The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dependency and abuse on depression according to gender in widowed elderly.

A convenient sample consisted of 246 widowed elderly who were more than 65 years old in four cities. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire from August to September, 2002. A dependency Scale developed by Ahn (1999) was used to measure the level of dependency. Emotional abuse and physical abuse were measured by 10 items for emotional abuse and 7 items for physical abuse selected out of the Conditions Scale of Elder Abuse. The level of depression was measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).The SPSS WIN 11.0 version program was used for data analysis.

In male widowed elderly, dependency affected depression indirectly through emotional abuse. While in female widowed elderly, dependency affected depression directly and affected emotional abuse indirectly.

The study showed that dependency was the most explainable variable on depression in widowed female elderly. Therefore, it dependency should be assessed first in nursing intervention to relieve depression of widowed elderly.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of aroma massage on pruritus, skin pH, skin hydration and sleep in elders in long-term care hospitals.

The participants were elders over 65 years old admitted to long-term care. They were assigned to the experimental group (26) or control group (28). Data were collected from May to August, 2012. Visual Analogue Scale and Verran and Snyder-Halpern Sleep scale were used to identify levels of pruritus and sleep. A skin-pH meter and moisture checker were used to measure skin pH and skin hydration. Aroma massage was performed three times a week for 4 weeks for elders in the experimental group. The data were analyzed using the SPSS Win 17.0 program.

There were significant differences in pruritus, skin pH and skin hydration between the two groups. However there was no significant difference in sleep.

The results indicate that aroma massage is effective in reducing pruritus, skin pH and increasing skin hydration in elders. Therefore, this intervention can be utilized in clinical practice as an effective nursing intervention to reduce pruritus in elders in long-term care hospitals.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using gauze frozen with normal saline or ice on thirst-relief and oral condition of laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients.

A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group, pretest-posttest design was used. Participants (n=53) received either gauze frozen with normal saline (n=17), ice (n=18) or wet gauze (n=18) for thirst-relief. The subjective thirst level and oral condition of the participants were assessed before the intervention, 15 min after the first intervention and 15 min after the second intervention.

After oral care was provided twice, there were significant differences in thirst level among the groups. When oral care was provided twice, the oral condition of tongue, saliva, mucosal membrane, and gingiva was improved in patients receiving gauze frozen with normal saline or ice.

Gauze frozen with normal saline and ice can be effective for oral care in reducing the thirst level and improving the condition of the oral cavity.

This study was to examine the effects of self-foot reflexology on stress, fatigue and blood circulation in premenopausal middle-aged women.

A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group, pretest-posttest design was used. Participants were 59 premenopausal, middle-aged women in their 40s and 60s living in G city: 30 in the experiment group and 29 in the control group. Data were collected from May to August 2008. Self-foot reflexology was performed three times a week for 6 weeks for 40 min at each session.

The results showed that self-foot reflexology was effective in reducing perceived stress and fatigue and helped blood circulation in premenopausal middle-aged women.

Self-foot reflexology may be an effective nursing intervention in reducing perceived stress and fatigue and in improving blood circulation.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influencing factors on health-related quality of life of physically disabled persons.

Data was collected from 96 persons with a physical disability in three cities in Korea from June to September, 2003. Social support and depression were measured by a Social Support Questionnaire 6 (SSQ₆) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression questionnaire (CES-D). The Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale was used to measure self-esteem. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was measured using Smith Kline Beecham Quality of Life Scale (SBQOL). The SPSS WIN 11.0 version program was used for data analysis.

There were significant differences of HRQOL according to monthly income and economic status. All subjects had a high level of depression and low self-esteem.

The findings of this study show that self-esteem and the size of the social support network are significant influencing variables on HRQOL in physically disabled persons. Nursing intervention and counseling programs which improve self-esteem and increase the size of a social support network are needed to promote HRQOL in physically disabled persons.