This study was done to investigate factors influencing successful aging in middle-aged women.

A convenience sample of 103 middle-aged women was selected from the community. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, two-sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, Kruskal Wallis test, Pearson correlations, Spearman correlations and multiple regression analysis with the SPSS/WIN 22.0 program.

Results of regression analysis showed that significant factors influencing successful aging were post-traumatic growth and social support. This regression model explained 48% of the variance in successful aging.

Findings show that the concept 'post-traumatic growth' is an important factor influencing successful aging in middle-aged women. In addition, social support from friends/co-workers had greater influence on successful aging than social support from family. Thus, we need to consider the positive impact of post-traumatic growth and increase the chances of social participation in a successful aging program for middle-aged women.

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediation of psychological distress in the relationship between disturbance in ADL from chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy and quality of life in order to provide a basis for planning nursing interventions to improve the quality of life in cancer patients.

A purposive sample of 130 patients treated with chemotherapy were recruited in the cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires. The instruments were the Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Assessment Tool (CIPNAT), Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G).

The mean score for disturbance in ADL from chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy was 3.30. Overall quality of life was 2.48. The mean score was 1.04 for psychological distress. The prevalence was 35.4% for anxiety and 47.7% for depression. There were significant correlations among the three variables, disturbance in ADL from chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy, psychosocial distress, and quality of life. Psychosocial distress had a complete mediating effect (β= -.74, p <.001) in the relationship between disturbance in ADL from chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy and quality of life (Sobel test: Z= -6.11, p <.001).

Based on the findings of this study, nursing intervention programs focusing on disturbance of ADL management, and decrease of psychological distress are highly recommended to improve quality of life in cancer patients.

The purpose of this study was to determine the significant factors for risk estimate of aspiration and to evaluate the efficiency of the dysphagia assessment tool.

A consecutive series of 210 stroke patients with aspiration symptoms such as cough and dysphagia who had soft or regular diet without tube feeding were examined. The dysphagia assessment tool for aspiration was compared with videofluoroscopy using Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis.

In CART analysis, of 34 factors, the significant factors for estimating risk of aspiration were cough during swallowing, oral stasis, facial symmetry, salivary drooling, and cough after swallowing. The risk estimate error of the revised dysphagia assessment tool was 25.2%, equal to that of videofluoroscopy.

The results indicate that the dysphagia assessment tool developed and examined in this study was potentially useful in the clinical field and the primary risk estimating factor was cough during swallowing. Oral stasis, facial symmetry, salivary drooling, cough after swallowing were other significant factors, and based on these results, the dysphagia assessment tool for aspiration was revised and complemented.