scholarly journals The Benefits of Spiritual Diaries: A Mixed-Method Study in Korea

Author(s):  
Suk-Sun Kim ◽  
Yeounsoo Kim-Godwin ◽  
Minji Gil ◽  
DaEun Kim ◽  
Yeon Kum Cheon

AbstractThis mixed study examined the benefits of spiritual diaries in Korea. Quantitatively, differences in spiritual growth and psychological well-being were examined in relation to the frequency of writing spiritual diaries among 385 participating adults. The group who wrote spiritual diaries ‘5–7 times a week’ had significantly higher scores relating to spiritual growth and psychological wellbeing than other groups across the outcome variables. Qualitatively, the study also explored the benefits of writing spiritual diaries among 37 adults. Three major themes using four focus group interviews, were identified: (a) the acquisition of godly habits, (b) a closer walk with Jesus, and (c) the fullness of God’s presence. These findings are particularly important for healthcare providers who want to facilitate patient self-care.

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (05) ◽  
pp. 429-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Y. Loke ◽  
Yim-wah Mak ◽  
Cynthia S.T. Wu

Aim It is the aim of this study to explore the characteristics of influential peers identified by schoolmates, and the mechanism by which they exert their influence on their peers. Background Adolescent crowds are a salient influence on the health-risk behaviors of peers, contributing to adolescent substance use such as drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and taking drugs. Methods A mixed method study. Three schools granted us access to students and those who had been nominated as influential by their peers. The students were asked to nominate and indicated the characteristics of peers whom they considered influential in a quantitative study. Those peers whom they considered influential were invited to take part in focus group interviews. A total of six focus group interviews were conducted, comprised of two groups from each school, with an average of seven participants in each group. Findings Students considered caring and friendliness (91.0%), being a buddy (88.5%), and entertaining/humor (86.8%) as the top three characteristics of influential peers. The interviews revealed that the students believed that they are influential because of their cheerfulness and humor, considerateness, ability to communicate, popularity and sociability, sincerity and trustworthiness, and because they possess the characteristics of a leader. They also believed that their power to influence came about through their helpfulness, accommodation, and the closeness of their relationships. Their influence was manifested in both positive and negative ways on the academic pursuits and health-risk behaviors of their peers. In order to engage at-risk students in health promotion programs, it is important to identify their influential peers, and to understand how adolescent friends may help one another to resist behaviors that pose a risk to their health.


2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (10) ◽  
pp. 1222-1229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline Wolfensberger ◽  
Marie-Theres Meier ◽  
Lauren Clack ◽  
Peter W. Schreiber ◽  
Hugo Sax

AbstractObjectivePreventing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is an important goal for intensive care units (ICUs). We aimed to identify the optimal behavior leverage to improve VAP prevention protocol adherence.DesignMixed-method study using adherence measurements to assess 4 VAP prevention measures and qualitative analysis of semi-structured focus group interviews with frontline healthcare practitioners (HCPs).SettingThe 6 ICUs in the 900-bed University Hospital Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland.Patients and participantsAdherence to VAP prevention measures were assessed in patients with a device for invasive ventilation (ie, endotracheal tube, tracheostomy tube). Participants in focus group interviews included a convenience samples of ICU nurses and physicians.ResultsBetween February 2015 and July 2017, we measured adherence to 4 protocols: bed elevation showed adherence at 27% (95% confidence intervals [CI], 23%–31%); oral care at 41% (95% CI, 36%–45%); sedation interruption at 81% (95% CI, 74%–85%); and subglottic suctioning at 88% (95% CI, 83%–92%). Interviews were analyzed first inductively according a grounded theory approach then deductively against the behavior change wheel (BCW) framework. Main behavioral facilitators belonged to the BCW component ‘reflective motivation’ (ie, perceived seriousness of VAP and self-efficacy to prevent VAP). The main barriers belonged to ‘physical capability’ (ie, lack of equipment and staffing and side-effects of prevention measures). Furthermore, 2 primarily technical approaches (ie, ‘restructuring environment’ and ‘enabling HCP’) emerged as means to overcome these barriers.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that technical, rather than education-based, solutions should be promoted to improve VAP prevention. This theory-informed mixed-method approach is an effective means of guiding infection prevention efforts.


Author(s):  
Anja N Hagen ◽  
Marika Lüders

Music-streaming services embed social features that enable users to connect to one another and use music as social objects. This article examines how these features are experienced within negotiations of music as personal and social through the acts of sharing music and of following others. The analysis relies on 23 focus-group interviews with 124 Spotify and/or Tidal users and a mixed-method study including music-diary self-reports, online observation and interviews with 12 heavy users. Our findings suggest that users incorporate social awareness in non-sharing, selective-sharing and all-sharing approaches with strong, weak and absent ties. These ties are characterized by different configurations of social and music homophily. Negotiations of music as personal and social shape how music-streaming services are experienced.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. e035831
Author(s):  
Nam-Ju Lee ◽  
Shinae Ahn ◽  
Miseon Lee

ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the factors influencing patient safety behaviours and to explore health customers’ experiences of patient participation in the healthcare system.DesignA mixed-method sequential explanatory design was employed using a survey and focus group interviews with health consumers.SettingThe study was conducted in South Korea using an online survey tool.ParticipantsSurvey data were collected from 493 Korean adults, aged 19 years or older, who had visited hospitals within the most recent 1 year. Focus group interviews were conducted in two groups of six participants each among those of the survey participants who agreed to participate in focus groups.Main outcome measuresThe survey measured the recognition of the importance of participation, extent of willingness to participate and experience of engaging in patient safety activities using a 4-point Likert scale. Qualitative data were collected through focus group interviews to explore health consumers’ experience of patient participation in hospital care, and the data were analysed using content analysis.ResultsThe average score for experience of participation in patient safety behaviours (2.13±0.63) was found to be lower than those of recognition of the importance of participation (3.27±0.51) and willingness to participate (2.62±0.52). By integrating the results of the quantitative and qualitative data analysis, the factors associated with the experience of engaging in healthcare behaviour included patient-related factors, illness-related factors, factors involving relationship between patients and healthcare providers, and healthcare environment factors.ConclusionsTo improve patient participation, it is necessary to create a healthcare environment in which patients can speak comfortably and to provide an education programme reflecting the patients’ needs. Also, healthcare providers must consider patients as partners for patient safety. Shared decision-making procedures and patient-centred care and patient safety policies should be established in hospitals.


Scientifica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Lydell ◽  
Cathrine Hildingh ◽  
Arne Söderbom ◽  
Kristina Ziegert

Background. Health is important in workplaces. A good organisational climate in a workplace plays a major role in the employees’ well-being at work and is also associated with increased productivity. Today, employees are expected to work into older age and it is a challenge for companies to promote health and well-being for this growing group. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to explore how to promote workplace health at present time and for the end of working life in the perspective of employees. Design/Methodology/Approach. The study had an explorative design, and a thematic analysis was chosen. The inclusion criteria were persons 50 years and older, working in the company and planning to continue working into old age. A total of 21 coworkers (14 men) participated in the study. Three focus group interviews were conducted. Findings. The results from the focus group interviews are presented in four themes: handle change in a changeable workplace, take responsibility for health concerns, get confirmation for feeling needed, and support and tolerance adapted for each employee. Practical Implications. Promoting health should be an urgent mission for employees themselves as well as for managers in order to support employees in working into old age. The health promotion must be suitable for each employee and should be designed in such a way as to avoid inequality in workplace health. Originality/Value. There is a need for more health-promoting behaviours, support, and activities for employees in order to work into old age.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youlim Kim ◽  
Hyeonkyeong Lee ◽  
Sookyung Kim ◽  
Junghee Kim

Abstract Background: Migrant workers struggle to access health services and adapt to a new culture. Self-care agency can be important for health self-management. It is necessary to investigate in detail how migrant workers engage in health promotion behaviors. This study examines the effects of a health engagement program to improve self-care agency using a living lab approach among migrant workers living in South Korea. Methods: Participants included 42 migrant workers from 9 countries, recruited via flyers, posters, and internet bulletins posted by a migrant community organization. This pilot study used a mixed-methods design including a nonequivalent pre-post-test control group and three focus group interviews. During the 12-week period, only the intervention group participants received four workshops addressing healthy physical activity, healthy dietary habits, effective cultural adaptation, stress management, and two outdoor cultural activities. They also participated in focus group interviews after the second, third, and fourth group activities and discussed the benefits of health behaviors and specific ways to implement them in real life. The control group received no intervention. Results: After the 12-week intervention period, participants in the intervention group showed an increase in the levels of self-care agency (U = 82.5, p < .001), health literacy (U = 91.5, p < .001), and acculturation (U = 119.0, p = .010) compared to the control group. As results of qualitative content analysis, various themes were derived for three areas: healthy diet, acculturation, and stress management based on lessons learned from living lab activities, barriers to health behavior practices and methods to overcome barriers.Conclusions: This study demonstrated that interventions using a living lab were effective in increasing migrants’ participation in health promotion activities by strengthening their self-care agency. The qualitative approach was useful in obtaining more comprehensive results on strategies aimed at enhancing health behavior engagement.


Author(s):  
Sally K. Gallagher

Chapter 5 explores how new members and regular attenders think about the process of spiritual growth. Based on both focus group interviews with current members and regular attenders, as well as personal interviews with those who are considering or recently joined, we assess how women and men define, envision, and experience the process of growth differently across congregations. Across congregations, spiritual growth involves both increasing understanding of the language and story of one’s faith, as well as increasing facility in the practices in which believers engage. Our observations and conversations within these congregations point to the additional salience of the body and embodied practice in ordinary, lived and corporate expressions of faith.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 377-392
Author(s):  
Hjördís Sigursteinsdóttir ◽  
Guðbjörg Linda Rafnsdóttir ◽  
Thorgerður Einarsdóttir

PurposeThe recent global economic crisis affected workplaces in many countries, raising questions about the employees' situation. While most work-related studies in times of crises focus on job loss and unemployment, this study analyzes workplace violence in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis among municipal employees within care and education.Design/methodology/approachMixed method approach was used for data collection; longitudinal online surveys and focus group interviews were used.FindingsThe prevalence of workplace violence increased between the three time points of the study, in particular in downsized workplaces. A higher proportion of employees working in care were exposed to threats and physical violence than employees in education as clients of employees in care services were more likely to lash out against employees due to cutbacks in services. Focus groups interviews indicated that the causes of increased workplace violence may be due to a spreading effect both from within and outside the workplace.Practical implicationsAs workplace violence can have serious consequences for the health and well-being of employees, it is important for those who have responsibility for the work environment and occupational health in the workplace to design policies that take these findings into account.Originality/valueBased on the mixed methods, longitudinal survey and focus group interviews, this study contributes to knowledge on workplace violence in times of economic crises. It shows that the prevalence of workplace violence increased not only directly after the economic collapse but also continued up to five years later.


2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 542-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malin Idar Wallin ◽  
Marie Dahlin ◽  
Lauri Nevonen ◽  
Sofie Bäärnhielm

This study is an evaluation of clinicians’ and patients’ experiences of the core Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) in DSM-5. The CFI provides a framework for gathering culturally relevant information, but its final form has not been sufficiently evaluated. Aims were to assess the Clinical Utility (CU), Feasibility (F) and Acceptability (A) of the CFI for clinicians and patients, and to explore clinicians’ experiences of using the CFI in a multicultural clinical setting in Sweden. A mixed-method design was applied, using the CFI Debriefing Instrument for Clinicians ( N = 15) and a revised version of the Debriefing Instrument for Patients ( N = 114) (DIC and DIP, scored from −2 to 2). Focus group interviews were conducted with clinicians. For patients (response rate 50%), the CU mean was 0.98 ( SD = 0.93) and F mean 1.07 ( SD = 0.83). Overall rating of the interview was 8.30 ( SD = 1.75) on a scale from 0 and 10. For clinicians (response rate 94%), the CU mean was 1.14 ( SD = 0.52), F 0.58 ( SD = 0.93) and A 1.42 ( SD = 0.44). From clinician focus-group interviews, the following themes were identified: approaching the patient and the problem in a new manner; co-creating rapport and understanding; and affecting clinical reasoning and assessment. Patients and clinicians found the CFI in DSM-5 to be a feasible, acceptable, and clinically useful assessment tool. The focus group interviews suggested that using the CFI at initial contact can help make psychiatric assessment patient-centred by facilitating patients’ illness narratives. We argue for further refinements of the CFI.


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 1116-1134
Author(s):  
Yun-yin Huang ◽  
Chih-ming Chang ◽  
Yinlan Chen ◽  
Huei-chuan Wei ◽  
Chien Chou

Cyberbullying has emerged as a new threat to adolescents’ well-being in modern society; yet, little is known about adolescents’ alternative views on this virtual form of aggression. This study investigated Taiwanese students’ misconceptions about cyberbullying and the logics behind. We first surveyed 8,547 students nationwide (4th–12th grades) on potential misconceptions. Then, we administrated 6 focus group interviews to further explore students’ adverse beliefs on justifying cyberbullying, not reporting, and disseminating cyberbullying contents. We also found that students did not associate cyberbullying with anonymity as past research suggested. These findings extend the existing knowledge about cyberbullying in school-age youth in East Asian contexts and could lead to appropriate and effective intervention and prevention.


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