• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.313-334
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• 2015

This study examines cultural differneces in psychosocial maturity experiences between collectivistic and individualistic cultures. Personal, relational, and social dimensions were assessed to explore psychosocial maturity experience of elderly Korean residents in Korea and Canada who were psychosocially well developed through in-depth interviews and a content analysis. According to the results, there were diverse similarities and differences in the psychosocial maturity of elderly Korean residents between the two cultures. First, psychosocially mature elderly residents in both cultures showed positive self-concept and self-satisfaction. However, there were differences in their meaning. Second, in terms of interpersonal relations, the most important and satisfying relationship was the spousal relationship for both cultures, and relationships with children were satisfying. However, there were differences in the meaning of relationships between the two cultures as well as gender differences. Third, psychosocially mature elderly residents in both cultures reported psychosocial factors such as mature aging as a social dimension. Elderly residents in Korea regarded mature aging as a relationship oriented phenomenon, whereas those in Canada reported social attitudes toward mature aging. In addition, elderly residents in both cultures reported greed and harm to others as immature aging. Elderly residents in Korea regarded relational discord as immature aging, whereas those in Canada regarded it as demanding adult treatment from future generation. In terms of transcendence, adjustment was reported as living by going with the flow. Elderly residents in Korea reported adjustment based on fatalism, whereas those in Canada showed some religious meaning. Finally, psychosocially mature elderly residents showed a positive view, acceptance and life integration. These results are discussed from the perspective of cultural differences.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.300-310
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• 2016

Purpose: Few studies have considered the psychosocial work environment factors in relation to employee health. This study explored the relationship between psychosocial work characteristics and self-rated health among Korean employees. Methods: The study population of 21,476 employees was derived from the 2014 Korean Work Environment Survey (KWES). Psychosocial work environment was measured by Copenhagen psychosocial questionnaire scales. Results: Among employees at workplaces (n=21,476), 23.3% rated their health as poor. Among 12 indicators of psychosocial work environment characteristics, 'higher emotional demand', 'demands for hiding emotions', 'work-family conflict', and 'social community at work' were independently associated with risk of poor self-rated health of Korean employees after adjustment of all sociodemographics, work condition characteristics and physical work environment exposure. In addition, higher 'possibilities for development' and 'social support from supervisor' were more likely to decrease the risk of poor health. Conclusion: We suggest that psychosocial work environment is an important determinant of employees' health. The study results provide a good starting point for developing intervention and strategies for health improvement.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.31-48
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• 2005

Purpose: Studies focus on cancer control, prevention, or assessment of psychosocial problems and intervention methods. However, few studies exist concerning psychosocial problems, measuring tools for those problems, and interventions for cancer patients in Korea. One of the purposes of this study was to review studies in this area, to examine various psychosocial problems experienced by cancer patients. This is a crucial area to investigate, since psychosocial problems in turn negatively influence the patients' immune function, which speeds the progress of the disease. Another goal was to identify instruments used to measure psychosocial functioning and problems in cancer patients, to analyze their validity and reliability, with the aim to discover the best instruments. A final goal was to explore and compare the effects of psychosocial interventions, to determine the most effective practices. Method: Journal articles published since 1995 were searched from PubMed Data base, Google search engine, and published cancer-related studies, using search keywords "psychosocial function and intervention for the cancer patients"; whole articles of selected references were reviewed and analyzed. Result: Most common psychosocial problems were depression, fatigue, nausea, pain, distress, resulting in a low quality of life. The seven scales found in the literature to assess the psychosocial functioning were Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Symptom Checklist 90-R, Profile of Mood States, Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale, Brief Symptom Inventory, and SF-36 HRQOL(Health Related Quality of Life). Social support interventions for cancer patients were effective in improving quality of life scores. Conclusion: It is necessary to apply support intervention strategies to help cancer patients in Korea. These strategies can help to reduce the effects of psychosocial symptoms, which in turn affect the development and control of cancer. Strategies developed in Western countries may need to be modified for use within Korea. Further studies are warranted to review the support intervention strategies that were being used to for cancer patients

• Journal of the Korean Society of Child Welfare
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• no.40
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• pp.139-166
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of poverty on the psychosocial adjustment of adolescents. Particularly, this study seeks to examine the mediating effects of neighborhood environments and parental depression. The 2008 'the Korean Youth General Survey' data were utilized. We analyzed data from 2,218 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 and their parents. We defined poverty as the income-to-needs ratio, and measured neighborhood environment using the degrees of neighborhoods' disorder, attachment, cohesion, and informal social control. Adolescents' externalizing and internalizing problem behaviors were used as indicators of adolescents' psycho-social adjustment. Structural equation modeling was utilized as the major analytic method. This study found that adolescents in low income families were more likely to reside in disadvantaged and dangerous neighborhoods. More importantly, the results revealed that psychosocial adjustment of the adolescents was indirectly influenced by poverty through the mediators, neighborhood environment and parental depression. Based on the results, we discussed policy and practice implications, including various interventions that may improve parental mental health and neighborhood environment of low income communities.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.291-302
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• 1998

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand and describe the essence and the structure of lived experience of people with kidney transplantation. Initially, nine individual interviews were conducted to gather data regarding their subjective experiences. And two focus group interviews were utilized to validate or discard the themes that were emerged from the analysis using Colaizzi's method. Among 17 participants, 13 had living related kidney donations, one living unrelated, and the remaining two cadavor donations. About 130 significant statements were extracted and these were clustered into 11 themes. All participants felt anxiety and fear toward the rejection of transplantation and the complication of immunosuppressive drugs. Although they were initially satisfied with their life after kidney transplantation, most of them lost a self-confidence and experienced loneliness, depression, and despair. Most of the participants also felt guilty for not being able to accomplish their appropriate roles in the family, They also had financial difficulties and social restrictions. However, they overcame these psychosocial distress by exercising, working and sharing love with others. They also could overcome it by living a religious life and by working to help others with kidney transplantations. Most of them felt gratitude toward the donor and did not have a psychological rejection toward the kidney transplanted. The results of the study might help nurses who work with people with kidney transplantations in establishing and implementing an effective nursing intervention by understanding their lived experience.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was to identify the relationship between mental adjustment to cancer and anxiety. Method: This study used a cross-sectional descriptive design. A total of 124 ambulatory cancer patients completed the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation. Results: There was a significantly negative correlation between anxiety and fighting spirit which was adaptive adjustment to cancer (r=-0.29, p<0.001). However, anxiety had significantly positive correlation with helplessness/hopelessness (r=0.38, p<0.001), anxious preoccupation (r=0.55, p< 0.001), and fatalism (r=0.22, p<0.05) to cancer. Conclusion: Cancer patients' mental adjustment is correlated with the degree of the psychosocial distress. Anxious preoccupation and helplessness/hopelessness are the most maladaptive adjustments whereas fighting spirit is one of the most adaptive adjustment to cancer.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.454-464
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing psychosocial well-being in family caregivers of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: A descriptive correlational design was used. The transactional model of stress and coping was used to investigate the psychosocial well-being of 137 family caregivers of patients with ALS. Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires from January to November 2016. Data were analyzed using an independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis with the SPSS WIN 21.0 program. Results: The regression model had an adjusted $R^2$ of .49, which indicated that meaning-focused coping, social support, ALS patient-family caregiver relationship (especially a spousal relationship), and tracheostomy were significant predictors of caregivers' psychosocial well-being. Conclusion: Meaning-focused coping and social support significantly influenced caregivers' psychosocial well-being. Therefore, interventions to improve caregivers' psychosocial well-being must focus on increasing meaning-focused coping and social support resources.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.156-166
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to synthesize related studies and identify the predictors of school adjustment among multicultural children. Methods: The author searched Google Scholar, RISS, KISS, Naver Academic, NDSL, and the National Assembly Library databases from August 1 to August 8, 2016. Keywords included multicultural, adolescents, school life, and school adjustment. Results: Twenty two studies, from 3,645 screened references, were included and finally analyzed. All studies were prospective studies and used regression analysis. The predictors of school adjustment among multicultural children were children's personal factors and social factors. Children's personal factors consisted of general factors, psychosocial factors, and situational factors. Social factors consisted of parental factors, family factors, teacher factors, and peer factors. Conclusion: The findings suggest that consideration of social factors as well as personal factors of multicultural children, their family, teacher, and peers is needed to improve school adjustment of multicultural children.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.629-635
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• 2019

In term of the factors affecting psychosocial adjustment of breast cancer patients, their quality of life after surgical operation, radiation, and chemotherapy were systematically meta-analyzed. As a result, their qualities of life of the patients that had radiation therapy was the lowest right after the therapy, and gradually increased after the end of the therapy. However, after six months, their quality of life failed to reach the same level before the therapy. They had depression and side effects the most right after the therapy, and somewhat reduced them after the end of the therapy. In case of surgical operation, the more they were educated, the more they had psychosocial adjustment, and the more they had a medical examination and took out an insurance policy, the more they had psychosocial adjustment. In case of chemotherapy, their cognitive function is influenced so that they have impairments in memory, learning, and thinking stages. Since subjective cognitive impairment has a relationship with depression, it is necessary to monitor depression of chemotherapy patients. Given the results of this systematic meta-analysis, when three types of therapies (surgical operation, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy) are applied to patients with breast cancer, it is necessary to recognize their psychosocial adjustment, depression, anxiety, and quality of life in the nursing and radiation therapy fields and thereby to introduce an intervention program for a holistic approach.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.257-263
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• 2014

The incidence of people living with congenital heart disease (CHD) has been increasing every year owing to remarkable advances in surgical and catheter intervention techniques and devices, and improved knowledge of critical care for patients with CHD. However, these patients continue to face physical, psychosocial, and environmental challenges, and a number of studies have shown higher rates of depression and anxiety disorders than the general population. To improve psychosocial functioning and quality of life for adults with CHD, health care providers are recommended to inform CHD patients of an accurate diagnosis, and overall treatment process, beginning in adolescence to facilitate a smooth transition from adolescence to adulthood. Active cooperation with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, chaplains, and family members is highly recommended to help CHD patients feel normal and optimistic and to promote good social interactions, close family relationships, and a strong sense of coherence.