• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.50-63
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• 1999

Introduction：Test anxiety is a pervasive problem among high school students in Korea. While anxiety in test situations may actually facilitate the performance of some students, more often it is disruptive and leads to performance decrements. Over the past years, many child psychiatrists have become concerned with understanding the nature of test anxiety, but it is not clearly understood yet. In order to understand the nature of test anxiety, the relationship between test anxiety and depression, state anxiety, trait anxiety, temperament and family environment were examined. Methods：The Test Anxiety Inventory, Chidlren's Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Temperamnet and Family Environment Scale Scale were administered to 576 high school students in Seoul. The relationships between test anxiety and other measures were tested using Pearson correlation coefficients and to test the causal relationship among the variables, regression analysis was performed. Results：The correlation coefficients between test anxiety and depression, state anxiety, trait anxiety, temperament and family environment scale were 0.42(p<0.01), 0.34(p<0.05), 0.38(p<0.05), 0.36(p<0.05) and -0.23(p<0.01), respectively. Regression analysis showed that only state and trait anxiety had direct causal relationship with test anxiety. Depression, temperament and family environment were indirecly related with test anxiety. Conclusions：This study indicates that the level of state and trait anxiety are directly related with test anxiety, and other variables such as temperament, family environment and depression are indirectly related with test anxiety. Thus, in order to develop the effective methods for treatment, these psychopathological characteristics should be kept in mind and the most important factors are the levels of state and trait anxiety.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.34-42
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• 1997

Enuresis is repeated involuntary or intentional voiding of urine into bed or clothes over age 5. Though it would be a self-remitting disorder, it could be serious problem in emotional and socio-adaptational aspects. The author reviewed the enuretic patients of Child & Adolescence psychiatric section in Chungnam National University Hospital during past 3 years. 46(4.9%) of 936 patients were diagnosed as enuresis in DSM-Ⅳ. The author evaluated their comorbidity by the data of diagnostic review made in two psychiatrists, and emotional aspects(self-concept, anxiety, depression) through the self-rating scales (Piers-Harris children’ self concept scales, RCMAS, state-trait anxiety inventory for children, child’s depresson inventory). Thirty(65.2%) of the 46 enuretic patients had additional diagnoses such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder, mental retardation, encopresis, oppositional defiant disorder, depression, anxiety disorder, autism, somatoform disorder, tic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sleep disorder, etc. Sixteen enuretic patients had at least one comorbid disorder. Eleven patients had two, and three patients had more than three. Fourteen of 46 enuretic patients were evaluated through self-rating scales of self-concept, anxiety and depression. But we couldn’t obtain meaningful results. Maybe it was due to the small sample size(N＝14) and the influence of the comorbid disorders. Finally, it was an impressive evidence that there exist many comorbid disorders in enuresis(esp. attention deifict/hyperactive disorder). In emotional aspects, the author thought that further evaluation should be needed for more meaningful results.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.125-137
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• 2001

We investigated the self-concept, subjective depression, and state-trait anxiety of the school boys with learning disabilities(abbr. LD, n=86) and compared them with normal boys(n=52) using Piers-Harris Self-Concept Inventory, Child Depression Inventory(abbr. CDI), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory(abbr. STAI). With regard to Piers-Harris Self-Concept Inventory total scores, there was no significant difference between two groups, but normal boys showed higher scores in intellectual and school status, physical appearance, and happiness-satisfaction subscales than patients with LD. The male patients with LD showed significantly higher ratings in CDI total scores, and CDI subscales - ineffectiveness, anhedonia, negative self-esteem than normal children. The patients with LD reported significantly higher state anxiety, but not trait anxiety. Correlation analyses revealed that self-concept decreased over time, and depression-anxiety increased across grades in the patients with LD, but not in normal children. Especially, negative mood, anhedonia, negative self-esteem subscales of CDI, and state-trait anxiety showed significant positive correlation with grades. In both groups, CDI scores were inversely correlated with Piers-Harris Self-Concept and positively with State-Trait anxiety. In conclusion, self-concept problems which were related with school achievement and self-esteem were more abundant in the patients with LD than normal children, self-image problem, depression and anxiety increased across grades. According to regression analysis, age, behavior subscale, intellectual-school status, anxiety, popularity, happiness-satisfaction, CDI-ineffectiveness, interpersonal problem, negative self-esteem, and state anxiety could explain the self-concept in the patients with LD, not in normal children. So, the self-concept of the patients with LD were found to be related to the school achievement and stress when comparing with peers. In conclusion, elementary school boys with LD showed lower self-concept, higher depression and anxiety, and these differences increased across grades. Since the patients with LD have concomitant depression and anxiety disorders, it is important that comorbidity with emotional problems should be explored and managed properly.