Development and Validation of the Happiness Scale for Middle-Aged Women Based on Existence, Relation, and Growth Theory.

PURPOSE: This study aimed at developing a happiness assessment scale for middle-aged women (HAS-MW) in Korea. METHODS: Preliminary items for the scale were drafted from the results of literature review and personal interviews and open-ended questions with women in the community. The interviews were based on the theory of existence, relatedness, and growth. After validating a preliminary scale, we analyzed the validity and reliability of the new scale items, and model fit. We surveyed 600 women aged 40 years to 64 years for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Valid data were divided into 352 for EFA and 174 for CFA by multiplies of number 1 to 3. RESULTS: Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, we extracted four primary factors-self-value, positive thinking, self-care, and family relationship-and with a total of 24 items for HAS-MW. The fit of the final model was evaluated as good showing χ2/df = 2.10, goodness of fit index = .80, comparative fit index = .85, root mean square error of approximation = .08, standardized root mean residual = .05. The HAS-MW had a significant positive correlation with the Oxford Happiness scale and showed a significant negative correlation with the Hwa-Byeong Scale. Cronbach's α for the new scale was .91, and the Spearman-Brown half coefficient was .93. The new scale used a five-point Likert scale with higher scores indicating greater happiness. CONCLUSION: The HAS-MW is a reliable and valid one. It can be used to measure the level of happiness for middle-aged women. In addition, it might be applied to find low women and to evaluate the effect of intervention program related to happiness in woman of middle age.

Meaning of Happiness Based on ERG Theory in Middle-Aged Korean Women.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the components and nature of happiness in middle-aged women in Korea. METHODS: Thirty middle-aged women living in metropolitan Seoul and Gyeonggi and Chungcheong provinces agreed to participate in this study. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with the participants in one-on-one settings. The data were analyzed qualitative using Colaizzi's method of phenomenology. RESULTS: The three theme clusters were extracted from the raw data, along with 13 themes and 138 meaningful sentences and phrases. The three happiness theme clusters in middle-aged women were "live healthy for stability," "rule one's mind for harmony," and "activate hopes for self-esteem." The first theme cluster included healthy life, economic stability, physical youth, and positive thought. The second theme cluster included that harmonious family, ruling of mind, my position as invisible person in social relationships, and precious relationships to support. The last theme included the center of one's life is oneself, a sense of accomplishment, self-improvement, recognition of one's worth and rest for one self. The three theme clusters were associated with the existence, relatedness, and growth (ERG) of ERG areas, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the core components of happiness in middle-aged women are to live healthy and mind-ruled and activate hope. The nature of happiness is egocentric stability in middle-aged women. The results suggest that theme clusters might be used to develop a scale for measuring happiness in middle-aged women. This will be helpful to assess the psychosocial status of middle-aged women in Korea.

Phenomenological Study on Burnout Experience of Clinical Nurses Who have Turnover Intention.

PURPOSE: This study was aimed to understand the meaning and essentials of the experience of burnout for hospital nurses with turnover intention. METHODS: The design was a qualitative research of phenomenological study. Participants: Seven hospital nurses who had worked over three years and had experiences of turnover intention in a hospital with over 400 beds were included. RESULTS: Nine meaningful themes related to burnout experiences and four theme clusters of 1) battery warning sounds almost out; 2) the player who hit the drum and double-headed drum; 3) the target flying arrow without a break; and 4) the pendulum swaying to turn over. Registered nurses (RNs) felt burnout with an overload of work and by the thought that it was illegal action for registered nurses to receive insufficient rewards for their work. RNs also experienced there were no problem solving strategies to verbal violence by patient and medical team. CONCLUSION: The findings show that burnout experiences for those who had turnover intention was developed from the insight that insufficient training to do work independently with over-load for nurses was not ethical. It suggests that it is necessary to rethink training systems for nursing and hospitals to relieve turnover intention.