This study was conducted to identify the effects of education regarding action plans according to a self-monitoring program on self-management adherence, knowledge, symptom control, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among adults with asthma.

Thirty-four patients were randomly assigned to the intervention group and thirty-two to the control group in this study. A tailored 50-minute intervention based on the contents of self-monitoring and action plans developed by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute was provided to the intervention group. Structured and well developed questionnaires were used to measure the dependent variables.

There were no differences in all general and clinical characteristics, and the dependent variables between two groups in the pre-test. In the post-test, there were differences in the level of self-management adherence (t=4.41, p<.001), knowledge (t=2.26, p=.027), symptom control (t=-2.56, p=.013), and total HRQoL (t=2.14, p=.036) between the two groups, although there was a difference only in the sub-domain of emotion (t=2.03, p=.047) in HRQoL.

This study found that action plans according to self-monitoring that enhance a participatory interaction in the treatment and care could help patients with moderate to severe asthma to engagead equately in self-care, to control their symptoms, and to improve their HRQoL. Further studies are still needed to identify longitudinal effects of this program.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors affecting the social competence of school-aged children according alcohol consumption by their parents.

The participants were 558 5th grade elementary school students. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from September 17 to October 2 2013, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, χ²-test, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and Stepwise multiple regression analysis with the SPSS PC+ 21.0 program.

Participants were classified into three groups according to alcohol use; Non-use parent group (52.7%), social use parent group (31.0%), and problem use parent group (16.3%). Participants whose parents were problem users had significantly lower scores on emotional awareness and expression (F=14.45, p<.001), social support (F=5.82, p=.003), and social competence (F=16.33, p<.001) compared to students in the other two groups. In school-aged children with parents who were alcohol abusers, the variables that predicted social competence was friend support (66.0%).

These results emphasize the importance of focusing on the crucial role of peer support in the development of social competence in school-aged children of parents who abuse alcohol. Further, for these children, interventions aimed at improving social support and children's emotional awareness and expression may be most beneficial.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a cultural competence improvement program for maternity nurses.

A quasi-experimental study using a non-equivalent control group pre and posttest design was used. Participants were 67 maternity nurses caring for multicultural pregnant women in G city. The cultural competence improvement program was developed based on the 3-D Puzzle Model and was provided using case-based small group learning methods for the experimental group (n=31). The control group (n=36) did not receive any intervention. Data were collected using self-report structured questionnaires at two time points: prior to the intervention and after the intervention and were analyzed with descriptive statistics, χ²-test, and t-test.

Compared to the control group, the experimental group reported significant positive changes for cultural knowledge (t=6.39, p<.001), cultural awareness (t=3.50, p<.001), and cultural acceptance (t=4.08, p<.001). However, change in cultural nursing behaviors (t=0.92, p=.067) was not significantly different between the two groups.

Findings from this study indicate that a cultural competence improvement program with case-based small group learning is a useful intervention strategy to promote multicultural maternity care. Further, strategies to improve cultural nursing behavior should be developed to promote culturally congruent nursing care.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of a maternal sexuality education program for mothers of preschoolers.

A quasi-experimental with non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was conducted. The participants were 55 mothers of preschoolers in G city (Experimental group=27, Control group=28). The experimental group received the maternal sexuality education, and the control group received the program after the experiment. Data were collected during October and November 2012 through self-administered questionnaires at two times: prior to the intervention and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using χ²-test, Fisher's exact test and t-test.

After the intervention, mothers in the experimental group reported significant differences in knowledge of sex (t=3.74, p<.001), attitude toward sex (t=4.31, p<.001), parent-efficacy on child sexuality education (t=11.96, p<.001). compared to mothers in the control group.

These results indicate that a sexuality education program for mothers of preschoolers is effective in improving knowledge of sex, attitude toward sex, and parent-efficacy on child sexuality education. Therefore further study should be done with larger and varied participants to confirm the effects of sexuality education programs for mothers of preschoolers.

Guided by Newman's theory of health as expanding consciousness, this study was done to explore the health experience of adolescents having depression.

The researcher engaged in six to eight in-depth interviews with six adolescents. To begin the dialog, the researcher asked each participant to recount the first important memory he/she had. All the narrative and diagram sharing between the researcher and participants were summarized according to recognized patterns and later elaborated in following interviews based on Newman's praxis methodology.

The significant individual pattern of early health experience was during the binding stage. At the turning point, individual patterns for participants revealed a personal journey of self-discovery and then emergence of reflecting behaviors. After the turning point, the participants changed as they evolved from the initial period of disruption and disorganization to organization at a higher level. The results suggest that adolescents who are depressive find new ways of relating to friends, family, healthcare providers, and the community by expanding their consciousness.

Newman's praxis methodology is a good way of helping and studying adolescents with depression because it emphasizes participant-nurse/researcher partnership and pattern recognition as nursing practice.