and 'emotional readiness for the death of a spouse', and the phenomena were 'depression', 'hopelessness', 'daily stress', 'psychological intimidation', 'regret', and 'sense of being freed'. The contextual conditions that affect these phenomena were 'desire for intimate personal relationships' and 'desire to maintain independence'; the action/interaction strategies to manage the phenomena were 'facing reality' and 'efforts for construction of the new life'; and the mediating conditions that promote or suppress these action/interaction strategies were 'social support' and 'spirituality'. The results were 'reconstruction of the meaning in life', 'increase in self-esteem', 'reinforcement of social network' and 'embrace and acceptance'. Furthermore, when personal growth after bereavement of a spouse was analyzed focusing on changes over time, the growth process consisted of three steps: 'sadness and despair', 'embracing and moving forward', and 'personal growth'. The pattern analyses were performed to typify recurring relations by category, and 5 types were derived. The results of our study show that personal growth after spousal loss is an integrative process in life after crisis, and can be conceptualized as the process of overcoming the despair that immediately follows the death of a spouse, seeking a new life by actively taking control, and discovering a strengthened self.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.141-150
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• 1997

A clinic study was carried out on 83 neuropsychiatric outpatients who visited 'Hwabyung Clinic' in Oriental Hospital of Kyung Hee University from July 1 in 1996, in order to study clinical research and the aspect of 'Hwa'. 1. Onset of stress that causes of Hwabyung was 14.23 years ago and onset of symptoms were 6.39 years ago. Hwabyung patients were maintaining their marital state and were under the same stress that was thought to be the chief causes of the Hwabyung..3. Familiar troubles including their spouse were the main cause of the Hwabyung, which suggested that prolonged trobles were more important rather than sudden emotional shock, and it was obvious that the patients were recognizing the predisposing factors of Hwabyung.5. The emotional state which led to Hwabyung and the present state caused by Heabyung were complicated very much. Feeling being mortified, anger and resentment were gradually changed into anxiety, irritability, depression and loss of interest.6. The somatic symptoms of Hwabyung were flushing, insomnia, hradache, dizziness, and oppressed.7. The feeling of flushing were whole body, front of the body and upper of the body.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.187-199
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe experiences of sexual life among Korean women with breast cancer. Methods: Data were collected by focus group and individual tape-recorded interviews. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Participants were 13 women who had stage I, II, or III breast cancer. Four major categories were discovered. "Not interested in sexual life at all" in which participants described their struggle to live while avoiding sexual life during initial stages of disease. "Sexual life that could not go back to previous normal life" in which participants described how they began to recognize many problems related to their sexual life resulting from the loss of femininity and pain during intercourse. "Dangerous marriage due to no sexual life" in which participants illustrated how no or unsatisfactory sexual life threatened their entire marriage and family life. Finally, "rediscovery of sexual life as a vital element in life" in which participants described how, with support from their spouse, they came to realize that sexual life was an important and vital part of their life. Conclusions: The results of this study could help in developing-educational programs to improve sexual well-being of women with breast cancer and their spouses.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.507-519
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to explore the general trends and the correlations of parent-child conflicts, copings, and psychological well-being of single mothers and their children, and to analyze the variables explaining relationships between single mothers and their children. The subjects were 196 dyads of single mothers and their children who reside in Gwangju city and Jeonnam area. The data were analyzed with frequency, t-Test, Pearsons' r, and multiple regression by SPSS. The major findings are as follows: 1. Scores of single mothers and their children had conflicts and emotion-focused copings lower than median. Another scores of single mothers and their children had significantly higher problem solving focused copings and emotion-focused copings than their children except life satisfaction; 2. Conflicts, copings, life satisfaction, and depression of a single mother were positively related to those of children; 3. Life satisfaction of single mothers depends on the reason for spouse-loss, their own education background, and problem solving-focused copings. Also, that of children depends on problem solving-focused copings, mother-child conflicts, and the mothers' education. Depression of single mothers is dependent upon mother-child conflicts, emotion-focused copings, and mothers' education. Also, that of children is upon mother-child conflicts, emotion-focused copings, mothers' education, and problem solving-focused copings.