Study was to identify the structural and functional characteristics of social support system to better provide social support to physically handicapped children. The research design was a comparative descriptive study and the data were obtained by use of interview and questionnaire. The result of this were as follows; 1. The physically handicapped children perceived that they had a fewer number of social support providers than the non-handicapped children. (t= -4.62, p<.001) 2. The physically handicapped children perceived a lower level of social support than the non-handicapped children. (t=-3.93, p<. 001) In the cases of 3 types of social support (social integration, attachment/intimacy, assistance/guidance), the handicapped children perceived a lower level of social support. 3. It was found that physically handicapped chilren and nonhandicapped children perceived degree of socical support differently (x(2)=72,08, p<.001). and; also the two groups perceived in all types of social support differently. 4. The results of this study showed that parents, school mates, school teachers, brothers and sisters were significant providers of social support and between the two groups the supportive source ranked consistently. (rs=. 83, p<.01) 5. The relationship between sociability and the support level was a positive correlation (r=.28, p<. 01), the relationship between sociability and the size of the support network showed a positive correlation. (r=.47, p<.01) And with the increase in the number of friends the number of support providers increased. (F= 4.46, p<.05).
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between self-esteem and quality of life(QOL) and between coping type and quality of life (QOL) in mothers of handicapped children and further to identify the level of self-esteem and quality of life of the subjects. The subjects of this study were the 51 mothers of handicapped children who were registered in two special schools in Taejon. The data were collected using a questionnaire and the period of the data collection was from April 18th to May 26th, 1997. The instruments for this study were Resenberg's self-esteem scale, Folkman and Lazarus's Ways of Coping Checklist(WCC) and the quality of life scale designed by Ro, You Ja. The results were analyzed using SPSS/PC+. Data analysis included the descriptive correlational statistics of ANOVA, Pearson Correlational Coefficient, and t-test. The results are as follows : 1. The level of self-esteem showed a mean score 34.51 and the level of QOL, a mean score 137.55. An Active type of coping was used more often than a passive one. 2. The level of self-esteem differed according to monthly income and was significantly higher in mothers of children with acquired handicaps than those of children with congenital handicaps. The level of QOL differed according to monthly income. 3. There was positive correlation between health status and self-esteem(r=.355, p<.05), and between health status and QOL(r=.367, p<.01). 4. Test for hypothesis ; Hypothesis 1, "The higher the level of self-esteem in mothers of handicapped children, the higher their level of quality of life will be." was supported(r=.755, p<.001). Hypothesis 2, "The QOL level for the active coping group as compared to the passive coping group will be higher." was not supported.
The purpose of this study was to describe health problems and psychosocial adaptation in children with cancer and to determine the relationship between these two variables.
The data were collected from parents of 61 children with cancer, aged 4-11 years at one university hospital in Seoul. The instruments for this study were the Korea Child Behavior Check List (KCBCL) and a physical symptom checklist developed by the researchers.
The major health problems were coughing, sleeping disturbances, fatigue and weakness. The total behavior problem score for children in the cancer group was higher than the score for those in the norm group. The scores on the scales for withdrawal, somatic complaints, social immaturity, and internalizing problems were higher in the children with cancer compared to normative findings. Scores on social and school competence in the cancer group were lower than the norms for healthy children. The relationship between health problems and psychosocial adaptation was significant in the subscales of withdrawal, anxiety/depression, internalizing problems and social involvement in the off therapy group.
This study shows the various areas that need further study in caring for children with cancer.