• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.12-24
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• 2024

Purpose : This study aimed to identify factors influencing the quality of life of family caregivers of intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Methods : We conducted a study using a cross-sectional design. The study involved 109 family caregivers of ICU patients at a university-affiliated hospital in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires between July 2020 and April 2021 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis. Results : The study revealed significant differences in quality of life based on economic status (F=11.63, p<.001), cohabitation with patients (t=-2.04, p=.044), sleep duration after patient's admission to the ICU (t=-2.48, p =.025), and subjective health status (F=30.06, p<.001). There were significant negative correlations observed between quality of life and post-traumatic stress symptoms (r=-.38, p<.001) as well as caregiver burden (r=-.46, p<.001). Factors affecting quality of life were subjective health status, economic status, and caregiver burden (adj. R²=0.52, F=15.64, p<.001). Conclusion : These findings underscore the need to develop and implement intervention programs tailored to the health conditions and economic status of family caregivers, with a focus on alleviating caregiver burden. Such initiatives are essential to ultimately improve the quality of life for family caregivers of ICU patients.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.167-173
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• 2024

Background: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) impacts the social, physical, and psychological well-being and quality of life of the patient. Several techniques exist for its management, including transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES). Objects: We aimed to demonstrate the effects of TES on ultrasonographic variables and quality of life in women with SUI. Methods: This prospective study recruited 21 women who had been diagnosed with grade 1 or 2 SUI between July 2018 and March 2019. The exclusion criteria were pregnancy and a history of urogenital surgery. All participants were assessed at baseline and 8 weeks after intervention initiation. The bladder neck position (BNP), length of the urethra (LU), funneling index (FI), and rhabdosphincter thickness (RT) were measured. The Incontinence-Quality of Life (I-QOL) was used to assess incontinence-specific quality of life. Statistical significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: Twenty-one patients with SUI used TES for 8 weeks. BNP and FI significantly decreased after intervention (p < 0.05). LU, anterior and posterior RT (indicators of external sphincter hypertrophy) significantly increased post-intervention (p < 0.05). The total I-QOL score increased from 64.81 to 71.86 after the intervention (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This intervention improved BNP, LU, FI, RT, and subjective indicators such as quality of life in women with SUI. Therefore, TES can be an effective non-surgical treatment method for improving SUI symptoms and quality of life in these patients.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.38-45
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• 2017

Objectives: Sleep disturbance is a very rapidly growing disease with aging. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of sleep disturbances and its predictive factors in a three-year cohort study of people aged 60 years and over in Korea. Methods: In 2012 and 2014, we obtained data from a survey of the Korean Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. We asked participants if they had been diagnosed with stroke, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, arthritis, pulmonary tuberculosis, asthma, cataract, glaucoma, hepatitis B, urinary incontinence, prostate hypertrophy, cancer, osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, or metabolic syndrome. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination for dementia screening in 2012, and depression was assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale in 2012 and 2014. In 2015, a structured clinical interview for Axis I psychiatric disorders was administered to 235 people, and sleep disturbance was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The perceived stress scale and the State-trait Anger Expression Inventory were also administered. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict sleep disturbance by gender, age, education, depression score, number of coexisting diseases in 2012 and 2014, current anger score, and perceived stress score. Results: Twenty-seven percent of the participants had sleep disturbances. Logistic regression analysis showed that the number of medical diseases three years ago, the depression score one year ago, and the current perceived stress significantly predicted sleep disturbances. Conclusion: Comorbid medical disease three years previous and depressive symptoms evaluated one year previous were predictive of current sleep disturbances. Further studies are needed to determine whether treatment of medical disease and depressive symptoms can improve sleep disturbances.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.1781-1791
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• 2013

The present study was intended to measure the level of psychosocial stress and fatigue symptom according to the various characteristics such as sociodemographic, health-related, job-related, job stress factors, and psychosocial factors among nurses working at ward and operating room in university hospitals, and to reveal the relation between these factors and psychosocial stress and fatigue symptom. The self-administered questionnaires were given to 220 nurses working at ward, and 147 nurses working at operating room in 4 participating hospitals located in Daejeon City during the period from July 1st to Aug 31st, 2012. As a results, the factors related to the psychosocial stress of nurses working at ward were age, subjective health status, job career, satisfaction of work, fit to the job, job demand, job control, coworker support, self-esteem, locus of control, type A behavior pattern. In operating room, there were age, sleep hours, subjective health status, job career, physical burden of work, satisfaction of work, fit to the job, consider quitting the job, job demand, job control, type A behavior pattern. The factors related to the fatigue symptoms of nurses working at ward were age, leisure time, subjective health status, satisfaction of work, consider quitting the job, job demand, locus of control, type A behavior pattern. In operating room, there were age, subjective health status, physical burden of work, supervisor support, coworker support, locus of control. Based on the study results, we suggest that the factors related to psychosocial stress and fatigue symptom of nurses were different from working station. We need development and application of programs to keep under management psychosocial stress and fatigue symptom.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.558-564
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical results of the 10 male climateric syndrome cases while treated with Singi-hwan. All patients were treated with Singi-hwan two times a days for 5 weeks. We checked testosterone, PSA in blood, HRV and AMS questionnaire score. The questionnaire score was improved after taking Singi-hwan. Stress resistance and autonomic nervous system activity is increased, but there was no statistical significance except for ApEn. Taking Singi-hwan did not affect the serum concentration of testosterone, PSA and blood biochemical tests. The next placebo-controlled studies about late onset hypogonadism treated with Singi-hwan are needed.

• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
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• 2012.11a
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• pp.393-401
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• 2012

본 연구에서의 미용업 종사자의 감정노동, 직무 및 사회심리적 스트레스, 피로도가 근골격계질환에 미치는 직 간접적인 영향을 평가하기 위하여 시도되었다. 그 결과 미용업 종사자의 근골격계질환 자각증사자는 신체부위 중 어깨의 근골격계질환 관련 자각증상자가 가장 많았으며, 목, 허리, 손목, 팔, 발, 무릎 순으로 나타났다. 미용업 종사자의 감정노동 각 문항별 평가 결과는 '나는 기분이 나쁠 때 고객들에게 표현하지 않도록 최선을 다한다'의 문항이 3.92점으로 가장 높게 나타났으며, 이와 반대로 '표현되는 행동과 실제 감정의 차이 때문에 혼란스러울 때가 있다' 2.61점으로 나타났다. 미용업 종사자의 작업 관련 심리적인 요인이 근골격계질환에 미치는 영향에 대하여 근골격계질환자가 무증상자에 비하여 감정노동과 피로도에 영향을 더 많이 받는다는 것으로 나타났으며, 직무 스트레스가 증가할수록 사회심리적 스트레스는 낮아지지만 피로도가 증가하는 것으로 나타났다. 감정노동이 피로도에 미치는 영향에서 직 간접적인 영향이 모두 높은 것으로 나타났으며 직무 스트레스가 피로도를 통해 근골격계질환에 미치는 간접적인 영향이 큰 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구를 통하여 미용 종사자의 작업 관련 물리적 심리적 개선 방안 마련이 요구되면 산업안전보건 분야의 정책적 관리 방안 마련을 제안한다.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.57-63
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• 2005

Ergonomic intervention techniques were adopted to assess and control potential risk factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs) in the automated light assembly manufacturing system. Ten different kinds of assembly workstations implemented with a conveyor system and twelve female workers were observed and evaluated with careful video film analysis. Several close examinations using sets of checklists established by qualified safety and health organizations, such as NIOSH, OSHA, and ANSI, were conducted and every workers and staffs in the site participated in the self-report questionnaires and off-line interviews. Typical risk factors and symptoms of the upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders were found and categorized into specific parts of body. To reduce risk factors of WMSDs and improve system productivity new revised workstation standards, physical dimensions, were suggested accordant with anthropometric characteristics of workers and a heuristic decision strategy of rotating shift work schedules according to work contents has proposed to mitigate cumulative physical stress. Finally, ergonomic programs of entire company to prevent WMSDs were structured.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.314-326
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the experience of emotional labor of clinical nurses in medical institutes. Methods: A total of 26 nurses from 11 hospitals participated in the study. Six focus groups were organized and 4 to 5 nurses took part in each group. The compositional factors of groups included clinical experience, age, gender, work place and position. Data collection was conducted through focus group interview and it was proceeded by the time of data saturation. In this qualitative study, content analysis was conducted. Results: Five themes, 14 categories, and 33 subcategories, were emerged. The themes were 'Restrain themselves', 'Communion to the patients', 'Working environment provoking emotional tension', 'Respond to emotional events', 'Recovery of emotional energy'. Conclusion: Results indicated that surface acting of emotional labor such as, repression of personal desire and presenting the emotions that the organization ask nurse to express was related to psychosomatic symptoms, depression, burnout, poor job performance, increased mistakes, and low job satisfaction which eventually leads to nurses' turnover. In order to reduce negative influence of emotional labor, it is necessary to build positive organizational culture, to provide support from managers and co-workers. It is also important to improve work environment in order to do more deep acting since sharing emotions with patients can reduce the negative influence of emotional labor.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.187-192
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• 2020

Sacral insufficiency fractures (SIF) are a common, but often underdiagnosed source of lower back pain without apparent trauma. This report presents the clinical outcome of a 75-year-old female with SIF, and an underlying medical history of osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. She was treated non-operatively, in-hospital, with Korean medicine. Patient progress was assessed using the numerical rating scale and self-reported symptoms. Post-treatment, the numerical rating scale score for pain in her hip decreased from 7 to 2. At admission, the patient was unable to sit, and could only walk 3 m with assistance. At discharge, she could sit for longer than 1 hour and walk further than 200 m unassisted. On the follow-up visit, the patient was asymptomatic, and x-ray scans showed ossification of the sacral and pubic fractures. These results suggest that, Korean medicine can effectively reduce pain and aid rehabilitation in patients with SIF, without the need for surgery.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.19-39
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• 2016

This study attempted to explore child, family, and parents' psychological factors that were related to quality of home environment among families with preschoolers in Korea. The relationships between a series of factors and home environment and the predictive effects of the factors on HOME scores were analyzed using data from 1,690 families who participated in the5th wave of the PSKC (Panel Study of Korean Children) when the target child's age was about 4 years old. The results revealed that when the child was a boy and when the child had a difficult temperament, the overall HOME scores were lower. Mothers' age, parents' education, family income, poverty and family life events were significantly related to the HOME scores, too. All of the psychological factors of both mothers and fathers were significantly correlated with the HOME scores. When both mother and father had less depressive symptoms, lower level of parenting stress and greater marital satisfaction, the HOME scores were higher. Regression analysis showed that child's gender, father's education and mothers' marital satisfaction were relatively strong predictors of HOME. The policy implication for parent education and suggestions for future study were proposed.