The present study investigated the experiences of unmarried women undergoing planned oocyte cryopreservation (OC).

Data were collected from August 2022 to February 2023 through individual in-depth interviews with thirteen unmarried women undergoing planned OC. Data were analyzed using Colazzi’s phenomenological method.

The findings revealed four distinct clusters. The first cluster, “Safeguards against Future Uncertainty,” examined experiences associated with uncertainties in several aspects of reproductive health threats and decision-making regarding planned OC. The second cluster, “Indescribable Pain and Chaos,” explored the psychological and physical pain, complications, concerns about repeat procedures, and uncertainties about the use of frozen oocytes experienced during the planned OC process and afterward. The third cluster, “Motivation to Rebuild Resilience,” explored participants’ resilience in overcoming difficulties and shocks during the planned OC process and regaining their inner strength through the support of family and friends. The fourth cluster, “Finally Freeing the Mind,” focused on the sense of liberation from the pressure of marriage and childbirth, which enabled participants to engage in their present self and concentrate on self-stability and growth in preparation for the future.

The present study enhances our understanding of the emotional difficulties and distress experienced by women considering OC, thereby assisting in improving approaches for psychological support and clinical management. Furthermore, providing insights into these first-hand experiences to women considering planned OC, healthcare professionals, and policymakers could help establish systems to support the decision-making process.

This study aimed to understand and describe the experiences of patients and their families who have received medical services from advanced practice nurses in tertiary general hospitals in Korea.

Data were collected through four focus group interviews with 20 patients and their families who had received medical services from advanced practice nurses for more than six months at four tertiary hospitals from November 29 to December 28, 2023. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

The four themes extracted from the experiences of patients and their families were as follows: unfamiliar medical personnel encountered during the treatment process, healthcare professionals who exhibited excellence, companions to light my way through the tunnel of illness, and an advanced practice nurse system that must be activated urgently.

The study’s findings indicate that patients and their families view the care provided by advanced practice nurses as excellent, reliable, and holistic. Research suggests that advanced practice nurses are valuable healthcare professionals in team-based care. The findings suggest that hospitals should utilize an advanced practice nurse system to improve patient outcomes and ensure the quality of care.

This qualitative study aimed to develop a substantive theory of the process of adaptation to motherhood in Central Asian-Korean immigrants to Korea.

Individual, in-depth interviews were conducted from July to September 2017, with 18 women who emigrated of Korean ethnicity from Central Asia to Korea, and took care of their baby for at least a year after their first delivery in Korea. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data from the transcriptions were analyzed through Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory method, and data analysis was conducted simultaneously with data collection.

As a result of categorizing the interview data through the process of open coding, 10 categories, with 31 subcategories and 102 concepts were drawn, and “growth as a Central Asian-Korean mother in an unfamiliar, historical hometown” was found to be the core category of the process of adaptation to motherhood in Central Asian-Korean immigrants to Korea.

A characteristic of the process of adaptation to motherhood in Central Asian-Korean immigrants to Korea, drawn from this study, is that it differs according to the level of initiative to carry out interaction strategies, and the use of various supportive social resources. The findings indicate the need for Medicare eligibility adjustment for antenatal care, the extension of the visa renewal period during childbirth, the development of web- or mobile application-based educational programs in Russian language, and the establishment of integrated visiting healthcare services, community service resources, and policy support to enable these women to utilize various supportive social resources.

Dating violence refers to violence occurring between people in an intimate relationship. Forms of dating violence are often categorized into physical, psychological, and sexual violence, and most existing literature has followed this frame. However, few studies have focused on the phenomenon of living under the perpetrator's coercive control in victims of dating violence, although those experiences are known to be signs of severe forms of violence later on.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of being coercively controlled in female victims who had experienced dating violence.

For this study, in-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 14 female victims, and all interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. The data were analyzed using the phenomenological analysis method suggested by Colaizzi.

Three themes were derived in chronological order: idealizing the relationship (period of potential control), facing severer tyranny (period of coercive control), and escaping from the unending trap (period of post-control). The results showed that the victims experienced perpetrators' control with specific patterns. The perpetrators' controlling behaviors were invisible, literally benevolent, at the beginning; however, severe forms of violence seemed to appear as their relationship deepened and the perpetrators failed to control the victims.

Findings from this study presented vivid experiences of female victims who needed help and care. Hopefully, the results can benefit in terms of developing evidence-based prevention strategies for victims as well as assessing the risks of severe forms of dating violence, such as physical attack or murder.