Recently, with socioeconomic development and living-standard improvement, a value-oriented life is introduced in domestically and civic awareness enhances. Thus, the interest and participation in a voluntary service increases. As a positive effect of ...
Recently, with socioeconomic development and living-standard improvement, a value-oriented life is introduced in domestically and civic awareness enhances. Thus, the interest and participation in a voluntary service increases. As a positive effect of voluntary service on individuals, families, and communities appears, the needs of familial voluntary service come to the fore for the present. On the other hand, a familial voluntary service is presented as an alternative measure for the problems of a general voluntary service. A familial voluntary service has been activated since the Healthy Family Center operated the family volunteer corps as a public service. Although its needs increase and its activity is activated, studies on the positive effects and influences of a familial voluntary service upon the improvement of family healthy have not been fully carried out yet. In this regard, the purpose of this study was to provide basic data for the familial voluntary service of the Healthy Family Center and then verify the effectiveness of its application in order to improve family healthy through a familial voluntary service.
Study subjects were both volunteers who belonged to family volunteer corps of 12 Healthy Family Centers and families who were not engaging in a familial voluntary service for the present. The investigator analyzed the data of 307 respondents. Collected data were analyzed on mean, percentage, frequency, standard deviation, cross-tabulation, t-test, one-way ANOVA, with a SPSS WIN 12.0 program. And Scheffe test was carried out as a post hoc test to analyze the difference between groups. Study findings are as follows:
First, as for the current state of operation of family volunteer corps of Healthy Family Centers, there are 33 active family volunteer corps and 18 preparatory ones. The most active area of family volunteer corps is the culture & art area.
Second, a 54.1% of study subjects is taking part in a familial voluntary service, while a 45.9% of them is not. The reason of not participating in a familial voluntary service is classified into the lack of time and opportunity. Their positive intention of future participation is a 77.4%. The period of participation is from 6 months to two years. The frequency of participation is once or twice per month, and the length of activities per participation is for 3 hours. They have taken part in the service with a variety of public relations, and their motive of participation is by and large selfish. The management of a familial voluntary service is good in general. The service receives more indirect supports than the direct supports from governmental agencies. Study subjects regard responsibility, desires of participation, and the development of diverse programs as the sustainable factors of the service. They are highly satisfied with the service and want to continue it in the future.
Fourth, as for the socio-demographic variables that having an influence upon study subjects' familial voluntary service, their economic level has a significant influence upon the period of participation, and their age has a strong relation with the frequency of participation. The channel of participation is significantly related to participants' age, occupation, and schooling. The training for a familial voluntary service is significantly related to participants' age and schooling. The continuance of participation is significantly related to participants' age, and the intention of continuance, gender and schooling.
Fourth, as for the socio-demographic variables that having an influence upon family healthy, there are age, religion, occupation, and economic levels. As for familial sense of ties, communication, and problem-solving abilities―the sub-variables of family healthy, the group of which age is between 30 and 49, that has no religion, of which occupation is a housekeeper or self-employed, or of which economical level is upper is higher than any other groups. The rate of sharing a value system among families is higher in the group of which age is between 30 and 49, that has no religion, of which occupation is a housekeeper or self-employed, or of which economical level is middle or upper.
Fifth, as for the influence of participation in a familial voluntary service upon family healthy, the family healthy of participant group is higher in all the four sub-variables of family healthy than that of other groups.
Sixth, as for the influence of variables of familial voluntary service, other than that of hands-on participation in the service, the group of which frequency of participation is once a week is better in family communication than the group of which frequency of participation is once or twice per month. The group of which motive of participation is altruistic is higher in sharing a value system among families than the group of which motive of participation is selfish. And those who received much training for a familial voluntary service reveal higher family healthy in its all the four sub-variables than other groups.
Study findings present basic data for the studies on a familial voluntary service, and suggest a familial voluntary service as a means of improving family healthy. In this regard, this study is meaningful in that it can heighten the operational effectiveness of a familial voluntary service by providing basic data to the service, and clarifying the variables that having an influence upon the service. In addition, study findings show that a familial voluntary service can strengthen the function and role of a family, and improve the quality of familial life, as a means of effective implementation of governmental policy of family planning. However, this study has some problems to generalize study findings to the every field of a familial voluntary service, because of limited sampling of study subjects. So the investigator hopes a future study will include a variety of study subjects and related variables.