Purpose: The purpose of this research was to describe the decision making of nurses in a VIP ward. Method: The methodology of collecting and analyzing the data was based on the grounded theory of Strauss and Corbin (1998). The data were collected through an in-depth interview, which were audio-taped and transcribed. The data were collected from 10 nurses from July to November 2007. Results: The core category on VIP ward nurses' decision making was named as "adjusting with flexibility and deepened insight". The causal condition was established by 'the patients who wanted to be treated specially'. The contextual conditions included 'caring patients from various departments', 'differences depending on the nurses' clinical experience', and 'client-centered atmosphere in the VIP ward'. The intervening conditions included 'problem solving styles of nurses', 'attitudes of patients and family members', 'nurse-doctor relationships', and 'accessibility to information'. It was confirmed that nurses changed their action-interaction strategies depending on the intervening conditions, thus resulted in the nurses' role conflict and the need to expand their consciousness. Conclusion: The result of this study indicates that nurse's decision making depends on their experiences and the nature of social context in which nursing occurs.

Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between job stress, depression, health-related behavior and type A behavior patterns among male workers at a steel factory. Methods: The study was done on 171 male workers, using the structured questionnaire. The data were collected in April, 2009 and analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The results showed that 65.5% of workers were under moderate stress, 25.7% high stress and 0.6% extremely high stress. The overall score of these workers' occupational stress was 41.9, lower than the Korean workers' average. Occupational stress was correlated with depression, type A behavior patterns, a very poor physical condition without sufficient sleep. Conclusion: Stress management program is strongly needed for these subjects working over 45 hours a week, with a very poor subjective physical condition, insufficient sleep, type A behavior patterns and signs of severe depression. Further longitudinal study is recommended to show the effect of such worker's stress management program to mitigate job-related stress.

Purpose: In Korea, the number of migrant workers is increasing. However, migrant workers have low job satisfaction due to poor working environment, and insufficient social support. This study aimed to investigate the role of social support for job satisfaction of migrant workers. Method: We have analyzed the survey data of 397 migrant workers collected from free clinic for migrant workers located in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheong-do. Result: When the migrant workers received monetary and emotional supports from supervisors and colleagues, their job satisfaction turned out to be significantly high. The factors that influence job satisfaction of migrant workers are as follows: involvement in manufacturing industry, over 9 hours of daily sleep, monetary and emotional support from supervisors. Their job satisfaction strongly influenced by these factors. Conclusion: Social support will increase job satisfaction of migrant workers and it will subsequently decrease job turnover rate and increase productivity as well as quality of life.

Purpose: While there exist a good number of studies on Korean nurses who were dispatched to Germany in 1960s and 1970s in sociological or labor economic perspectives, there have been few studies on their experiences from a nursing perspective. The purpose of this study is to recapture their lives and experiences from a nursing point of view. Methods: This paper adopts an Agar's ethnographic approach which is more suitable to investigate personal qualitative experiences of those Korean nurses. The data were collected from group discussion and individual interview, and field observation with 10 dispatched Korean nurses. Results: The experiences of those dispatched nurses to Germany can be summarized into three themes: challenging to life, embracing new life, and giving a meaning to life. Challenging to life involved 'hope and anxiety', and embracing new life was reflected by 'wonderment and envy' and 'loneliness and sorrow'. Lastly, they took pride in their contributions to their mother country and also felt something lacking that they had not been properly evaluated. Conclusion: By rediscovering their lives and experiences from a nursing perspective, this study argues for more future studies to reexamine their impact and contribution to the nursing field in Korea.

Purpose: Loneliness may be a typical psychological consideration in chronically ill patients, linking with low life satisfaction. We aimed to determine if loneliness would be independently associated with life satisfaction in pneumoconiosis patients hospitalized in long-term care facilities. Methods: We recruited 164 patients from 3 pneumoconiosis-specialized hospitals in M and S cities, South Korea, and measured loneliness and life satisfaction by using the University of California Los Angeles loneliness and life satisfaction index-Z scales. The Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine an independent association between loneliness and life satisfaction after adjustment for age, the levels of dyspnea and bronchitis-emphysema symptom, length of institutionalization, marital status, previous coal work experience, perceived socioeconomic status, and presence of caregivers. Results: The mean of loneliness was 46.4. We found a significant association between loneliness and life satisfaction (standardized beta=-0.16, p=0.049), independent of all the covariates. Conclusions: Loneliness was an independent associate of life satisfaction in patients with pneumoconiosis who were institutionalized in long-term care facilities. Thus, a nursing intervention strategy for relieving loneliness is needed to increase life satisfaction in these patients.

Purpose: This study was done to learn the status of occupational injuries and illnesses among Korean nurses. Methods: Thirty four articles published between 1990 and 2007 were selected using keywords as nurse and back pain, musculoskeletal symptom, violence, needle stick injuries and latex allergy from the database. The 609 RN cases among the workers' compensation data from 2005 to 2007 were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Results: Based on the analysis of the articles, the most frequent work-related illness and injuries were the musculoskeletal symptoms including back pain. The prevalence of back pain was ranged from 36.5% to 98.5%. Tuberculosis cases were the most frequent and the musculoskeletal cases were the second rank in the workers' compensation data. In the case of violence, there has been an increasing tendency since 2000 in the articles and workers' compensation data. The relatively high percentage of compensation cases occurred among the ones working in small institutions and with less than one year experience. Conclusion: The further research on the nurses' work-related illness and injuries needs to consider the measurement tool selection and longitudinal design. The various types of contribution to the occupational health in nursing is suggested to improve the nurses' health and safety.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to learn the affective factors of case managers' occupational stress. Method: A total of 986 participants responded to a self-administered questionnaire that included 24 items of Korean Occupational Stress Questionnaire Short Form (KOSQSF), job satisfaction index, health behaviors, general characteristics, and variables related to work. The data collection of research was done from 17th to 21th of September, 2007. The data were analysed by t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression with SPSS 11.1 package program. Result: The results of this study were as follows: The overall job satisfaction rate of men and women was highly than that of the Korean worker's standard. There were statistically significant differences in occupational stress in work place, work department, work position, smoking, treatment in out-patient clinic, subjective & relative health-status, work load, supervisor's review on work-ability, and job satisfaction. According to the multi-variate analysis, occupational stress(47.6%) was related to job satisfaction, workload, individual work-ability, supervisor's review on work-ability, health status and gender. Conclusion: Occupational stress varied depending on the ten variables and was influenced by job satisfaction(35.7%) and 5 other variables. The results suggest that further follow-up study on case managers is necessary to relieve their occupational stress.

Purpose: The purpose was to investigate the relations among job stress, depression, social support, and coping strategies of nurses. Method: The data were collected from 362 nurses. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess general characteristics, job stress, depression, social support and coping strategies. Results: The prevalence of depression was 41.7%. Scores of job demand and insecurity, and organizational climate were very high. Logistic regressions showed that nurses, who were single, their 20s, had less than a career year, or working in private hospitals, associated with an increased risk of depression. The sub-scales of job stress except interpersonal conflict and lack of autonomy contributed to an increased risk of depression (lower group; OR=0.248, 95% CI:0.14-0.43). Also individual and organizational support and control coping strategies were associated with depression(lower group: OR=2.993, 95% CI: 2.11-6.30; OR=2.993, 95% CI: 1.51-5.65; OR=2.372, 95% CI=1.43-3.93). Conclusion: These findings indicated that the job stress, especially organizational climate, insecurity of job, lack of reward, individual and organizational support, and control coping strategies contributed to a risk of depression. In order to prevent the depression, the organizational support and strategies will be needed. The depression in specific context and organizational climate should be considered in future studies.

Purpose: This study was conducted to estimate the job stress and depression of female and male service workers and to determine the predictors influencing depression. Method: In this cross-sectional study, the data were collected from hotel, wholesale, and insurance companies. A total of 244 workers were recruited. Among them, 118 were female workers. A self-administered questionnaire was consisted of personal characteristics, job stress, daily life stress, social support, and depression. Depression was measured using a CES-D Korean version. Result: The average job stress of female workers was higher than that of male workers (P<.05). The average depression scores of female workers were higher than those of male workers, but the difference was not statistically significant. Multiple regression analysis showed that role conflict and low social support were significant predictors of depression in female workers. In male workers, role conflict, low social support, and under-utilization of abilities were significant predictors of depression. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that depression of service workers may be prevented by creating a workplace environment that focuses on role conflict and social support. Also, health providers should consider the vulnerability of working women to job stress.

Purpose: To confirm the effect of tailored life style improvement program, provided by occupational health nurse for hypertensive workers on their blood pressure, self-efficacy, and life style changes in workplace. Method: The experimental and control group of thirty subjects each were randomly assigned for those who agreed to participate in the study among the pre-hypertensive workers. The tailored life style improvement program was provided to the experimental group and conducted once a week for 8 weeks. This program was composed of exercise and low salt diet to control high blood pressure and weight, and the measurement of carbon monoxide for non-smoking inducement. Result: In the experimental group, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure significantly decreased while self-efficacy increased after the program compared to the control group. Smoking and drinking habits of the experimental group were significantly decreased whereas exercise and nutritional habits were significantly improved compared to the control group. Conclusion: The tailored life style improvement program provided by occupational health nurses for the hypertensive workers was positively affected on their blood pressure, self-efficacy and life style changes in workplace.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine factors affecting the burden on employment of occupational health care providers as well as to develop strategies to reduce burden on employment of them in the middle size manufacturing enterprises. Methods: The target population of this study was 123 managers working in the middle size manufacturing enterprises. The study questionnaires were selected, as theories and literature suggested, for explaining employment burden, general characteristics of participants and occupational health providers, general characteristics of companies, evaluation of occupational health provider's role and burden score. Results: The mean of employment burden score of manager was 2.2. There was a significant difference in the employment burden scores, manager's age and education, and occupational health provider's age, type of work, certification, and employment status. Also there was a negative relationship between employment burden scores and occupational health provider's role scores (need, role, satisfaction, and benefit). In the results of the standard multiple regression analysis, manager's need scores on occupational health providers were significant predictors of the employment burden scores. Conclusion: It is necessary to change the manager's perception to promote employment of occupational health providers.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore job stress, job satisfaction and their relationship among Workers' Compensation Case Managers. Method: 137 Workers' Compensation Case Managers (89 case workers and 48 nurses) responded to a self-administered questionnaire. The data were collected in october, 2006 and analyzed using t-test and Pearson's Correlation Coefficient with SPSS WIN 14.0 program. Result: The mean score of job stress of nurses was 2.60 which was higher than that of the Korean female workers'. The mean score of job satisfaction was 2.30. The significant inverse correlation between job stress and job satisfaction was found (P<.01). In regard to the 7 items, the significant inverse correlations were found in lack of reward, interpersonal conflict, organizational system, insufficient job control, and occupational environment. Conclusion: The result indicated that the Workers' Compensation Case Managers have higher occupational stress and lower job satisfaction. To improve their job satisfaction, it is necessary to reinforce reward, organizational system, job autonomy, and cooperative occupational environment.

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the relationship between job stress and work-related musculoskeletal symptoms of hospital nurses. Method: The questionnaires were administered to 290 nurses working in a general hospital located in S city from September 1 to 15, 2008. The data were analysed with descriptive statistics, and logistic regression test by SPSS WIN 14.0. Results: With the NIOSH criteria 1, the musculoskeletal symptoms were prevalent in 66.8% of the subjects. The musculoskeletal symptoms by body parts appeared mostly on leg/foot(40.6%) and followed by shoulder (38.7%), waist(30.3%), neck(23.6%), hand/wrist/finger(14.0%) and arm/elbow(4.4%). There were statistically significant differences in prevalence rate of musculoskeletal symptoms by age, work department, career and job stress. Conclusion: When developing a management program for musculoskeletal symptoms of hospital nurses, it is necessary to fully understand nurses' work considering each hospital's nursing administration system.

Purpose: This study was to investigate the relationship between IBS and nurses' occupational stress. Method: We used the modified Rome III criteria to measure the relationship between IBS and nurses' occupational stress. This questionnaire is composed of 9 areas and 43 items related to the stress. We collected the data of 395 respondents from W hospital. The survey was done from July 10th to July 31th, 2009. Results: The morbidity of IBS showed 24.3%. It was significantly influenced by night shift, and hospital visits and medication because of abdominal discomfort for the past 6 months. The causes of the nurses' occupational stress, which influenced the difference between IBS and non-IBS group, were "conflict with doctors" "difficulties in human relationships" "dealing with guardians and patients". The IBS group's stress was higher that of the non-IBS group. Also 96.9% of the IBS group and 79.3% of the non-IBS group responded there was relationship between IBS and nurses occupational stress. Conclusion: We found the relationship between IBS and nurses' occupational stress. And such stress could be reduced through the education about IBS.