A Study on Exercise Behavior, Exercise Environment and Social Support of Middle-Aged Women

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify exercise environments and social support associated with exercise behaviors in middle-aged women. Method: Subjects were 207 women aged between 41 and 59 yr in an urban community. The research instruments utilized in this study were exercise stages, exercise environments, exercise partners and social support scale. Subjects were given a self-report questionnaire. Data was analyzed using the SPSS Win program. Result: The subjects were in the stages of precontemplation (3.4%), contemplation (25.1%), preparation (40.6%), action (5.8%), and maintenance (25.1%). Subjects who engaged in regular exercise were 30.9%. The mean score of the exercise environment was 6.34. The mean score of social support was 21.28, and 65.7% of subjects had exercise partners. The score of the exercise environment was significantly associated with the exercise stage (p=.01). The number of exercise partners of regular exercise groups was significantly greater than that of non-regular exercise groups (p=.00). The score of social support of regular exercise groups was significantly greater than that of non-regular exercise groups (p=. 00). The score of social support was significantly associated with the exercise stage (p=.00). Conclusion: Exercise environments and social support need to be considered in planning exercise programs to improve exercise behavior among middle-aged women

Exercise Adherence in Middle Aged Women with the Qualitative Theme Analysis Method

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the process of exercise adherence in middle aged women. Methods: The qualitative theme analysis method was used. The participants were 11 middle-aged women who had exercised over 6 months. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and recorded by and transcribed immediately. The data were coded with similar meaning and analysis themes with the constant comparative method. Results: The core theme was Stepping Stones Across the Stream (SSAS). The Stone means the adherence factors in exercise. The stream means the interrupting factors in exercise adherence. The subcategories were 1) feeling of developmental crisis, 2) searching for exit (from the developmental crisis), 3) finding a surprising new world (full of fun), 4) confronting the situation of dropout, and 5) adherence to exercise by SSAS. Conclusion: The predisposition of fun in middle aged women for the adherence of exercise should be explored along with more adherent factors

The Effect of Meditation Programs on Stress Responses, Anxiety and Self-Esteem in Psychiatric Patients

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of meditation programs on stress responses, anxiety and self-esteem in psychiatric patients. After the meditation treatment, the experimental group will report a higher degree of decreased Symptoms of Stress(SOS) scores than the control group. The experimental group will report a higher degree of decreased Beck Anxiety Inventory(BAI) scores than the control group. In addition, the experimental group will report a higher degree of increased Rosenberg scale scores than the control group. Methods: Seventeen patients were recruited and were treated with 6 sessions of a meditation program as well as 17 sex-matched control patients. Stress responses were measured using SOS and all subjects performed BAI, the Rosenberg scale and the Visual Analogue Scale. Results: Compared with the control patients, patients receiving meditation treatment did not show significant reduction in scores of SOS(U = 137.500, p = .812), BAI(U = 126.500, p = .540) or SOS subscales. There was no significant increase of self-esteem(U = 112.500, p = .274) in the meditation treatment group. Conclusion: This study suggests that meditation programs may be therapeutic by reducing stress responses including psychological and physiological aspects even though there was no statistical significance.N

Post-traumatic Stress Experienced by Firefighters and Paramedics

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the post-traumatic stress experiences of firefighters and paramedics. Methods: The participants were 20 fire fighters and paramedics who belong to the Busan Fire Department. Data were collected through in-depth, unstructured audio-taped interviews by the investigator over a six-month period. The participants were asked to describe their post-traumatic stress. The data were analyzed according to Giorgi's method for phenomenological analysis. Results: The interview data were organized by theme into 7 categories that emerged from the analysis. Participants faced various post-traumatic stresses working as fire fighters or paramedics. The categories were suffering from disastrous situations, feeling of fear and helplessness in the face of death, re-experiencing vividly the past traumatic situation, avoiding painful reminders of the trauma, emotional numbing as time passes, suffering from emotional arousal and increased anxiety, and struggling to cope with the post-traumatic stress. Conclusion: This study provides a better understanding of post-traumatic stress experiences from fire fighters and paramedics and the knowledge gained from this study will help in developing appropriate post-traumatic stress management programs

Depression and Quality of Life among Family Caregivers of Patients with Parkinson's Disease in South Korea

ression and quality of life of family caregivers of patients with Parkinson's disease(PD). Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in one neurology outpatient clinic in Seoul, Korea from March to June, 2006. Sixty eight family caregivers of PD patients were participated to the study, using CES-D and SF-36. Results: Mean scores of depression were 16.18±8.39 (range: 0-48) and it was a little lower than caregiver's who took care of Dementia patients and were higher than primary caregivers of the patients with Stroke. Time for caregiving, perceived severity, duration of PD were significantly related with depression respectively. Higher ADL scores which mean greater motor disabilities were related to higher caregiver depression. Lower income and greater medical expenditure were closely related with the depression of family caregivers respectively. The mean scores of total QOL were 435.5±96.5 and the mean scores of PF, SF, RE and MH were lower than general population. Time for caregiving, depression, patients' ADL scores were significantly associated with QOL respectively. People who were older and had lower educational background showed lower QOL scores respectively. Conclusion: Healthcare professionals should pay more attention to emotional aspects of caregivers who take care of PD patients, and develop comprehensive management strategies both for patients and their caregivers

Effects of Telephone Counseling on Health and Service Satisfaction after Discharge in Gynecologic Cancer Women

Purpose: Cancer patients experience a range of physical and psychological sequelae. Consistent nursing support should be provided along the cancer treatment path. This study aimed to i)examine the effects of a telephone counseling program after discharge on perceived health, psychological well-being, and satisfaction with nursing services, and ii)describe symptom distress and their coping methods. Method: The study was a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent pre-post test. The sample included 20 women with gynecologic cancer in the experimental group and the same in the control group from a university hospital in Seoul. The telephone intervention was given once from 5 to 7 days after the chemotherapy. The General Well-Being Schedule and Symptom Distress Scale were used. Result: An effect from telephone counseling was found only in the vitality subscale of psychological well-being. Other subscores, perceived health, or satisfaction with nursing services did not differ between the two groups. Pain, skin change, decreased appetite, and constipation were the major symptoms and a relatively few coping strategies were utilized. Conclusion: Protocol of telephone counseling led by a nurse needs to be further developed in regard to best timing, amount, and target effects for follow-up care of gynecologic cancer patients.본 연구는 서울대학교 간호과학연구소로부터 지원받은 연구임

Effects of Telephone Counseling on Health and Service Satisfaction after Discharge in Gynecologic Cancer Women

Purpose: Cancer patients experience a range of physical and psychological sequelae. Consistent nursing support should be provided along the cancer treatment path. This study aimed to i)examine the effects of a telephone counseling program after discharge on perceived health, psychological well-being, and satisfaction with nursing services, and ii)describe symptom distress and their coping methods. Method: The study was a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent pre-post test. The sample included 20 women with gynecologic cancer in the experimental group and the same in the control group from a university hospital in Seoul. The telephone intervention was given once from 5 to 7 days after the chemotherapy. The General Well-Being Schedule and Symptom Distress Scale were used. Result: An effect from telephone counseling was found only in the vitality subscale of psychological well-being. Other subscores, perceived health, or satisfaction with nursing services did not differ between the two groups. Pain, skin change, decreased appetite, and constipation were the major symptoms and a relatively few coping strategies were utilized. Conclusion: Protocol of telephone counseling led by a nurse needs to be further developed in regard to best timing, amount, and target effects for follow-up care of gynecologic cancer patients.N

Trends of Doctoral Dissertations of One College of Nursing in Korea

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the trend of nursing research by analyzing the doctoral dissertations in one college of nursing in Korea. Method: The areas of research, the methodological characteristics, and theories used in the research were explored in all doctoral dissertations (n=120) published from 1989 to 2006. Result: Mainly Nursing has been studied (44.9%) among four meta-paradigms of nursing science. The client domain (46.7%) and the practice domain (41.7%) were most frequently studied in type of nursing knowledge. The main purpose of the thesis was to develop nursing interventions and examine the effectiveness of the practice (40.8%) in quantitative research. Almost all (94.7%) of the qualitative dissertation studies were to explore phenomena in the nursing field. Almost half of the dissertations (43.9%) were an experimental design, 34.7% were a model construction, and 15.8% were a qualitative design. The majority of dissertations (83.3%) were to apply the specific theory and almost half (43.8%) studied borrowed theories from other fields. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop more rigorous and various research designs such a longitudinal design, or randomized controlled trial and this will lead to expanding the body of nursing knowledge.N