Integrative Review of Nonviolent Communication Intervention Studies

This study aimed to uncover the evidence for developing effective communication intervention programs by analyzing and evaluating Communication Intervention Studies using Nonviolent Communication (NVC-CI). The specific purposes were to analyze general characteristics of NVC-CI studies, intervention contents, and the effectiveness of the studies. Methods: This was an integrative review that analyzed NVC-CI studies published from 2005 to 2015 identified through searches of five Korean electronic databases. The method proposed by Whittemore and Knafl was applied. This contains four stages: problem identification, literature search, data evaluation, and data analysis. Results: Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Most of the experimental designs were Quasi-experimental studies. These included 9 papers (75%), one qualitative study, one mixed methodology, and one case study (8.3% respectively). Most NVC-CI studies used group intervention. In order to effectively change communication patterns, interventions needed about 10~11 sessions 1~2 times a week. Conclusion: Future research with well-designed clinical trials using NVC-CI needs to be done in the area of mental health nursing to promote communication skills.