This study aims to provide base data for designing education and counseling programs for child-raising by identifying the types, characteristics and predictors of parenting behaviors of married immigrant women.

We used a self-report questionnaire to survey 126 immigrant mothers of young children, who agreed to participate, and who could speak Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino, or English, at two children's hospitals and two multicultural support centers. Statistical analysis was conducted using descriptive analysis, K-means clustering, χ 2 test, Fisher's exact test, one-way ANOVA, Schéffe's test, and multinominal logistic regression.

We identified three clusters of parenting behaviors: ‘affectionate acceptance group’ (38.9%), ‘active engaging group’ (26.2%), and ‘passive parenting group’ (34.9%). Passive parenting and affectionate acceptance groups were distinguished by the conversation time between couples (p=.028, OR=5.52), ideology of motherhood (p=.032, OR=4.33), and parenting stress between parent and child (p=.049, OR=0.22). Passive parenting was distinguished from active engaging group by support from spouses for participating in multicultural support centers or relevant programs (p=.011, OR=2.37), and ideology of motherhood (p=.001, OR=16.65). Ideology of motherhood was also the distinguishing factor between affectionate acceptance and active engaging groups (p=.041, OR=3.85).

Since immigrant women's parenting type depends on their ideology of motherhood, parenting stress, and spousal relationships in terms of communication and support to help their child-raising and socio-cultural adaptation, it is necessary to provide them with systematic education and support, as well as interventions across personal, family, and community levels.

The purpose of this study was to identify effective nurse interaction patterns with patients in the emergency department.

For this study, video technology was used to record complete conversations between the nurse and patient. The participants were 28 nurses and 63 patients in the emergency department at one university hospital located in Seoul. The data were collected from November, 2002 to April, 2003. The video recordings were observed for 4 hr for each case and coded using an adapted version of Roter's Interaction Analysis System (RIAS). The data were analyzed using cluster analysis to identify the patterns of nurse-patient interaction.

Cluster analysis revealed 4 distinct nurse interaction patterns; 1) "closed" characterized by orientation and negative talk, 2) "positive" characterized by positive affective talk, 3) "informative and directing" characterized by task-focused behavior including data gathering, and giving information about medical condition and treatment, 4) "facilitative" characterized by balance of psychosocial and biomedical topics. Patient satisfaction was highest in the facilitative interaction pattern.

The patient centered interaction pattern, balancing information exchange and psychosocial exchange are the most effective interactions in the emergency department, suggesting that effective interaction skill is a core clinical nursing intervention in acute care.

The purpose of this study was to identify type of anger expression and mental health in middle aged women.

From August to October 2005, survey data were collected by using the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory and Symptom Check List-90-Revision (SCL). Participants (1,442) were classified into four types of anger expression by K-mean cluster analysis. For collecting interview data for content analysis, 18 participants (4-5 participants from each type of anger expression) were recruited. The interview data were collected between March and September 2006.

The average score of the state anger of middle-aged women was 11.95, and that of the trait anger was 18.75. The average anger expression scores were 12.72 for Anger-In, 13.45 for Anger-Out, and 18.51 for Anger-Control. The average SCL scores were 45.03 for somatization, 42.23 for obsessive-compulsiveness, 42.44 for interpersonal sensitivity, 42.45 for depression, 42.40 for anxiety, 42.62 for hostility, 44.44 for phobic anxiety, 43.65 for paranoid ideation, and 43.08 for psychoticism. The anger expression types identified in this study were 1) anger-out in secret, 2) anger-control with a patience, 3) anger-out with suppression, and 4) low anger expression type. The psychosomatic symptom scores were the highest in type III (anger-out with suppression), and the lowest in type IV (low anger expression type).

This study can be helpful in assisting middle aged women to control their anger effectively and may contribute to the improvement of their mental health.