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The purpose of this study is to provide a basis for nursing intervention strategies to promote quality of life in cancer patients. Therefore the study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of perceived health status, self-esteem, health locus of control, self-efficacy, perceived susceptibility /severity, health promoting behaviors, and hope for quality of life. The sample was composed of 164 stomach cancer patients who visited outpatient clinics at a university hospital in Seoul. The following instruments were used in the study after some adaptation : Lawstone and others’ Health Self-rating Scale, Rosenberg’s Self-esteem Scale, Wallston and others ’Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, Sherer & Maddux’s Self-efficacy Scale, Moon’s Health Beliefs Scale, Walker and others’ Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile, Nowotney’s Hope scale and Noh’s Quality of Life Scale. Data were analyzed using a SAS program for Pearson correlation coefficients, descriptive correlational statistics and stepwise multiple regression. The results are as follows : 1. The scores on the quality of life scale ranged from 115 to 243 with a mean of 177.84(SD : 25.35). The mean scores(range 1-5) on the different dimensions were : emotional state 3.37 : economic life 3.47 : physical state & function 3.52 : self-esteem 3.66 : relationship with neighbors 3.37 ; family relationships 3.80. 2. There was a significant correlation between all the predictive variables and the quality of life (r=.20-.65, p<.01). 3. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that : 1) Self-esteem was the main predictor of quality of life and accounted for 46.9% of the variance in quality of life. 2) Perceived health status, hope and perceived susceptibility/severity accounted for 11.8%, 8.3%, 1.5% of the variance in quality of life, respectively. 3) Self-esteem, perceived health status, hope & perceived susceptibility /severity combined accounted for 68.5% of the variance in quality of life. In conclusion, self-esteem, perceived health status, hope and perceived susceptibility / severity were identified as important variables in the quality of life of cancer patients.
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