The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of marital intimacy on the impact of uncertainty on the quality of life (QoL) of young breast cancer patients.

This study used a pathway analysis with 154 young breast cancer cases in their early diagnosis stage at a medical center in Korea. Data were collected from November 2016 to February 2017 and analyzed using correlation analysis and pathway analysis.

Uncertainty, marital intimacy, and 4 sub-scales of QoL showed a significant correlation. Marital intimacy was directly affected by uncertainty (b=-.39, p=.013) and 4 sub-scales of QoL were also affected by uncertainty. Among the 4 sub-scales of QoL, physical well-being (PWB) (b=.17, p=.026), social well-being (SWB) (b=.49, p=.010), and functional well-being (FWB) (b=.38, p=.009) were affected by marital intimacy but emotional well-being (EWB) was not affected by it. The mediating effect of marital intimacy on the impact of uncertainty on QoL was confirmed. Marital intimacy showed a significant indirect effect on PWB (b=-.07, p=.024), SWB (b=-.19, p=.008), and FWB (b=-.15, p=.005), and it means that marital intimacy has a partial mediating effect on the impact of uncertainty on PWB, SWB, and FWB.

Effects of uncertainty on QoL was mediated by marital intimacy of young breast cancer patients in their early diagnosis stage. It suggests that marital intimacy needs to be considered in providing nursing intervention for young breast cancer patients.

The purpose of this study was to understand and describe the illness experience of married Korean women with epilepsy.

Data were collected during 2015~2016 through individual in-depth interviews with 12 married women with epilepsy. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed using Giorgi's phenomenological analysis to uncover the meaning of the illness experience of the participants.

The study results showed that the illness experience of married Korean women with epilepsy was clustered into a specific description of situated structure and a general description of situated structure. Six themes from 20 meaning units were identified: 1) Undermined self-esteem with stigma of being epileptic; 2) Limited social interaction; 3) Suffering sorrow as a ‘disqualified being’; 4) Shuttling back and forth across the boundary between healthy and epileptic; 5) Desperate struggle to meet the expectation of given role; 6) Self-empowering through self-restriction and realization.

The findings from this study show that both the enacted and felt stigma of epilepsy impact on the life of married Korean women with epilepsy. Although the participants face social and interpersonal restriction and prejudices, they try their best to fulfill their role rather than to be cared for as patients. As the stigma and hardships of the participants are related to lack of knowledge, health professionals should focus not just on clinical intervention but also on providing targeted educational programs and counseling for these women to dispel the stigma of the disease and to increase their quality of life.

The aim of this study was to identify factors which influence breastfeeding adaptation from among the following: parity and feeding behavior, social support, psychological, and demographic factors.

The respondents were 179 breastfeeding mothers. Data were collected from June 2 to 19, 2009 at two community health centers and one pediatric outpatient department. Data were analyzed using the SPSS program and included descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, correlation, and multiple regression.

The major findings of this study were: 1) Significant differences in the level of breastfeeding adaptation were related to number of children, current problems related to breastfeeding, and lay supporters. 2) Level of breastfeeding adaptation was significantly related to marriage satisfaction, proportion of breastfeeding, length of previous breastfeeding, planned length of breastfeeding, parenting stress, and encouragement to breastfeed given by medical personnel. 3) Regression analysis showed that parenting stress, marriage satisfaction, current problems related to breastfeeding, and proportion of breastfeeding explained 44.3% of variance for breastfeeding adaptation. Length of previous breastfeeding also explained 9.7% of breastfeeding adaptation among mothers who had breastfed an elder child.

Mothers with lower marriage satisfaction, breastfeeding problems, and higher parenting stress require more help from their family and nurses for breastfeeding adaptation. Future research should include variables, such as mother's and baby's behavior related to breastfeeding, knowledge about breastfeeding, and attitude toward breastfeeding.