Support Provided by Public Health Nurses from Welfare Offices for Female Welfare Recipients

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to describe support provided by public health nurses from welfare offices for female welfare recipients.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four public health nurses in municipal welfare offices. The data were categorized using a qualitative descriptive method.

Results: The core category was “collaborating with women aiming for a stable household.” Other extracted categories included “engaging in a way that makes the woman identify the public health nurses as supporters,” “anticipating the risks that family poverty poses to children and supervising them,” “connecting the weak points of contact with society while coordinating support for multiple problems,” “accepting the experience of being born and raised in poverty to search for the most appropriate approach,” “providing health awareness and support in small steps,” and “cultivating a sense of self-efficacy that was unattainable while growing up.”

Conclusion: Public health nurses from welfare offices serve as social contacts for women while building trusting relationships and comprehensively supporting their health.