• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.229-237
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship among self-efficacy, depression, life satisfaction and death attitude of college students. Methods: The subjects consisted of 232 college students. Data were collected by self-reported questionnaires, which were constructed to include self-efficacy, depression, satisfaction with life, and death attitude. Data were analyzed by the SPSS/PC WIN. 12.0 program. Results: Death attitude and life satisfaction of college students were significantly different according to frequency of death ideation. Death attitude for college students correlated with self-efficacy, depression, and life satisfaction. The most significant predictor of death attitude for college students was life satisfaction. Conclusion: The above findings indicate that death attitude for college students is influenced by self-efficacy, depression, and life satisfaction. These findings suggest that a death education program to improve life satisfaction and to give a positive attitude toward death is needed for college students.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this experimental study was to examine the values of a death education program developed to improve life satisfaction and attitude toward death in college students. Methods: The death education program was developed and then used with 22 college students for 5 weeks, once a week for 150 min. Before and after the intervention, students responded a questionnaire developed to measure life satisfaction and attitude toward death. t-test, $X^2$-test, and paired t-test with the SPSS program were used to analyze the data. Results: The death education program significantly improved life satisfaction but had no statistically significant effect on attitude toward death. There was a significant difference in life satisfaction between the experimental and control groups but not in attitude toward death. Conclusion: Based on the above results, it is apparent that the death education program has an affirmative effect on life satisfaction in college students and some impact on attitude toward death. We suggest, therefore, that the death education program should be used with all human beings to help them recognize the values of themselves and their current lives and improve their satisfaction with life.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.80-89
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• 2013

Purpose: We investigated how intensive care unit (ICU) nurses understand the meaning of death, death anxiety, death concern and respect for life. Methods: From November 2009 through February 2010, a survey was conducted on 230 nurses working at the ICU of 10 general hospitals located in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. Participants were asked to answer a questionnaire consisted of 67 questions under four categories of the meaning of death, death anxiety, death concern and respect for life. Results: Participants scored 4.27 points on their understanding of the meaning of death, 4.43 on death anxiety, 4.12 on death concern and 4.18 on respect for life. Participants' meaning of death was negatively correlated with death anxiety and death concern and positively with respect for life. Participants' positive meaning of death was negatively correlated with death anxiety and death concern and positively with respect for life. Participants' negative meaning of death was negatively correlated with death anxiety and death concern and positively with respect for life. Participants' death anxiety was positively correlated with death concern and negatively with respect for life. Participants' death concern was negatively correlated with respect for life. Conclusion: Compared with nurses who served at ICU for a long time, nurses with less ICU experience scored lower on the meaning of death and respect for life, while they presented high anxiety and concern about death. A training course may help nurses develop their view on the meaning of death, which in turn would enhance their performance in caring dying patients.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.237-256
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• 1998

Death and dying of human being is a comprehensive system, and death orientation, the subjective meaning related to every component of the death system is developed throughout life. This study was designed and carried out to identify, describe and classify the orientations of Korean adult towards the death system. In an attempt to measure the subjective meaning of death and dying, unstructured Q-methodology was used. The 65 Q-statements developed by Kim(1994), used by Kim(1994) and Park(1996) were adopted as Q-population and 39 Q-statements were selected by the three researchers for Q-items for this study. Thirty-three P-samples were sampled from P-population of literate Korean men and women, 35 and 55 years of age, lived in urban Korea for the last 10 years. Sortings of the 39 Q-items according to the level of personal agreement, and a forced normal distribution into the 9 levels were carried out by the P-samples. The Z-scores of the Q-sort data were computed, and the principal components factor analysis by PC-QUANL Program were carried out. The demographic, socio-cultural and health-related attributes of the P-samples were descriptively analysed. Eight types of death orientation were identified ; Type I ; 'naturalist'. Six P-samples. Death is a natural phenomena, to be accepted as it is and to follow its natural course. Prefer to be informed of all facts and possibilities concernig the course of dying and death to occur to self. Type II ; 'life-after-life negator'. Three P-samples. Time and process of death is the destiny of each person. Death means 'darkness' and 'end to every thing, the absolute end'. Yet, wish physical integrity at the dying and after death. Type III ; 'life-after-life believer'. Six P-samples. Men are travellers passing by this life bound to the life-after-life. Priority concerns are on the activities to prepare self for the eternal life ahead. Disregard premature and sudden death. Type IV ; 'here-now believer' Five P-samples. Positive regard to the cremation of the body and donation of the organs on death. Regard religious and customary post-motem rituals meaningless. Negate life-after life. Type V; 'believer of rituals'. Five P-samples. Death being accepted as a part of, a natural end to, and destiny of human life. Concerned to ensure a dignified end to personal life and dignified post-mortem rituals. Type VI ; 'Realist'(derived from Type I). Two P-samples. Life and death as universal reality. The abrupt death at golden age at the peak of happiness is favored to avoid inevitable physical and mental distress of self and the family. Agreed to the cremation of the body. Disregard rituals. Type VII : 'Fatalist' (derived from Type II). Five P-samples. Not favored, yet, all man are destined to death, the inevitable end of all living beings. To ensure dignified end by personal consummation, information on one's dying and imminent death are to be shared. Type VIII ; 'reality avoider'(derived from Type III). One P-sample. Negative to longevity, artificial prolongation of, meaningless and distressful life. Highly positive to postmortem organ donation.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.482-493
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was conducted to compare and identify the mediating effect of family communication in the impact of death anxiety and personal meanings of death on the attitude of dignified death near the end-of-life among Korean mid-life and old people. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 287 mid-life and old people in Seoul, Busan, and Daegu City. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires which were standardized instruments from November 2010 to March 2011. Data were analyzed by using SPSS/WIN 14. Results: The results of the study indicated that there were statistically significant differences in level of death anxiety, personal meaning of death, and the dignified death between mid-age and old-age people. In addition, family communication had full mediating effects among the mid-age, while it had partial mediating effects among the old-age in the relationships between death anxiety, personal meaning of death, and the attitude of dignified death. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, implications for the intervention of the dignified death and preferences for care near the end-of-life among mid-life and old people and recommendations of further study were provided.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.3-19
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was done to identify effects of preparation for death and depression on geriatric quality of life in rural communities and to identify whether preparation for death has a moderating effect on the relationship between depression and geriatric quality of life. Methods: Data from 210 rural elders over 65 years of age were obtained through face-to-face interviews with the elders and were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 program. Results: Quality of life of elders who had prepared for death was lower than for elders who had not prepared for death. Elders with higher psychological preparation for death had a higher quality of life. Ritual preparation for death had negative effects but they were not statistically significant. Psychological preparation for death had a moderating effect on depression and quality of life for elders in the rural community. The explanation power was 36.1% while ritual preparation for death had no moderating effect on either depression or quality of life. Conclusions: It is necessary to provide rural elders with intervention programs designed to improve positive thinking and attitudes to living considering religion in the process. Intervention programs to improve psychological preparation for death are also required to alleviate depression.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.4307-4309
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• 2014

Purpose: To calculate the probability of one person's life-time death caused by a malignant tumor and provide theoretical basis for cancer prevention. Materials and Methods: The probability of one person's death caused by a tumor was calculated by a probability additive formula and based on an abridged life table. All data for age-specific mortality were from the third retrospective investigation of death cause in China. Results: The probability of one person's death caused by malignant tumor was 18.7% calculated by the probability additive formula. On the same way, the life-time death probability caused by lung cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal and anal cancer were 4.47%, 3.62%, 3.25%, 2.25%, 1.11%, respectively. Conclusions: Malignant tumor is still the main cause of death in one's life time and the most common causes of cancer death were lung, gastric, liver, esophageal, colorectal and anal cancers. Targeted forms of cancer prevention and treatment strategies should be worked out to improve people's health and prolong life in China. The probability additive formula is a more scientific and objective method to calculate the probability of one person's life-time death than cumulative death probability.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.513-521
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analysis the effect of death preparing education on death anxiety, spiritual well-being and meaning of life in adults. Methods: This study adapted the one group pre-posttest design. Data collection and intervention were performed from January 19 to 25, 2009. The participants were 30 adults (aged 20 or older) from Jeonju City. The death preparing education program consisted of five steps. Data were analyzed through paired t-test with SPSS/WIN 12.0 program. Results: There were significant differences in death anxiety, spiritual well-being and meaning of life between before and after the death preparing education program. Conclusion: The death preparing education program for adults was confirmed to be an effective intervention to lower death anxiety and to improve spiritual well-being and the meaning of life. Therefore, I look forward to broad application of this program to adults.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.150-155
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• 2018

End-of-life care competencies have been perceived as important and essential, so it has been suggested that end-of-life care be studied in undergraduate medical education. However, end-of-life care curriculum has mostly focused on acquisition of knowledge and skills rather than attitudes. Therefore, we aimed to explore whether education about death affects medical students' attitudes towards care for dying patients and perception of death anxiety, meaning in life, and self-esteem. A total of 15 first- or second-year medical students were surveyed with questionnaires before and after completing a 6-week death education course. Paired data analysis showed that participants' attitudes towards caring for terminally ill patients and their caregivers improved significantly (t=-2.84, p=0.013) with an effect size of 0.73. In contrast, no significant changes were found in death anxiety, meaning in life, or self-esteem. All participants agreed that formal teaching about death and dying must be encouraged in medical schools. Our results suggest that death education may positively influence attitudes towards end-of-life care. Although replication with larger samples is necessary, this preliminary finding may support the importance of developmentally appropriate end-of-life care education in medical schools.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.31-82
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was development of a synthetic scale to measure young adults' views of life and death. Participants were 610 university students. The authors developed a View of Life and Death Scale including several subscales of afterlife views(belief in afterlife and retribution, belief in souls' effects and transmigration), meanings of death(liberation, nature, integration, collapse, impact, futility), death anxiety, death concern(death acceptance, death awareness) and life respect will(suicide inhibition, abortion inhibition, organ donation intention). The present study contributed to enhance our understanding of view of life and death in young adulthood. This study, therefore, could work as a stepping stone to investigate the structural relationship among elements included in views of life and death in young adulthood and to explore the consequences and determinants of personal view of life and death.