• 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.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.499-510
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• 2007

This study examined the intake patterns and information-seeking behaviors of elderly individuals with regard to health foods, according to sociodemograhic characteristics, awareness of health, and concerns and awareness about health foods. The data were collected from 421 elderly living in Seoul, Busan, Daegue, Daejon, and Gwangju, between January 17th and February 23rd, 2006. Frequencies and chi-square tests were conducted using SPSS Windows. The results are as follows: The respondents were highly concerned about their own health as well as health foods, and individuals primarily took nutritional supplements and glucosamine containing products. In addition, they had taken various health-improving foods. Most had intentionally consumed at least one health food, in order to maintain a condition of health. According to chi-square tests, women were more likely to consume health foods than men. The most important sources of information regarding health foods were family, relatives, and friends. Some respondents answered they had difficulties in obtaining and understanding health food-related information. Many respondents desired to get health food information regarding efficacy from TV, radio, and newspapers, as well as doctors, pharmacists, and dieticians.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.129-134
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• 1997

The meddle years start when persons achieve maturity and end when they realize they are old, and we commonly call ages between thirty-live and sixty five the middle years. Thinking of life as a play, the middle years lead up to and away from the climax of the plot. In the early part of middle age, the man is the main support of his family, and is out to establish himself in his career. He is in a race toward success, and may acquire a sponsor who picks him out as a protege. In the middle part of middle age, the man is ready to come into his own and may break with his sponsor. Most persons are now at the height of their potential, know their areas of competence, and have the satisfaction of feeling in control in them. They need no longer prove themselves from day to day, for they are credited with past accomplishments. Some are caught in "promotion or success depression", and some continue to change jobs creating difficulties is readjustment. The more satisfactory changes usually occur within a career rather than through shifiting careers. In e later part of the middle age the man worries about his physical health, and experiences depression in facing the retirement. Woman frequently change the course of their lives some time between the ages of thirty-five and forty, and may resume their education or careers. Tee quarters of women are passing through "involutional melancholia".

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.187-199
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to understand the weekend couples' type of residence, and to identify the factors to determine their major living place. Specifically, this study dealt with the weekend couples' psychological costs and rewards when they live apart in weekdays. The data were collected from 33 married couples from 2002 June to July about their family life history. The major findings of this study were summarized as follows: 1) the type of living together ; husband living apart on weekdays, wife living apart on weekdays, wife and child living apart on weekdays, living multi-residence. The majority of them were the type of husband living apart on weekdays. 2) children's care and education were an important factor in a couple's decision 3) weekend couples' psychological costs were such as difficulties of children's care, very fatiguing, shortage of time, and emotional isolation. In spite of all these costs, weekend couples still maintain their separate living arrangements during the week. They felt different kind of psychological costs by the type of living together. 4) psychological rewards were professional success, self-fulfillment, plenty of time to use purposely, and weekenders' relationships to their spouses might seem better than before. Socialization of child-care and household-labor are important factors to reduce psychological costs for the all weekend couples.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.145-155
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• 2019

The strength or resilience of refugees is a less emphasized area as the discourse in refugee mental health study mainly weighs on pathologizing the effects of refugee experiences. Within the lenses of strength and resilience, this study explored how refugees and asylum seekers, who experienced violence and loss, coped with trauma and hardship in their newly established lives in South Korea. In this study we analyzed survey data collected from 100 participants (55 asylum seekers and 45 refugees) through open-ended questions. We analyzed narratives for both content and form and provided evidence for factors that reflect coping strategies used by participants to overcome their life adversities. The findings gave rise to; (a) character traits like strong religiosity, personal determination, patience to forbear, hopefulness, and peaceful acceptance of current circumstance; (b) relationships, in the sense of meaningful strong bonds within family members and the instinctive personal resourcefulness to utilize support resources within and outside of their communities; (c) learned skills after migraing to korea; (d) knowledge sets in how to get by in korea; (e) personal talents, and (f) extra abilities that gave power to pass socio-economic difficulties. The findings underscore the importance of considering the strength-based approach either in discussing resilience or intervention. Our approach will allow practitioners to acknowledge that refugees and asylum seekers potentially have a unique set of strengths and abilities that they rely on to overcome their immediate and future problems. It will also guide practitioners as they devise their intervention schemes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Child Welfare
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• no.58
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• pp.103-139
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• 2017

The objective of this study was to examine in depth the life of Korean-Chinese adolescents before and after entering Korean society. These adolescents experienced early separation from their biological mothers in China and were raised by relatives due to the absence of parents. The adolescents' childhoods were filled with a sense of loneliness and emptiness, which made them feel hopeless in life, and traveling to Korea in hope and fear was a major challenge in their lives. After coming to Korea, they harmed themselves by engaging in toxic behavior and found themselves hopeless. They also experienced difficulties due to the relationships that needed to be rebuilt with their biological parents, as well as the relationships with their stepparents and half-siblings. However, they reported feeling self-confident and hopeful that their life would improve in the future. In addition, family support and social-support systems have given them a potential avenue for development. Verbal data collected from seven Korean-Chinese adolescents were analyzed. Based on the results, practical recommendations to be reflected in related programs were provided.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.466-478
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the experience of breast cancer self-help group activities in Korea. Methods: The data were collected via individual in-depth interviews with 8 women with breast cancer, who participated in self-help groups during 2012~2013. All interviews were audio-taped and transcribed, and they were analyzed using a phenomenological method. Results: Six theme clusters were identified. "Breakthrough toward survival" describes how the participants identified self-help groups and got involved in the activities. "Genuine comfort obtained by 'misery loves company' deals with the emotional relief and catharsis. "New life fully recharged" demonstrates the changed belief system and the joy for life and living. "Rebirth in family" deals with how family dynamics has been changed. "Societal change by raising collective consciousness" illustrates many activities to improve their rights and advocate employment issues. "Obstacles to the group harmony" illustrates the major difficulties including interpersonal conflicts the participants encountered during their participation. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that participating in self-help groups was mostly beneficial for women with breast cancer. Therefore, oncology professionals need to encourage them to participate in self-help groups and also need to provide professional support to self-help groups for their harmonious interpersonal relationships.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.87-105
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors associated with instrumental support (i.e., economic and practical support) from parents to their adult children. We examined both parents' attitudes toward instrumental support for adult children and parents' actual provision of instrumental support. From the data of the 2010 second National Survey of Korean Families, we selected 532 mothers and 524 fathers who were married and had at least one adult child aged over 25. Multiple regression analyses by the parents' gender showed that fathers were more likely to agree with instrumental support for adult children in general when they had unmarried children, had a lower household income level, had a lower evaluation of their socio-economic class, were satisfied with their own household economic situation, had positive attitudes toward caregiving for elderly parents, and were satisfied with their couple relationships. For mothers, they were more likely to agree with instrumental support for adult children in general when they had positive attitudes toward caregiving for elderly parents, were satisfied with their couple relationships, and perceived their child as someone to rely on in times of difficulties. Our analyses of the actual provision of support indicated that fathers tended to provide more support when they perceived that they were healthy, had unmarried children, were less satisfied with their household economic situation, had negative attitudes toward child-rearing, and reported a higher quality of parent-child relationship. For mothers, they were more likely to provide actual support when they were healthy, had unmarried children, had a higher level of household income, were financially preparing for later life, and less satisfied with their couple relationships. The findings of this study imply that it is imperative to distinguish the attitudes toward support from the actual provision of support and to also consider parents' gender in the literature on instrumental support for adult children.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2024

This article underscores the importance of integrating comprehensive palliative care for noncancer patients who are undergoing hemodialysis, with an emphasis on the aging populations in Asian nations such as Taiwan, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and China. As the global demographic landscape shifts towards an aging society and healthcare continues to advance, a marked increase has been observed in patients undergoing hemodialysis who require palliative care. This necessitates an immediate paradigm shift to incorporate this care, addressing the intricate physical, psychosocial, and spiritual challenges faced by these individuals and their families. Numerous challenges impede the provision of effective palliative care, including difficulties in prognosis, delayed referrals, cultural misconceptions, lack of clinician confidence, and insufficient collaboration among healthcare professionals. The article proposes potential solutions, such as targeted training for clinicians, the use of telemedicine to facilitate shared decision-making, and the introduction of time-limited trials for dialysis to overcome these obstacles. The integration of palliative care into routine renal treatment and the promotion of transparent communication among healthcare professionals represent key strategies to enhance the quality of life and end-of-life care for people on hemodialysis. By embracing innovative strategies and fostering collaboration, healthcare providers can deliver more patient-centered, holistic care that meets the complex needs of seriously ill patients within an aging population undergoing hemodialysis.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this master's thesis is to utilize basic data in order to improve the quality of life of cancer patients who received radiation therapy after analysing related factors that influence patient's quality of life and obtaining information about physical, mental problems of patients. Materials and Methods: By using a structured questionnaire about various characteristics and forms of support, I carried out a survey targeting 107 patients that experienced radiation therapy at a university hospital in the Daejeon metropolitan area from July 15 to August 15, 2010 and analysed the factors influencing quality of life. Results: In case of pain due to disease, 65.15 and painless 81.87 showed a high grade quality of life. As body weight decreases, the quality of life become lower. When the grade of quality of life according to economic characteristics was compared, all items except treatment period showed a difference (P=0.000). When the score of social support, family support, medical support and self-esteem was low, the mark of quality of life showed respectively 61.71, 68.77, 71.31, and 69.39 on the basis of 128 points. When the score of support form was high, the mark of quality of life showed 90.47, 83.29, 90.40, and 90.36 (P<0.05). When analyzing the correlation between social support, family support, medical support and self-esteem and the degree of quality of life, social support was 0.768, family support 0.596, medical support 0.434, self-esteem 0.516. They indicated the correlation of meaningful quantity statistically (P<0.01). The factors that improved the quality of life were married state, having a job and painless status. As monthly income increases, the quality of life was also much improved (P<0.05). Among the factors related to quality of life, social support and medical support and higher self-esteem scores of the quality of life score increased 0.979 point, 0.508 points and 1.667 point, respectively. Conclusion: In conclusion, the quality of life of cancer patients that received radiation treatment is related to social support, medical support and self esteem. Self-esteem is an important factor that influenced quality of life, so if government offers works that doesn't affect patient's health, they are a useful method that maximize self-esteem and lessen their financial burden at the same time. Along with these policies, the developments of the attention of medical and the program for cancer patient's family are needed for the purpose of improving quality of life of cancer patients. Lastly, medical team, patients and family have to cooperate in harmony to overcome difficulties of cancer patients.