title: [Group cohesion: a concept analysis].
abstract: Group cohesion is considered an essential condition for achieving a successful treatment team. High cohesion groups more readily reach their goals, with group members also feeling more secure about their functions and contributions. In clinical practice, nurses use group teaching and group therapy to help patient and family members gain knowledge and skills related to illness treatment and recuperation. Effective group leadership helps minimize non-productive time and manpower and enhance interpersonal interaction. A further advantage of group cohesion is that the more effective administration of nursing programs that results can raise the profession level of staffs and reduce turnover. Walker and Avant (1995) employ concept analysis to use defining attributes in order to apply the same definition and communication to the same profession. The purpose of this paper was to apply this methodology to an analysis of group cohesion. Steps used include a review of the literature on conceptual definitions of group cohesion, a determination of defining attributes, model construction, identification of borderline, contrary, and related cases, and identification of antecedents and consequences and empirical tools. It is hoped that this analysis can help nursing staff to gain a better understanding of the concept of group cohesion and to apply such to clinical practice and nursing administration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Tri-Service General Hospital, ROC.
authors.forename: Yen-Ru
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Yu-Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wen-Chii
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Tzeng
authors.forename: Kuei-Ru
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Chou
mesh_terms: D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007857:Leadership; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D012933:Social Identification