Influencing Factors of Attitude on Terminal Care among Care Helpers in Long-term Care Facilities

초록

Purpose. The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the relationships among death orientation, mental health, and attitude on terminal care of care-helpers working for the long-term care facilities, and to identify influencing factors of their attitude on terminal care. Methods. The study was conducted using a convenient sampling method and data were collected from 7 nursing homes located in Incheon and Bucheon province. Recruited subjects were 105 care helpers who have working experience at least three months in the long-term care facilities. The major variables were death orientation, mental health, and attitude on terminal care of care-helpers. Results. The mean scores for death orientation and mental health were 3.17, 3.66 on 5 point Likert scale respectively and the mean score of attitude on terminal care was 2.75 on 4 point Likert scale. On death orientation, there was statistically significant difference between care-helper with religion and without religion(t=4.86, p=.030). There were statistically significant differences in attitude on terminal care by marital status (t=5.24, p=.024) and by the subjective perception of their own health status (t=4.80, p=.031). There was positive correlation between death orientation and mental health (r=0.22, p=.028), and relationship between attitude on terminal care death orientation was also statistically significant (r=0.48, p<0.001). Death orientation was significant factor affecting subjects’ attitude on terminal care and explained 21. 8 percent of variance of attitude of terminal care. Conclusion. The results showed that the death orientation of care helpers significantly affected attitude on terminal care. It is necessary to develop education program enhancing positive orientation of death. Major limitation of the study was low reliability of the scale, attitude of terminal care (Cronbach's α=.61).