여성은퇴자의 삶의 적응 과정: 간호사를 중심으로

Abstract

국문초록

본 연구는 여성 은퇴간호사의 삶의 적응과정을 통하여 은퇴간호사들이 어떤 경험을 하게 되며, 이런 경험들을 어떻게 수용하고 적응해 가는지를 확인하여 그 과정을 설명하기 위한 실체 이론을 개발하고자 시도되었다. 본 연구의 참여자들은 한 직장에서 20년 이상 근무하고 은퇴한 15명의 은퇴 간호사였다. 먼저 연구 참여자의 동의를 얻어 심층면담과 참여관찰을 통해 자료를 수집하였으며 면담내용은 모두 녹취하고 필사하였다. 자료의 수집과 분석은 Strauss와 Corbin(1998)의 근거이론방법에 의해 개방코딩, 축코딩, 선택코딩이 순환적으로 이루어졌다. 개방코딩 과정을 통해 90개의 개념, 22개의 하위범주, 10개의 범주가 도출되었다. 이어서 과정분석과 유형분석이 이루어졌으며 상황 모형이 형성되었다. 결과는 다음과 같다.

첫째, 여성은퇴자의 삶의 적응과정: 간호사를 중심으로의 인과적 조건은 ‘은퇴로 인한 변화’였고, 이로 인하여 나타나는 현상은 ‘제2의 인생 선택’이었다. 이러한 현상의 맥락적 조건은 ‘간호사의 삶 되돌아보기’, ‘가정생활 되돌아보기’였고, 중재적 조건은 ‘소중한 것들 찾기’, ‘건강관리’로 나타났다. 은퇴 간호사들이 ‘제2의 인생 선택’을 해결하기 위해 사용하는 작용/상호작용 전략은 ‘돌아온 가정 지킴이’, ‘노년의 삶에 순응하기’, ‘새로운 나를 찾아가기’로 나타났으며 작용/상호작용 전략의 결과로는 ‘제2의 인생에 자발적 몰입’으로 도출되었다.

둘째, 여성은퇴자의 삶의 적응과정: 간호사를 중심으로의 과정은 ‘해방기’, ‘탐색기’, ‘몰입기’, ‘행복기’의 4단계로 나타났다. 은퇴간호사들은 삶의 적응과정에 있어서, 직업과 직장, 일을 내려놓음으로 자유로움과 여유로움을 느끼기도 하며, 한편 막막함이나 무기력함, 정체성을 잃어버리는 등의 부정적 경험도 하고 있었다. 그러나 그런 양가감정에도 불구하고 재빨리 직장과 일이 아닌 다른 일로서 활동 영역의 재구성을 시도하며 노년의 삶에 순응하기를 통하여 노년을 살아갈 준비와 의미 있는 일들을 찾으며 있는 그대로 자연스럽게 순응해 가는 모습을 볼 수 있었다. 한편 자기의 욕구가 무엇인지를 확인하기도 하고, 자신 내면의 부정적 감정들을 재빨리 해결해 가면서 새로운 나를 찾아가기를 통하여 건강하고 행복한 노후를 준비하는 모습을 확인 할 수 있었다.

셋째, 여성은퇴자의 삶의 적응과정: 간호사를 중심으로의 핵심범주는 ‘돌봄이 몸에 밴 나눔의 삶 살아가기’이며 그 유형은 ‘나눔 추구형’, ‘쉼 추구형’, ‘가정 추구형’의 3유형으로 나타났다. 오랜 직장생활을 통해 얻은 지식과 기술로 이웃을 섬기고 나누면서, 돌봄이 몸에 밴 나눔의 삶을 살아가는 ‘나눔 추구형’과 오랜 직장생활을 한 자신을 격려하고 인정하며 쉼을 추구하는 ‘쉼 추구형’, 그리고 직장생활로 희생당했던 가정으로 돌아와 가정이 새로운 일터가 되어 몸에 밴 돌봄의 자세로 가족들을 챙기는 ‘가정 추구형’으로 나타났다.

넷째, 여성은퇴간호사의 삶의 적응과정은 개인수준에서 가족, 사회적 수준의 차원으로 이루어진 작용/상호작용에 의해 상황적 조건이 형성되었다. 이는 여성 은퇴간호사들이 삶의 적응과정에 개인, 가족, 사회적 차원에서의 체계적인 지원과 관리가 요구됨을 의미한다.

본 연구를 통해서 여성은퇴간호사들의 삶의 적응과정을 이해하고 이에 대한 이론적 토대를 마련하였다. 그러므로 이를 토대로 은퇴간호사들의 지원 프로그램 개발과 간호협회 차원의 네트워크 구축의 필요성을 제시하고 지원체계 구축에 이바지할 것으로 기대된다.

주요어 : 은퇴, 여성은퇴자, 간호사, 근거이론방법론 |ABSTRACT

Adaptation of the Life among Women Retirees : Focused on Nurses

Kim, Mi Hye Department of Nursing The Graduate School of Hanyang University Directed by Professor Lee, Jeong Seop, RN, Ph.D.

The purpose of this study was to develop an substance theory on retired female nurses' process of life adaptation by investigating what experiences nurses go through during adaptation to life after retirement from work and how they accept and adjust themselves to those experiences. Participants of this study were 15 retired nurses who left work after over 20 years' service. The study collected data from those nurses through profound interviews and participatory observation under their prior consent. All responses to the interviews were recorded and transcribed. Data analysis was circularly conducted through open coding, axial coding and selective coding in accordance with the Grounded Theory by Strauss and Corbin(1998). From the open coding, particularly, 90 concepts, 22 sub-categories and 10 categories were obtained. And then, both the process analysis and the pattern analysis were conducted, and a situation model was formed. The findings of this study can be summarized as follows. First, retired women's process of life adaptation, which this study worked on with retired nurses, was prompted by a causal condition, that is, 'life change caused by retirement'. A primary phenomenon of that process was 'the choice of a second life'. That phenomenon was under contextual conditions like 'recollecting life as a nurse' and 'recollecting family life' and intervening conditions like 'discovering important things' and 'managing health'. For a better second life, retired nurses took some action/interaction strategies like 'being back to a role as a housekeeper', 'adjustment to later life' and 'renewing my being'. A main consequence of these strategies was 'voluntary commitment to second life'. Second, retired women, especially retired nurses, went through the 4 phases of life adaptation, 'liberation', 'exploration', 'commitment' and 'happiness'. Retired nurses had positive and negative experiences during the process of life adaptation. The former included feeling free or relaxed away from work or job and the latter, feeling desolate or powerless and losing identity. In between, however, they didn't hesitate to try organizing what to do other things than their job and making preparations and finding things meaningful for better adjustment to later life. They also tried to identify their needs, get rid of negative emotions from time to time and renew their self, setting fundamentals for a healthier and happier later life. Third, the core category that best represents retired nurses' process of life adaptation is 'living a sharing life with an acquired attitude of caring', which have three types, 'sharing-orientation', 'rest-orientation' and 'family-orientation'. Of these three, the first type is that retired nurses live a sharing life by serving and sharing with neighbors based on knowledge and skills they obtained from a long service as practitioners. The second is that they live a resting life as they admire and recognize themselves for a long-term work. And the last is that those women live a family-oriented life in which they use an acquired attitude of caring to service family members who were left aside due to their work life. Fourth, retired nurses' adaptation to life proceeded through actions/interactions that they performed in personal, familial or social level. This suggests that the nursing retirees need personal, familial and social supports and management in organized ways to better adapt themselves to life. This study provided a theoretical basis on which how nurses adapt themselves to life after retirement is understood. That basis would be able to contribute to developing support programs for retired nurses and awakening the nurses' association to build up networks and supportive systems for the retirees.

key words: retirement, retired women, nurses, grounded theory methodology; ABSTRACT

Adaptation of the Life among Women Retirees : Focused on Nurses

Kim, Mi Hye Department of Nursing The Graduate School of Hanyang University Directed by Professor Lee, Jeong Seop, RN, Ph.D.

The purpose of this study was to develop an substance theory on retired female nurses' process of life adaptation by investigating what experiences nurses go through during adaptation to life after retirement from work and how they accept and adjust themselves to those experiences. Participants of this study were 15 retired nurses who left work after over 20 years' service. The study collected data from those nurses through profound interviews and participatory observation under their prior consent. All responses to the interviews were recorded and transcribed. Data analysis was circularly conducted through open coding, axial coding and selective coding in accordance with the Grounded Theory by Strauss and Corbin(1998). From the open coding, particularly, 90 concepts, 22 sub-categories and 10 categories were obtained. And then, both the process analysis and the pattern analysis were conducted, and a situation model was formed. The findings of this study can be summarized as follows. First, retired women's process of life adaptation, which this study worked on with retired nurses, was prompted by a causal condition, that is, 'life change caused by retirement'. A primary phenomenon of that process was 'the choice of a second life'. That phenomenon was under contextual conditions like 'recollecting life as a nurse' and 'recollecting family life' and intervening conditions like 'discovering important things' and 'managing health'. For a better second life, retired nurses took some action/interaction strategies like 'being back to a role as a housekeeper', 'adjustment to later life' and 'renewing my being'. A main consequence of these strategies was 'voluntary commitment to second life'. Second, retired women, especially retired nurses, went through the 4 phases of life adaptation, 'liberation', 'exploration', 'commitment' and 'happiness'. Retired nurses had positive and negative experiences during the process of life adaptation. The former included feeling free or relaxed away from work or job and the latter, feeling desolate or powerless and losing identity. In between, however, they didn't hesitate to try organizing what to do other things than their job and making preparations and finding things meaningful for better adjustment to later life. They also tried to identify their needs, get rid of negative emotions from time to time and renew their self, setting fundamentals for a healthier and happier later life. Third, the core category that best represents retired nurses' process of life adaptation is 'living a sharing life with an acquired attitude of caring', which have three types, 'sharing-orientation', 'rest-orientation' and 'family-orientation'. Of these three, the first type is that retired nurses live a sharing life by serving and sharing with neighbors based on knowledge and skills they obtained from a long service as practitioners. The second is that they live a resting life as they admire and recognize themselves for a long-term work. And the last is that those women live a family-oriented life in which they use an acquired attitude of caring to service family members who were left aside due to their work life. Fourth, retired nurses' adaptation to life proceeded through actions/interactions that they performed in personal, familial or social level. This suggests that the nursing retirees need personal, familial and social supports and management in organized ways to better adapt themselves to life. This study provided a theoretical basis on which how nurses adapt themselves to life after retirement is understood. That basis would be able to contribute to developing support programs for retired nurses and awakening the nurses' association to build up networks and supportive systems for the retirees.

key words: retirement, retired women, nurses, grounded theory methodology