Purpose: The purpose of this study was to obtain comprehensive understanding of Korean university students’; experience having attachment to Idol. The findings of this study will help find nursing method to improve quality of mental health of univer...
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to obtain comprehensive understanding of Korean university students’; experience having attachment to Idol. The findings of this study will help find nursing method to improve quality of mental health of university students. Method: Max van Manen’s hermeneutical phenomenology was adopted for the study. 8 participants were recruited using Random Sampling method: aged from 17 to 24 years old. Data came from in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Max van Manen’s 4 steps method for data analyzing were adopted. Result: The analysis produced five themes: 'Fall into Idol for the first time', 'Affection that infinitely penetrates one's heart', 'Secure attachment towards Idol leads to the route of happiness', 'Exhausted lives due to Insecure attachment towards Idol', 'Idol, who is actually in the other world' Conclusion: These results presented that university students could gain psychological stability through fan activity, and consider it as a leisure activity. Meanwhile, they spent a lot of money and time due to an obsession with Idol, and felt negative emotions like skepticism or isolation because of the one-way relationship with Idol. Thus, Mental health professionals need to encourage university students who are attached to Idol to build relationships based on reality, and provide mental health counseling to help them handle emotional stress.