PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the levels of depression experienced by Korean hospital nurses (N=198) and to identify discriminating factors of their depression experience among personal and environmental characteristics. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey design was used to answer the research questions. A sample consisted of 198 hospital nurses in Korea. The data were collected from May 1999 to March 2000. Descriptive and discriminant analyses were utilized. RESULT: Korean nurses experienced low levels of depression. Twenty nine percent of nurses in the study experienced depression based on the cut-point suggested by Radloff. Role ambiguity, working in the tertiary hospital, work satisfaction in autonomy, professional status and interaction within nurses were significant discriminating factors for nurses' depression. These factors correctly discriminated 71% of the sample (Hit ratio= .71). CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of this study, developing managemental intervention programs and examining the effects of the program for nurses to reduce their depression experience are suggested.

This study was carried out the group communication program which I had composed of using the Satir's communication family theory and skills. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on the dysfunctional communication self-esteem and depression, executed this program for the mothers group with caring the mental disorders, and then for the test of some hypotheses it was divided two groups ; the experimental group(n= 20) and control group(n=25). In the control group they were learned two session family education program in the psychiatric of Pusan National University Hospital and it the experimental group they had experienced during the 10 session by the group communication program. In the methods of the statistics on this data, it was to statistics x2-test for the comparison between the experimental group and control group with general characteristics. The effect of the Group Communication Program was analyse ANCOVA between pre-post test on the dysfunctional communication, self-esteem and depression in the control group and experimental group. The conclusions were derived from the results and test of hypothesis as followings : 1) The results were tested the differentiation between the experimental and control group, and the pre-post test in the experimental group with dysfunctional communication self-esteem and depression. Some hypothesis were tested and supported as following: It was supported that the level of dysfunctional communication of the experimental group would be lower than the control group(hypothesis 1). It was supported that the level of self-esteem of the experimental group would be lower than the control group(Hypothesis 2) It was supported that the level of depression of the experimental group would be lower than the control group(Hypothesis 3) 2) The relation of the dysfunctional communication with the self-esteem was presented negative correlation and with the depression was not correlation. The relation of the dysfunctional communication with the self-esteem was presented negative correlation. The relation of the sacrificuny pattern of dysfunctional communication with the self-esteem was presented negative correlation and with the depression positive correlation.