• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.100-135
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• 1999

Typical symptoms of rheumatic disease affect overall daily living and cause severe stress. Individuals afflicted with rheumatic disease have many illness-related stresses. Pain was the predominantly perceived stress followed by limitation in mobility, difficulties in carrying out activities of daily living. helplessness, dependency on others, threat to self-esteem, interference in social activity, interference in family relationships. difficulties performing at work, and discomfort of the treatment. Patients with chronic arthritis are subjected to long periods of continuous stress, which may require the management by the health care provider. In these cases, the purpose of the nursing is helping to promote health through supporting patient's coping. Therefore, for the nursing intervention to be effective, it is critical to build a theoretical framework that describes stress-coping for chronic arthritis. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation is to present a theoretical framework which describes the stress-coping processes and to empirically test pathos of this framework for the people with chronic arthritis. The foundation upon which this framework is built in the Erickson, Tomlin, and Swain(1983) theory of Modeling and role-Modeling. The subjects were 275 patients with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis who visited the outpatient clinic. A hypothetical model of stress-coping was tested by covariance structure analysis with PC-LISREL 8.12 program. As a result, the overall fit was good(Chi-square=94.49, P=0.00, RMR=0.067, GFI=0.95, AGFI=0.91, NNFI=0.93, NFI=0.91) for the hypothetical model. The results of hypothesis testing were as follows : Basic need satisfaction had a statistically significant influence on illness-related experience, emotional stress and coping resources. Internal health locus of control had a statistically significant influence on coping resources. However, independent variables(basic need satisfaction, internal health locus of control, illness-related experience, emotional stress and coping resource) did not have significantly influence on coping. And then, the hypothetical model was modified by considering both the theoretical implication and statistical significance of the parameter estimates. The revised model had a better fit to the data(Chi-square=83.11(P=0.00), RMR=0.061, GFI=0.96, AGFI=0.92, NNFI=0.95, NFI=0.92). Hypothesis emerged from the revised model was tested. The results of hypothesis testing were as follows : Basic need satisfaction had a statistically significant influence on illness-related experience, emotional stress and coping resources. Internal health locus of control had a statistically significant influence on illness-related experience and coping resources. Internal health locus of control, illness-related experience, emotional stress and coping resources had a significantly influence on coping. According to the results of this dissertation, basic need satisfaction and internal health locus of control play a central role in appraisal of illness-related experience and coping resources. And illness related-experience, emotional stress, and coping resources affect on coping activities. In summary, nursing interventions to enhance basic need satisfaction and internal health locus of control will decrease illness related experience and emotional stress and increase coping resources. Increased coping resources will prompt coping activities.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.126-138
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• 1995

For investigating a disease specific psychological mechanism in various dermatological disorders, we tried to explore the difference in correlation among stress perception, locus of control as a coping strategy, depressive symptoms and pruritic symptoms in the patients with psychological pruritis and chronic urticaria. The subjects were composed of 32 patients with psychol-ogical pruritis and 67 patients with chronic urticaria(subject group), and 25 patients with organic pruritis and 59 patient with major depression(control group). Global assesment of recent stress scale(GARS), I-E locus of control scale, Beck Depression Inventory(BDI) and medical college of wisconsin center pain follow up questionnaire were used for assesement. The results were as follows: 1) There were a significant positive correlation between stress perception and depressive symptom in patients with psychological pruritis, chronic urticaria, and major depression but not hi organic pruritis. 2) In relationship between locus of control and depressive symptom, patients with psychological pruritis, organic pruritis, and major depression except chronic ruticaria showed a significant negative correlation. 3) For intensity and pattern of pruritis, there were positive relations with depressive symptom and stress perception only in patients with chronic urticaria. Above results indicate that stress perception and locus of contorl may play a significant role in the formation of psychological and dermatological symptoms in psychological pruitis and chronic urticaria. But the mechanisms of these processes are different in either disorder.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.53-82
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• 2007

This study, driven by the question of 'what the experience of healing of female sexual abuse victims is like,' explores the process the victims undergo as they heal from the traumas. Using the methods suggested by Strauss and Corbin's Grounded theory, it analyzes nine interviews taken from victims who have received counseling. The study found that the central phenomena that take place in the process of their healing is 'mental pain due to the damage caused by sexual abuse,' the causal conditions are 'the recognition of the sexual abuse' and 'desperation,' and the contextual conditions are 'the reaction of the close ones of the victims,' 'the preconception about sexuality,' and 'the incarceration and punishment of the offenders.' The victims have been intervened in the healing process by 'being supported' and 're-interpreting the meaning of the damage caused by sexual abuse,' and are found to utilize the interactive strategy among 'facing their emotions,' 'learning new coping strategies,' and 'hoping for the future.' They are also found, as a result of the healing, to 'live unafraid as survivors' and 'have structured their lives in a new way.' This study is of significance in systematically elucidating the healing process and the related elements found through the voices of the survivors of sexual abuse in the context of the Korean society and culture. The limits of this study and suggestions about the studies that should follow this one are included as well.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.122-136
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• 2000

Chronic illness requiring attention and management during a long period of time puts great burden onto patients, their family and society. For patients with chronic illnesses, providing social support is the most important, and the fundamental support comes from their spouses. Amount and quality of support from spouses seems to differentiated according to the sex of patients. Female patients tend to believe that their spouses are not very supportive. Therefore, the researchers assessed the burden of husbands of female arthritis patients to discover the factors that result in greater burden. Also, they developed a theoretical model of husbands′ care for their wives through a qualitative research into husbands′ experience. Method 1: The study material was 650 female arthritis patients registered in an arthritis clinic. The questionnaire about the disease experience of female arthritis patients and the burden of husbands were sent. Returned questionnaires numbered 210(32.3%) and 27 were excluded because of inadequate answers. The remaining 183 questionnaires were analyzed. The mean age of the patients was 51 years and the mean age of spouses was 55 years. The mean marital period was 28 years. The average duration since diagnosis was 9.1 years. Education level was varied from primary school to graduate school, and average income/month was 1,517,300 won. Method 2: Initial questionnaire studies on the burden of husbands were performed. Among 183 responding husbands, 23 consented to participate for a qualitative research. Data was obtained by direct and telephone interviews. The mean age of participants was 58 years, and the educational level and socioeconomic status also varied. Result: 1. Husbands′ burden: The average burden was 57.68 with a range of 6-96. 2. Burden and general characteristics: The husband′s burden correlated with the age of the patients, numbers in the family, therapy methods, patient′s level of discomfort, patient′s disease severity, patient′s level of dependence and the husband′s understanding of the level of severity. 3. Linear correlation analysis on burden: The husbands′ burden is explained in 22.5% by husband′s recognition of level of severity and husbands′ age. 4. There were four patterns of the burden on husbands: both objectve burden and subjective burden were high(pattern I), both of objectve burden and subjective burden were low(pattern II), objective burden was high but subjective burden was low(pattern III), objective burden was low but subjective burden was high(pattern IV). The pattern was correlated with the family income, educational level of the patients and their husbands, therapy methods, patient′s level of discomfort, patient′s disease severity, patient′s level of dependence and husband′s understanding of level of severity. 5. The core category of the caring experience of the husbands with arthritis patients was "companionship". The causal factor was the patients′ experience due to symptoms : physical disfigurement, pain, immobility, limitation of house chores, and limitation of social activities. Contextural factors are husbands′ identification of housework and husbands′ concern about the disease. The mediating factors are economic problems, fear of aging, feeling of limitation and family support. The strategy for interaction is mind control and how to solve emotional stress. The "companionship" resulted from caring activities, participation of household activities, helping patients′ to coping with emotional experience. 6. Companionship is established through the process of entering intervention, and caring state of mind. Entering intervention is the phase of participation of therapy and involvement of houseworks. The caring phase consists of decision on therapy, providing therapy, providing direct care, and taking over the household role of wife. Through caring phase, the changing phase set a stage in which husbands consolidate the relationship with their wives, and are reminded of the meaning of marriage. As a result, in changing phase, husbands′ companionship is enhanced. In conclusion, nursing care of chronic illnesses should include a family member especially the spouse. All information on disease shoud be provided to patients and whole family member. Strong support should also be provided to overcome difficulties in taking over role of other sex. Then the quality of life of patients and families will be much improved.