Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the mediating effect of psychological capital on the relationship between stress and college adjustment in nursing students.Methods: This study was conducted using a descriptive, cross-sectional design. A sample of 284 nursing students was recruited from various South Korean universities. Data were collected through an online survey conducted from October 2021 to February 2022. The questionnaire used in this study included the Revised Life Stress Scale for College Students, the Psychological Capital Scale, the College Adjustment Scale, and general characteristics of nursing students. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25.0 and PROCESS macro version 4.1.Results: Stress exhibited significant direct and total effects on college adjustment. Additionally, psychological capital, the mediating variable, had a significant direct effect on college adjustment. Moreover, the indirect effect of stress on college adjustment through psychological capital was significant.Conclusion: It is necessary to develop strategies to strengthen nursing students’ psychological capital to reduce stress and facilitate successful college adjustment.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between upper extremity function and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in breast cancer survivors, focusing on the mediating role of empowerment while controlling for spirituality. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 191 breast cancer survivors in self-help groups in South Korea. Participants included women aged > 40 years who had undergone surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, with no metastasis to other organs and no cognitive disabilities. Data were collected between July and October 2019. Measures included upper extremity function, empowerment, spirituality, and PTG. The participants' mean age was 59.29 years. Significant positive correlations were found between upper extremity function and empowerment (r ​= ​0.28, P ​< ​0.001), upper extremity function and PTG (r ​= ​0.22, P ​= ​0.002), and empowerment and PTG (r ​= ​0.18, P ​= ​0.015). Spirituality was positively correlated with PTG (r ​= ​0.55, P ​< ​0.001). On mediation analysis, upper extremity function, directly and indirectly, affected PTG through empowerment. Furthermore, a significant difference in PTG based on educational attainment was observed, with higher PTG levels observed in survivors with a college degree or higher than in those with a high school education or lower. These findings highlight the importance of upper extremity function and empowerment in enhancing PTG among breast cancer survivors. Although spirituality did not have a direct effect, it remains a crucial factor in coping strategies. Holistic interventions addressing physical and psychological aspects of recovery may foster PTG and overall well-being of breast cancer survivors.

Background/Objectives: Early turnover among new graduate nurses remains challenging in South Korea. This study examined how socialisation factors—based on Scott et al.’s transition model and Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory—are associated with early retention at the first hospital of employment among new graduate nurses. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study analysed secondary data from the Graduate Occupational Mobility Survey (GOMS), a nationally representative dataset of college and university graduates in Korea, collected using a stratified multi-stage sampling method. The study included 602 new graduate nurses from the 2017–2019 datasets who had worked as nurses at their first hospital of employment. Anticipatory socialisation factors included personal and educational characteristics. Organisational socialisation factors referred to workplace-related characteristics of the first hospital, including motivational factors and hygiene factors. The outcome variable was early retention. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with early retention. Results: A total of 68.6% of nurses remained in their first hospital employment. Retention was more likely among nurses whose high school, nursing school, and first hospital were in the same region (p = 0.019), those employed in Seoul (p < 0.001), and those working in larger hospitals (p < 0.001). Retention was also associated with satisfaction with autonomy and authority (p = 0.013). Conversely, lower retention was observed among nurses who were dissatisfied with interpersonal relationships (p < 0.001) and those who reported satisfaction with growth opportunities (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Targeted strategies that support new graduate nurses during their transition are essential. Aligning education-to-employment regions and strengthening workplace conditions may enhance early retention.

Background: Although nursing interventions improve outcomes in heart failure (HF), the mechanisms underlying their effects on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) remain unclear. Objective: Using a causal mediation framework, we examined whether HF knowledge, self-care behaviors, self-care confidence, or social support mediated the effect of an educational intervention on HRQOL in patients with HF. Methods: We analyzed data from a randomized controlled trial of an educational intervention for patients with HF. The intervention group (n = 60; 64.61 ± 13.75 years; 50.0% female) received individual education plus 8 weeks of telephone follow-up, while the control group (n = 62; 67.89 ± 13.31 years; 51.7% female) received usual care. Causal mediation analysis was used to explore the pathway between intervention assignment and HRQOL at 6 months, with HF knowledge, self-care behaviors (ie, overall self-care, self-care management, and self-care maintenance), self-care confidence, and social support measured at 3 months as potential mediators. Results: Intervention assignment was significantly associated with HF knowledge, overall self-care, self-care maintenance, self-care management, and self-care confidence at 3 months (all P < .05). After adjusting for age, gender, and baseline scores, overall self-care (indirect effect –7.18, 95% CI –13.48 to –2.35) and self-care maintenance (indirect effect –3.02, 95% CI –7.94 to –0.07) demonstrated significant indirect effects. Overall self-care and self-care maintenance also had significant indirect effects between intervention and physical HRQOL, but no mediator was significant for emotional HRQOL. Conclusions: Educational interventions can improve HRQOL of patients with HF by enhancing their self-care, particularly treatment adherence and self-monitoring. However, additional strategies are needed for emotional HRQOL.