• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.137-144
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• 2007

Objectives : According to Rowe and Kahn (1998), successful aging is the combination of a low probability of disease, high functioning, and active engagement with life. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between active engagement with life and functioning among the community-dwelling elderly. Methods : Data were collected from Wave 2 of the Suwon Longitudinal Aging Study (SLAS), consisting of a sample of 645 persons aged 65 and older living in the community. A social activity checklist and social support inventory were used as measures of engagement with life, along with the Physical Functioning (PF) scale as a measure of functioning. The effects of social support and social activity on physical functioning, taking into account the covariates, were analyzed by hierarchical linear regression analysis. Results : Maintenance of social activity and social support were significantly associated with higher physical function, after adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related covariates. Social support appeared to be more prominent than social activity in predicting physical functioning. Conclusions : Social support and social activity are potentially modifiable factors associated with physical function in older persons. Studies examining the role social engagement may play in preventing disability are warranted.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.666-677
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was to test a theoretical model examining the relationships among social support, illness demands, marital adjustment, family coping and family functioning in couples more than three years after breast cancer diagnosis. Methods: A causal modeling methodology was used to test the specified relationships in the recursive theoretical model. A total of 60 couples with breast cancer were recruited from January to April 2005. Five standardized questionnaires were used to measure the theoretical concepts: social support (ISSB), illness demands (DOII), marital adjustment (DAS), family coping (F-COPES), and family functioning (FACESII). Results: Path analysis results from the wives and the husbands revealed different patterns. Three hypotheses were supported in the wife model as predicted: social support and family coping, family coping and family functioning, and social support and marital adjustment (trend). Five hypotheses were supported in the husband model as predicted: social support and illness demands, also social support and marital adjustment, illness demands and marital adjustment, marital adjustment and family coping, and family coping and family functioning. Conclusion: This study provides valuable information for developing various interventions with social support for improving family functioning of breast cancer couples in the middle adaption stage (more than three years after diagnosis).

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.696-704
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• 2001

Purpose: This study was to investigate the family life events stress and family functioning and social support of wives, and to find out the correlation among these variables. Method: The subjects were 263 wives who participated voluntarily in the questionnaire. The instrument used in this study comprised family life events stress, family functioning and social support instruments, and the data were collected from Sep.10 to Sep. 29 with self-administered questionnaires. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, t-test and ANOVA with SPSS win. Results: 1) The mean score of family life events stress was 25.8, family functioning was 47.2, and social support was 43.4(4 point scale), 2) The rate of correlation between family life events stress and family functioning was (r=-.18), that between family life events stress and social support was (r=-.26), and that between family functioning and social support was (r=0.46). 3) The mean score of family life events stress by general characteristics was significant in age, religion and family type. The mean score of family functioning by general characteristics was significant in education. The mean score of social support by general characteristics was not significant. Conclusion: Considering the results above, we can recognize that there are close relations among family life events stress, family functioning and social support. Although the correlation coefficient is somewhat different, these three variables are very significant for wives.

• Korean Parent-Child Health Journal
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.64-74
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• 2005

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of self-esteem, family functioning, social support on health-promoting behavior and to investigate the factors affecting health-promoting behavior in adolescents. Method: The participants in this study were 181 students of high school located in Seoul and Daejon. The data were collected from November 1 to December 18, 2004. The date were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test or ANOVA, Pearson Correlation Coefficient and stepwise multiple regression. Result: Health-promoting behavior in adolescents was significantly different according to sex, grade, their father's school career and economic status. There was a Significant correlation between health-promoting behavior, self-esteem, family functioning and social support. Social support was a predictor of health-promoting behavior and accounted for 32% of the variance. Family functioning and self-esteem were also predictors of health-promoting behavior and accounted for 12% of the variance. Conclusions: This findings suggest that the program and strategies that increase health-promoting behavior by promoting self-esteem, family functioning and social support should be developed in adolescents.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.418-428
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• 1999

The main purpose of this study was to identify the effects of group social support and individual social support on the reduction of burden and improvement in family functioning of families with asthmatic children. The design of this study was a randomized pre-posttest quasi-experimental design to compare the two experimental groups. The theoretical framework for this study was derived from the study of burden in family caregivers by Suh and Oh (1993) based on the main effect model of social support theories. The data were collected from February 12, 1998 to May 29, 1998 at the pediatric out patient department of a university hospital located in Suwon city. The sample consisted of 39 family members who were identified as families with asthmatic children, Eighteen subjects were randomly assigned to the group social support group and 21 were assigned to the individual social support group. Group and individual social support members were seen for 60 to 90 minutes, four times over one to three weeks. The instruments used in this study were the Burden Scale developed by Suh & Oh(1993), the Visual Analogue Scale, and the Family Adaptability Cohesion Evaluation Scale(FACES-III) developed by Olson, Portner, and Lavee(1985). The collected data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney test, x$^2$-test, Wilcoxon sign rank test, t-test, ANOVA (Scheff), Pearson correlation coefficient. multiple regression, and social support process and content analysis. The results are as follow : 1. There was no significant difference before the experimental treatment among the subjects in the group social support group and individual social support group for general characteristics, burden, or family functioning. 2. Hypothesis 1 : “There will be a greater reduction on the burden score of the group social support group compared to the individual social support group” was not statistically significant(U＝174.5, p＝.683). The burden scores showed a significant decrease after participation in social support as compared to before participation for both groups. However there was a tendency for more reduction in the burden scores for the group social support than for individual social support. 3. Hypothesis 2 : “There will be a greater improvement in the family functioning scores for the group social support group compared to the individual social support group” was not statistically significant(U＝153.0. p＝.309). There was a tendency toward improvement in the family functioning scores of the group social support as compared to that of the individual social support. 4. According to the length of the treatment period, families with asthmatic children displayed affirmative responses, and the families set up a self-help group of mothers with asthmatic children in order to share their experiences, to get information and to solve their problems. In conclusion, it was found that group social support was the more effective nursing intervention for reducing burden and for improving family functioning of families with asthmatic children.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.380-390
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• 2017

This study examined the relationship between social support, social participation and physical functioning among older adults in community senior centers. The subjects of this study were 194 persons aged 60 years or older who participated in the senior center in K province and D city, from June 16 to June 30, 2016. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, T-test, one way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, and structural model analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics 23.0 and IBM AMOS 21.0. The result showed that the social support and physical functioning of the elderly in the community were above normal, and social participation was somewhat low. Interestingly, an analysis of the physical functioning between social support, social participation and depression revealed significant correlations. The factors affecting the physical health were 23.4% of the respondents who had a significant influence on social support and leisure activities. In addition, the result of structural model analysis showed that social support had a significant influence on the social participation, depression and physical functioning. Therefore, the results suggests that the development of educational programs and an age-friendly environment should be actively provided to older adults in the community by strengthening the physical function through social support for active ageing.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.361-370
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• 2009

Purpose: This study attempted to identify family functioning recognized by caregiver who support the elderly. Methods: Data was collected from 264 caregivers who live with elderly using questionnaires. The performance, satisfaction and importance of family functioning was assessed using the modified FFFS by Kang (1987) consisted of three dimension-'Relationship between Individual Family Members', 'Relationship between family and subsystem' and 'Relationship between family and broader social units'. The data was analyzed using SPSS/WIN by descriptive statistics, ANOVA and pearson's correlation. Results: The subjected Families showed a median level of performance (mean $4.06{\pm}0.65$) and a high level of satisfaction (mean $1.04{\pm}0.71$) in family functioning. Families recognized importance of family functioning above median level (mean $4.65{\pm}0.99$). There was statistically significant difference in family functioning according to and duration of illness, illness and ADL of the elderly. In dimension of the relationship between individual family members and relationship between family and subsystem, there are significantly positive correlation among all aspect of family functioning. In relationship between family and social units, there are negative correlations between performance and importance (r=-.215) and between satisfaction and importance (r=-.194) while there are positive relationship between performance and satisfaction. Conclusion: Considering the results of this study, family-focused nursing interventions for families with the elderly need to be developed.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.10-16
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• 2009

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of attention, intellectual functioning and adaptation of girls with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods : The scores of the ADHD Diagnostic System (ADS), the Korean Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (K-WISC-III) and the Korean Personality Inventory for Children (KPI-C) were compared between 26 girls with ADHD and 26 boys with ADHD. Results : 1) There was no significant gender difference in the intellectual functioning, except for the picture completion subscale. 2) Compared to the boys, the girls responded more slowly on the ADS visual task. 3) The girls were rated higher by their parents for the depression and social relationship problems of the KPI-C. Conclusion : The results suggest that there are noticeable gender differences for the attention problems and social functioning of children with ADHD.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.525-536
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate effectiveness of a peer support program conducted by older community volunteers for older adults living alone. Methods: Thirty volunteers trained as peer supporters were matched with low-income, older adults living alone in the community on gender. Visits occurred on a weekly basis over the 12 month study period, and the volunteers provided peer support for health management to solitary older adults. Data were collected, before the start of the program and again 6 and 12 months after its initialization, from intervention and control groups regarding physical health, general health, mental health, depression, social functioning, and satisfaction with social support. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze data. Results: By the end of the program, socially isolated older adults in the intervention group had significantly higher scores in physical health and general health than elders in the control group. Significant interaction effects between time and group were found for depression, social functioning, and satisfaction with social support. Conclusion: The peer support program undertaken by older community volunteers was effective in improving physical health, general health, depression, social functioning, and satisfaction with social support in socially isolated, low-income, older adults.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.384-395
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• 2000

This study examined burdens of primary family caregivers, and family functioning of patients with cancer. In addition, the relationship between two concepts was assessed to develop nursing intervention to reduce the burdens of caregiving, and to improve family functioning. Ninety-two primary family caregivers of patients with cancer at a general hospital in Seoul participated in this study. The patients with cancer aged from 19 to 84 years with a mean age of 51 years, and sixty-one percent were male. About 30 percent of the patients suffered liver and billiary tract cancer. Fifty-six percent of the primary family caregivers were spouses of the patients and 70.7 percent were women. Primary family caregivers' burdens were assessed by the Burden Scale originally developed by Zarit (1980) and Novak & Guest(1989) and modified by Jang (1995) for use in Korea. The instrument consists of six subscales: time-dependent burden, developmental burden, physical burden, emotional burden, social burden, and financial burden. Family functioning was assessed by the Family APGAR developed by Smilkstein(1978). The results were as follows: 1. The average burden score was 86.1, indicating a moderate level of burden. The time-dependent burden scored highest followed by developmental, physical, social, financial, and emotional burdens. The mean score of family APGAR was 9.71; among subjects 82.6% were included in dysfunctional families. 2. Of the characteristics of patients, age, gender, number of admissions, and job were found to be associated with the level of burden. There was no significant difference between patient characteristics and family functioning. Of the characteristics of primary family caregivers, caregiver's perception of patient prognosis was significantly related to the level of burden, and family functioning. Caregiver's sex and age were also related to family functioning. The quality of relationship between a patient and a caregiver was significant situational factors affecting the level of burden, and family functioning. In addition, the income of family, and help from other family members were related to the level of burden. Given the results, it is essential to develop nursing intervention to reduce burden and to improve family functioning, such as support groups.