The purpose of this study was to identify the trends of resourcefulness researche studies for suggesting the future direction of study. Study design, types of subjects, measurement tools, study concept, and outcome were examined by reviewing 61 research studies published from 1980 to 1999. The results were as follows: 1. There were 24 works in the 1980s and 37 works in 1990, according to the published year of resourcefulness study. Non-experimental studies like descriptive study, correlational study and comparative study were more frequent than experimental studies. 2. Research studies that consisted of 30- 100 subjects were the most numerous with 27 studies in all. The majority of study subjects was shown as healthy students and depressive patients. 3. Most studies used Rosenbaum's Self Control Schedule(SCS) for assessing resourcefulness. Reliabilities of resourcefulness researches were cronbach alpha= .70 or more. According to statisitical tests done for internal validity, SCS was negatively correlated to maladaptation. Factor analysis revealed that the most parsimonious structure was 3 to 6 factors. The total communality variance in the SCS was about 40 %. Other tools used with the SCS were about coping, depression, satisfaction of life and symptoms, self management and health romotion. 4. In correlational studies, concepts like depression, anxiety, and psychological symptoms were related to resourcefulness negatively. Adaptive functioning, life satisfaction and self achievement had positive correlations to resourcefulness. 5. Studies on comparison between a healthy person and depressive patient or smoker and non-smoker were done. There were coping, depression, symptom, self efficacy, health problem and self-control as comparative concepts. 6. Study subjects consisted of depressive patients in 9 of 18 experimental studies. The majority of studies were done with cognitive-behavioral therapy as an experimental intervention. The most effective treatment was revealed in high resourcefulness group. Since the above findings, resourcefulness research increased since 1980 and mostly non-experimental design for quantitative study were done. In the field of nursing, research about resourcefulness was in an initial stage. It is expected that further research needed to be done. Recommendations on the basis of the present research suggest that it is necessary to replicate studies, develop nursing intervention enhancing resourcefulness and apply it to patients with chronic diseases including cancer.

The purpose of this study was to define the degree of the resourcefulness and the health-promoting behavior of cancer patients, to identify the relationship between the resourcefulness and the health promoting behaviors and to provide the basis for strategic nursing intervention. This study was conducted by an exploratory survey. Data were collected by self-reported questionnaires from 97 cancer patients in a university hospital in Tae-Gu from September to December of 1998. The sample data were collected by using a convenient sampling method. The following instruments were used in the study after some adaptation: Park Chai Soon's Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile, Oh Pok Ja's instrument for health promotion behavior and the Rosenbaum self-control schedule(SCS). The reliability of instruments was tested with Chronbach'alph(.79-.89). Data was analyzed by using the SAS program. T-test, ANOVA, and Pearson's coefficients of correlation. The results of this study were as follows: First, the average score of the resourcefulness variable was 22.20; the range of the score was from -30 to +81 The average score of the performance in the health promoting behavior variable was 96.13; the range of the score was from 39 to 137 Second, the resourcefulness variable was significantly different from such demographic factors as gender and perceived health status, but there was no statistically significant difference between the demographic factors and the health promoting behavior variable, except that of perceived health status. Third, the performance in health promoting behavior of cancer patients was significantly correlated with the resourcefulness of cancer patients(r= .50) In conclusion, resourcefulness was identified to be an important variable that could contribute to promote health-promoting behavior.