Biomedical subjects

Chich-Hsiu Hung

Publications and source records attributed to Chich-Hsiu Hung.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Postpartum stress as a predictor of women's minor psychiatric morbidity.

The purpose of this study was to predict women's minor psychiatric morbidity after they had childbirth as measured repeatedly at the first, the third, and the fifth weeks of the postpartum period. The Chinese Health Questionnaire, the Postpartum Stress Scale, the Zung's Self-rating Depression Scale and Anxiety Scale, and the Social Support Scale were used at the three points of time. A total of 526 women in Taiwan participated in the study. The results indicated that postpartum stress and anxiety are important predictors for postpartum women's minor psychiatric morbidity at three points in time.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Correlates of first-time mothers' postpartum stress.

The purpose of this study was to examine first-time mothers' postpartum stress and its correlates following discharge from the hospital or clinic after vaginal delivery. One hundred and eighty-three first-time mothers were enrolled from hospitals and clinics in Kaohsiung City. All first-time mothers reported normal pregnancies and vaginal deliveries, delivered healthy infants at term, and were surveyed during their postpartum periods after discharge from hospitals or clinics. The Hung Postpartum Stress Scale was used to examine first-time mothers' postpartum stress and stressors during their postpartum periods. The top ten postpartum stressors perceived by the women were: "the baby getting sick suddenly", "the flabby flesh of my belly", "the unpredictability of the baby's schedule", "interrupted sleep", "the shape of the baby's head due to the sleeping position", "not sleeping enough", "lack of information regarding infant's growth and development", "the baby's crying", "my life is restricted", and "the baby choking during feeding". There were no significant differences between the first-time mothers' demographic characteristics and their postpartum stress and its three components (negative body changes, maternal role attainment, lack of social support), respectively. Insight into the study results of first-time mothers' postpartum stress and stressors provides a reference for health professionals that the development of programs and resources addressing primiparous women's unique needs are required.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Revalidation of the postpartum stress scale.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to test further and validate the postpartum stress scale developed for Taiwanese women. BACKGROUND: The postpartum stress scale was developed to measure postpartum stress in Taiwanese women. However, over the last decade, the social context in Taiwan has changed and several items in the scale needed to be re-examined. DESIGN: Non-experimental quantitative research with repeated measures at the first and fifth week of the postpartum period was conducted for this study. METHODS: A proportional stratified quota was used to sample from the 10 hospitals and six clinics with the highest birth rates in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Participants were 505 and 518 postpartum women at each time point, respectively. RESULTS: Factor analysis at two points in time identified three attributes of postpartum stress: (a) maternal role attainment, (b) lack of social support, and (c) negative body changes. The Cronbach's alphas at each time point were 0.94 and 0.92, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the postpartum stress scale as a validated instrument that has been conceptualized, created, and tested with Taiwanese postpartum women. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study was done in the hope that women experiencing specific postpartum stressors would be detected and subsequently helped by supportive nursing intervention that provides stressor-specific coping resources.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

[Application of empowerment in the organization].

Rapid changes in modern society require organizations to innovate and reform to keep up with and adequately address needs. A competitive organization must retain employees who are devoted to and satisfied with their work. Empowerment of employees by organizational managers is one way by which to motivate employees and thereby increase their productivity and effectiveness within the organization. This article presents meanings, contents, structures and models related to the concept of empowerment and the process of its application. An extensive literature review was conducted. Study results are hoped to provide to nursing leaders a reference in order to execute empowerment concepts effectively within their organizations.

Delegation, Professional↗

PubMed2005

Measuring postpartum stress.

AIMS: This paper reports a study whose purpose was to revalidate the Hung Postpartum Stress Scale by expanding and revising its contexts to reflect the social changes that have occurred in Taiwan over the last two decades. BACKGROUND: Existing measures of general stress, which have also been used to assess postpartum stress, fail to measure women's specific childbearing stressors during the postpartum period. The Hung Postpartum Stress Scale was initially developed 11 years ago by Hung and associates to measure stress in the early postpartum period as it occurred in the Taiwanese social milieu of the time. However, revalidation was needed because of rapid changes in the Taiwanese social system. METHODS: Employing a non-experimental, quantitative research design and a proportional stratified quota sampling of hospitals by birth rate, the revised instrument was completed by 861 postpartum women selected from clinics and hospitals in Taiwan. RESULTS: An exploratory common factor analysis indicated the structure validity of three dimensions of postpartum stress: concerns about maternity role attainment, concerns about negative body changes, and concerns about lack of social support. With regard to generalizability of the factors across delivery type, education level, and income status subgroups within the population, high coefficients of congruence were shown. Moreover, the internal consistency reliabilities for the total Hung Postpartum Stress Scale and its three dimensions across the full sample and within pertinent sub-samples showed that it is a reliable tool for measuring postpartum stress. CONCLUSIONS: A series of analyses supported the validity and reliability of the revised Hung Postpartum Stress Scale. Additional research is recommended using confirmatory factor analysis to determine the stability of the factor structure identified in the present study.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Women's postpartum stress, social support, and health status.

The purpose of this study was to examine women's postpartum stress, social support, and health status at different places of residence during their postpartum periods. Using proportional stratified quota sampling of hospitals by birth rate from clinics and hospitals in Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan, postpartum married women were recruited for the study. The results show that the home of the women's parents (25.7%), her own home (with parents-in-law; 23.8%), and her own home (without parents or parents-in-law; 23.1%) were the main places of residence for women during the postpartum period. In addition, postpartum women's mean scores for postpartum stress were low. In contrast, the mean scores for social support were high, although they did not differ significantly for the respective places of postpartum residence. Furthermore, significant differences were not found in these women's postpartum health status at each of the places of postpartum residence.

Depression, Postpartum↗

PubMed2005

[Ethical issues in nursing leadership].

Social transition causes shifts and changes in the relationship between health professionals and their patients. In their professional capacity, it is important today for nurses to handle ethical dilemmas properly, in a manner that fosters an ethical environment. This article investigates the ethical concerns and decision processes of nurses from a knowledge construction perspective, and examines such issues as patient needs, staff perceptions, organizational benefits, and professional image. The decision making methods commonly used when facing ethical dilemma explored in this study include the traditional problem solving, nursing process, MORAL model, and Murphy's methods. Although decision making for ethical dilemmas is governed by no universal rule, nurses are responsible to try to foster a trusting relationship between employee and employer, health care providers and patients, and the organization and colleagues. When decision making on ethical dilemmas is properly executed quality care will be delivered and malpractice can be reduced.

Ethics, Nursing↗

PubMed2004

Predictors of postpartum women's health status.

PURPOSE: To determine the effects of postpartum stress, depression, and social support on postpartum women's health. METHODS: With proportional stratified-quota sampling by birth rates in clinics and hospitals in Kaohsiung City, in southern Taiwan, 861 women were recruited for the study. The Hung Postpartum Stress Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition, the Social Support Scale, and the 12-item Chinese Health Questionnaire were used to examine women's postpartum stress, depression, social support, and health status during the postpartum period. RESULTS: The findings strongly supported the hypothesis that the effects of postpartum stress and depression on postpartum women's health are significant. The results also indicated that social support had an indirect effect on women's health. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to decrease postpartum stress and to improve social support might decrease the likelihood of postpartum women's depression, which in turn might enhance their overall health status.

Adult↗