PURPOSE
This study was performed to identify the relationship between Sense of Humor, Coping Humor, Perceived stress and self-esteem in the middle-aged women. METHODS: Data were collected from the 20th of June to the 30th of August in 2009 from 145 middle-aged women living in Seoul. Data analysis was done with SPSS/WIN 12.0 program for descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation. RESULTS: The mean score of the humor sense was 55.94+/-6.52, coping humor was 21.11+/-3.82, perceived stress was 22.21+/-3.03 and self-esteem was 27.50+/-2.88. Subcategories of sense of humor were that emotional expressiveness was average 20.75+/-2.70, meta-message sensitivity was average 20.12+/-2.74 and liking of humor was average 15.13+/-3.44. Sense of humor was difference according to the economic status(t=2.000, p=.047), coping humor was difference according to the on medication use(t=2.227, p=.027). There was a significant correlation between the coping humor, perceived stress and the self-esteem. When the coping humor was higher, perceived stress was lower and the self-esteem was higher. CONCLUSION: This study showed that medication and economic status influences the humor scores and the sense of humor and coping humor were related to perceived stress and self-esteem in middle-aged women Therefore, these findings can provide the basis for the development of nursing intervention to increase the ability to coping with stress.

PURPOSE
This study aimed to describe the experience of family breakdown of Hwabyung patients in a socio-cultural context.
METHODS
Data for this study came from 5 participants, 2 family members and 1 friend of participant by interviews and participant observations from January 2006 to April 2007. Sociology of everyday lives analyzing method were adopted.
RESULTS
There were two processes of family breakdown ; sudden on set and progressive processes. The sudden breakdown was unpredictable death of a husband, the significant family member. On the other hand, their family structure and function were broken down through the husband, who repeatedly destructive and malicious behaviors. The experience of family breakdown of middle-aged women with Hwabyung in a socio-cultural context was weakened or severed family-relationships, exhaustion of economic sources, and the breakdown of participant's body. Participant's experience of family breakdown were influenced by Korean culture, the patriarchal social system and the clan-centered family system.
CONCLUSION
Hwabyung is the result of a clan-centered family system and patriarchal system. The approach to Hwabyung should involve not only the person with the illness but also their family.

PURPOSE
This research was conducted to explore the experience of middle-aged women parting with their children and to develop a grounded theory. METHOD: The participants were 11 women in their 50's who had experienced parting with their children due to schooling, military service and marriage. The grounded theory methodology based on symbolic interactionism was used. RESULTS: 106 concepts, 30 subcategories and 14 categories were derived from the analysis through processes of open coding, axial coding and selective coding. The central phenomenon was 'happy but sad' and the core category was a process of 'independence that is sorrowful yet delightful'. Four types were identified; the independent-type; submissive -type; family-reliant-type ; and fragile-type; based on the attachment to the child, state of mind, satisfaction of the situation, family support system and self-achievement. CONCLUSION: This research identified that the modern Korean middle-aged women who are considered to be the 'sandwich generation' since they have experienced a turbulent history and the change from a confucian parent-child lifestyle to a couple-oriented one, moved away from an attitude dependent on children in parting with them and started preparing for an independent late life. Based on the results, the verification research is advised on the variables that affect the experience of parting with children.

PURPOSE
This study was explored the experiences of the middle-aged women and tried to understand their lived experiences. METHOD: The data was collected from 9 participants living in Seoul from Sep. to Dec. 2003. Collection of data was by means of in-depth interviews. The analysis of the data was made the phenomenological analytic method suggested by Colaizzi(1978). RESULT: The 10 themes were extracted in this study ; sense of emptiness, repentance of one's past, decline of physical functions, lost one's youth, worry of children, thinking about future, importance of husband, importance of job, composure of mind, content with present life. CONCLUSION: Therefore, the helpful program should be developed and applied to extend positive lived experiences, and relieve or exclude negative lived experiences for the middle aged women.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of family function, self-esteem, and loneliness on subjective health status in middle-aged women. METHODS: A five-item family APGAR was used to measure family function. Self-esteem was measured by the Rosenberg's Self-esteem scale, and the level of loneliness was measured using RULS. One-item was used to investigate subjective health status. RESULT: In this study, the level of family function was moderate. The mean score of self-esteem was 29.06, and subjects revealed moderate loneliness. Subjects rated their health status as 'fair'. There were differences in subjective health status according to education and economic status. Through multiple regression, it was found that self-esteem was a variable predicting subjective health status in middle-aged women. CONCLUSION: Facilitating self-esteem of the middle-aged women can be one of the important nursing interventions in maintaining subjective health status as good.

PURPOSE
The purpose of the study was to investigate the meaning of the life of middle-aged women. METHOD: The research method employed Q-methodology. Thirty-one participants rated 30 selected Q-statements on a scale of 1~7. The collected data were analyzed using PC-QUNAL software. RESULT: Principal component analysis identified 4 types of the meaning of the life of middle-aged women. The categories were labeled 'May I help you?', 'Alone', 'Who am I ?', 'No regret'. CONCLUSION: We have found meaning of life of middle-aged women through this research. The study result could be data to perform effective nursing intervention for positive life of middle-aged women.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to identity the relationships among self reported health behaviors, menopausal symptoms, and sexual satisfaction in middle-aged women. METHOD: The subjects of this study were 155 women from 40 to 60 years. The data was analyzed using SPSS program for frequency, percentage, mean, t-test, ANOVA, Duncan and Pearson's correlation coefficients. RESULTS: 1. The mean score of health behaviors was 3.10 out of maximum 4. 2. The mean score of self-reported menopausal symptoms was 1.73 out of maximum 2. 3. The mean score of sexual satisfaction was 2.73 out of maximum 4. 4. Women's degree of menopausal symptoms had negative correlations with the degree of health behaviors(r=-0.437, p<.001) and the degree of sexual satisfaction(r=-0.439, p<.001). The degree of health behaviors had a positive correlation with the degree of sexual satisfaction (r=0.470, p<.001). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, menopausal symptoms-based complaints by middle-aged women were negatively correlated to health behavior and sexual satisfaction. Therefore, health behavior should be considered when developing nursing strategies for middle- aged women, especially when dealing with menopausal symptoms and sexual satisfaction.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to identify the influencing factor to self actualization in middle-aged women.
METHOD
The subjects for this study were 191 middle-aged women selected by convenience sampling in three cities. Data collection was done using a questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation coefficient and Stepwise Multiple Regression.
RESULT
The results of this study were as follows: 1. The relationship between self-efficacy, social support, self esteem, motivation for achievement, parental satisfaction with children and self-actualization were found to have statistically significant positive correlations. But the relationship between depression and self-actualization were found to have statistically significant negative correlation. 2. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the most powerful predictor was social support. Social support, motivation for achievement and self esteem accounted for 38.1% of the variance in self-actualization in middle aged women.
CONCLUSION
According to these results, it is recommended that in order to enhance self-actualization in middle-aged women, empowerment of social support, motivation for achievement and self esteem should be pursued.

PURPOSE
This study is aimed at testing the effect of health promotion program on health promoting behavior and cardiovascular risk factors of middle-aged women.
METHOD
The research design was the nonequivalent control group pre-post test. Twelve middle-aged women were the experimental group and ten were the control group. The 8-week health promotion program was given to the experimental group. There were health promotion theories, flexibility and muscle strength exercise, cardiopulmonary endurance exercise, nutrition, stress management, cancer prevention and early detection, management of menopause and wrap-up in health promotion program for middle-aged women. The measurement tool was Health Promoting Behavior developed by researcher using serum cholesterol, obesity rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure as cardiovascular risk factors.
RESULT
The experimental group showed a higher score of health promoting behavior than the control group. There were no differences on cardiovascular risk factors(cholesterol, obesity rate, diastolic blood pressure) between the experimental and control groups except systolic blood pressure.
CONCLUSION
Conclusively, this health promotion program for middle-aged women was effective in increasing health promotion behaviors, but wasn't effective in decreasing cardiovascular risk factors except the systolic blood pressure. It seems it's necessary to re-study this using more samples and a longer duration of the program, and smaller mortality rate.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to verify the effectiveness of the model based on the TPB, behavior-related theories, and exercise-related empirical studies in predicting exercise intention and behavior.
METHODS
The subjects who participated in this study were 152 middle-aged women. The data were analyzed by use of SAS PC program and LISREL 8.12a program.
RESULTS
1) The overall fit of the hypothetical model to the data was acceptable(x2 24.01(p=0.0043), x2/df 2.67, RMSEA 0.11, standardized RMR 0.04, GFI 0.97, AGFI 0.84, NFI 0.95, NNFI 0.85). 2) Affect, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and habit were significant determinants of the exercise intention. Attitude and facilitating conditions were not significant determinants. These six variables explained 43% of the total variance of the exercise intention. 3) Perceived behavioral control and habit were significant determinants of the exercise behavior. Intention and facilitating conditions were not significant determinants. These four variables explained 95% of the total variance of the exercise behavior.
CONCLUSION
This study shows the model's applicabiltiy in explaining exercise behavior of middle-aged women, and suggests that we should focus on perceived behavioral control and habit rather than intention to improve exercise behavior of middle-aged women.

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of cancer prevention and early detection education on cancer-related knowledge, attitudes, and preventive health behavior of middle-aged women in Korea. The research design was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The subjects of this study were 38 middle-aged women from a church in Taegu. An Experimental group of 19 and a control group of 19 women were studied. The study was conducted from September 21, 2000 to October 27, 2000. The cancer prevention and early detection education had been provided to the experimental group for 2 weeks. The contents of the education program for the third most prevalent cancer of Korean women were: 'the risk factors of cancer', 'the early symptoms of cancer', 'the diagnostic test for cancer detection', and 'the cancer prevention methods'. The instruments used for this study were modified, cancer-related knowledge, and attitude, preventive health behavior tools of Suh et al.(1998). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, X2-test, t-test, ANCOVA with SPSS WIN 9.0/PC. The results were as follows: 1) Hypothesis 1 that the women who get cancer prevention and early detection education will have higher scores of the cancer-related knowledge than the women do not get cancer prevention and early detection education was accepted(F=4.732, p=.037). 2) Hypothesis 2 that the women who get cancer prevention and early detection education will have higher scores of cancer-related attitudes than the women do not get cancer prevention and early detection education was rejected(F=.118, p=.733). 3) Hypothesis 3 that the women who get cancer prevention and early detection education will have higher scores of cancer-related preventive health behavior than the women who do not get cancer prevention and early detection education was rejected(F=2.250, p=.143). On the basis of the above findings, the following recommendations are suggested: 1)It is necessary to identify the variables affected on cancer-related knowledge, attitudes and preventive health behavior. 2) It is necessary to develop a well organized cancer prevention and early detection education program to change cancer-related attitude and preventive health behavior.