• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.552-566
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• 2015

This paper deals with suicide that has become a serious problem in our society as well as in the world today from a Christian perspective. Historical position regarding suicide is divided into two; some see it as a brave and honorable act and give approval to it, the others view it as act of giving up the life that is given by God and are opposed to it. Though suicides in the Bible are mostly committed to maintain honor, because of Augustin's position it became negative in Christianity, leading to a thought that one who committed suicide goes to hell. Why then people commit suicide? The views of scholars on the cause of suicide are divided into three; biological, psychological, sociological. My position is that though each or all of them contribute to suicide, yet the decisive factor is on how a person reacts to them. Major factor of suicide is how humans as interpretive beings accept the present despair. On the basis of this understanding of suicide and humans, I conclude this paper with three new recognitions as an essential answer to suicide. First, humans are made in God's image and belong to Him, thus their life is precious. Second, Christianity views humans as ones look for the hope in the future as the eternal life. Third, suicide is a violation of the commandment 'do not kill' yet it is not an act of sin but a disease that needs to be cured. To achieve this Christianity must not only spread the idea of respect for life and also run suicide prevention center every city.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.237-246
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• 1998

Objectives and Methods：This study investigated clinical characteristics, treatment modality, outcome of 57 children and adolescent inpatients(male 53, female 4) who were diagnosed as pervasive developmental disorder(PDD) by DSM-Ⅳ criteria recent five years. Results：1) The mean age at admission was $96{\pm}28.2$ months, and the mean age at which they first visited treatment facility was $52{\pm}26.6$ months. The mean hospitalization period was $43.7{\pm}31.3$ days. 2) Diagnosis：Twenty-seven(47.4%) of subjects met DSM-Ⅳ criteria for PDD NOS. Fifteen (26.3%) met for autistic disorder, nine(15.8%) met for Asperger's syndrome, and two(3.5%) met for childhood disintegrative disorder. 3) Comorbid diagnosis：The most common comorbid dignosis was attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(23.8%). 4) IQ test：IQ test for twenty-eight subjects was possible. The Average of the subjects was $70{\pm}27.5$. Fifteen(53.6%) of the subjects were approximate or under 70. 5) Neurology Abnormality：EEG findings of eleven(21.2%) subjects were abnormal, brain CT or MRI findings of eight subjects(21.6%) were abnormal. 6) Family Hx：Depressive disorder were found in Eight mothers(14%). Familial loading was found in twenty families(35.1%), and familial loading of PDD was found in three(5.3%). Conclusion：The most important thing for the management of PDD is early detection and early treatment. To do so, multidisciplinary team approach should be emphasized.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.145-154
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• 2022

Objectives : This study intends to assess the associations among perceived stigma at the time of infection, coping strategies adopted 12 months later and depressive and posttraumatic symptoms 24 months later in Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) survivors. Methods : A nationwide cohort study was conducted on 63 survivors of 2015 MERS outbreak. Demographic data, illness severity of MERS, depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms, coping strategies and MERS-related stigma were collected 12 and 24 months after the MERS outbreak, respectively. Results : Higher levels of perceived stigma at the time of outbreak were associated with higher levels of dysfunctional coping strategies after 12 months (p=0.003) and more severe depressive (p=0.058) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (p=0.011) after 24 months. Moreover, higher levels of dysfunctional coping strategies after 12 months were significantly associated with more severe depressive (p=0.002) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (p<0.001) after 24 months. Conclusions : Social stigma against people who have contracted an emerging infectious disease can leave a negative impact on the mental health of the survivors in the long term. In case of novel pandemics in the future, prompt rectification of stigma and promotion of adaptive coping strategies in survivors are needed.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.232-241
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• 1997

The psychological problems following the experiences of school-violence could be more important than the physical problems. Victims could suffer from fear, depression, anger, lowered self-esteem, suicidal thought, and personality changes. To study the risk factors for school violence and the psychiatric problems after the experiences to school-violence provide us important informations to prevent and solve the problems of school violence. We examined clinical characteristics and psychosocial backgrounds of 13 adolescents who visited the psychiatric clinic after exposures to school violence from September, 1996 to May, 1997. The clinical data included intensity, motivations, durations, and methods of violence, psychiatric symptoms following exposure, findings of psychological test, and treatment course. The socioeconomic data included developmental characteristics of subjects, family characteristics, school life, and peer relationships. Of the 13 adolescents who experienced exposure to violence, 8 have experienced chronic psychiatric disturbances, 5 experienced transient psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression, suicidal attempt who eventually returned to home and school life. Of the 8 adolescents who experienced chronic psychiatric disturbances, 4 experienced PTSD and depression lasting 3-6 months more, otherwise 4 showed converted features, such as aggressive behavioral disorder or perpetrator by strong compensatory effects after psychological shock. The subjects who have experienced chronic psychiatric disturbance have clinical characteristics such as physical or emotional abuse, physical illness or handicap, defects of ego functionings, and lack of family support. In summary, victims by school-violence manifested serious psychiatric disturbances, and they had clinically significant risk factors and some of them became perpetrators of school-violence.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.3-12
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• 2014

Objectives : We aimed to explore the relationship among fatigue and perceived stress, depressive mood in the working population. We also examined associations with demographic and life style factors and investigated the effect of individual coping skills on these associations. Methods : Fatigue Severity Scale(FSS), Perceived Stress Scale(PSS), Brief Encounter Psychosocial Instrument - Korean version(BEPSI-K), Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), Stress Coping Skill Questionnaire were administered to 621 civil servants. All of above and other demographic factors are self-administered questionnaire survey and this study is cross sectional. Results : Mean FSS score was 3.04 which was lower than 3.22, the severity cut off score. FSS, PSS, BEPSI-K, BDI were all higher in female. Subjects with active coping skills showed relatively low fatigue, perceived stress, depressive mood than those with passive coping skills. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the PSS, BDI, BEPSI-K in working population increase the risk of fatigue and regular exercise lowers the risk. Conclusions : Adults who were afflicted by stress, experienced depressive mood or were physically inactive were at much higher risk of feeling fatigue. Since no other large data sets are available for fatigue, the results from this study could serve a very useful purpose, to furnish a basis for comparison with future research results based on more complete data.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.93-121
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• 1999

이 연구는 인천의 정체성을 알아보는 데 연구의 초점을 맞추었다. 연구방법으로는 실증적 방법과 민속학적 방법 두 가지를 병행하였다. 시민단체, 공무원, 학생을 대상으로 임의목적표본방법을 사용하여 총 613명이 분석되었다. 분석방법은 교차통계분석 및 다중분류분석을 하였다. 정체성은 한 지역에 거주하는 주민들의 집단결속력과 성취도를 결정하여 주며, 그 지역의 사회적 통합과도 밀접한 관련을 지니고 있어서, 지역의 문제나 관심사를 해결하고 발전시키는데 가장 핵심적인 요소이다. 인천의 정체의식은 세 집단 모두 낮으며, 전체응답자의 절반 이상은 그저 그렇다는 중용의 의견이었다. 인천에 대한 정체의식을 응답집단의 특성별로 보면 여자보다는 남자가 높고, 기혼자보다는 미혼자가 높으며, 30세 이상으로 연령이 많을수록, 수입과 생활수준이 낮을수록 정체의식이 상대적으로 높게 나타났다. 그리고 전문.관리.사무직보다는 판매.서비스.생산.농업직 종사자들의 정체의식이 높았다. 전문대 정도의 교육을 받은 시민의 정체의식이 상대적으로 높고, 인천의 문화.복지.환경개선을 위한 특별기금 기부의사가 있는 시민과 인천을 마음붙이고 살 곳으로 생각하는 시민의 정체의식이 높다. 총괄적인 의미에서 본 인천의 정체성에 관한 조사를 보면, 인천은 "주인의식 없음"과 "이제부터 만들어 가야 한다"는 답변이 제일 많았고 그 다음은 "포용력", "선구적 개척정신", "긍정적인 의미의 짠물", "합중시(合衆市)적 다양성", "외세에 대한 호국정신", "세계의 관문도시"로 나타났다. 이와 같은 응답유형으로 보아서는 인천지역에 대한 이미지를 한마디로 딱 잘라 말하기는 어렵다. 그러나 인천은 서울.경기인, 충청인, 호남인, 영남인, 이북인, 외국인 등을 가리지 않고 받아드리는 "포용력이 있는 합중시적 다양성을 가진 도시"로 지역차가 서로 다른 출신성분이 공존할 수 있다는 점에서 의미하는 바가 크다. 이는 "세계속의 도시"와 "동북아의 거점도시"를 추구하는 미래지향적인 시각에서는 지역주의를 지양하고 지역통합이슈와 세계화 물결속에서 외국인에게도 열린 상태문화를 제공하는 관문이 될 것이라는 면에서 인천이 추구해야 할 정체성으로 시사하는 점이라고 본다.는 미래지향적인 시각에서는 지역주의를 지양하고 지역통합이슈와 세계화 물결속에서 외국인에게도 열린 상태문화를 제공하는 관문이 될 것이라는 면에서 인천이 추구해야 할 정체성으로 시사하는 점이라고 본다.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.129-140
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• 2024

Background: The mental health issues caused by trauma can manifest differently depending on the characteristics of the traumatic event. Particularly, individuals who have experienced sexual trauma are known to have more negative mental health outcomes compared to those who have experienced non-sexual trauma. The mental health issues of individuals who have experienced sexual trauma are severe, and new forms of threats, such as digital sexual crimes, are emerging. This study aimed to investigate whether the type of traumatic event, particularly focusing on sexual trauma events, contributes to differences in mental health outcomes and to identify factors influencing suicidal ideation and potential post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk. Methods: Based on an online survey conducted nationwide among adults aged 20 to 50, participants were categorized based on the type of trauma they experienced (sexual trauma events and non-sexual trauma events). The study conducted propensity score matching (PSM) using demographic factors (sex, age group, subjective economic status, and marital status) and resilience protective factors (cognition of recoverability, social support, and protection experiences in childhood) as control variables, excluding the experience of sexual trauma events, to investigate their potential impact on mental health (suicidal ideation and potential PTSD risk). Subsequently, binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors influencing mental health. Results: Even after PSM, individuals who experienced sexual trauma exhibited more negative outcomes in terms of suicidal ideation and potential PTSD risk compared to those who experienced non-sexual trauma. The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that sexual trauma survivors were 1.9 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts (odds ratio [OR], 1.911) and 2.5 times more likely to have a potential PTSD risk (OR, 2.472). Furthermore, as resilience protective factors became more negative, the likelihood of suicidal ideation and potential PTSD risk increased. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the importance of understanding and supporting individuals who have experienced sexual trauma, highlighting the necessity for strategies aimed at mitigating suicidal ideation and potential PTSD risk among sexual trauma survivors, while also facilitating recovery through the promotion of resilience protective factors.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.103-121
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• 2004

Conversion disorder and factitious disorder should be ruled out before making diagnosis of malingering. For this work, inspection of patient's behavior along with complete neurological examinations, psychological tests, and meticulous psychiatric interview are necessary. Facial expression test, thermography, dynamometry were failed differentiating conversion disorders to the malingered pain and motor symptoms, however, controlled diagnostic block showed positive result partly in patients with regional or cervical pain syndrome. Chronic pain patients who are related to the process of litigation encounter stressful life situations which lead them into various neurobehavioral and psychosocial complications. Most of suspected malingered patients would not revealed pure form rather mixed with factitious and/or conversion features. At the time of increasing number of chronic patients associated with traffic accidents or industrial injuries who are involved in litigation, psychiatrist are needed sharp eyes and tenacity for evaluating malingering or medically unexplained symptoms.

• Industry Promotion Research
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.201-207
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• 2023

This study presents literature research on solitude and mental health in psychology as one of the problems in modern society. Solitude has been understood as a psychologically diverse concept. In psychology, solitude has been understood in a variety of ways: as a pathological phenomenon, a source of conflict in childhood, an expression of maladjustment, and a factor influencing current experiences. Solitude is an objective state of being alone without social interaction, while loneliness and privacy are subjective concepts, with loneliness indicating a need for the presence of others. On the contrary, the religious solitary is a solitary being before God. Isolation and sensory restriction, which humans voluntarily choose, is a cure for loneliness. Also, solitude is associated with positive well-being and healthy adaptability. Humans need to have inner freedom by turning loneliness into solitude. This suggests that loneliness can be overcome through solitude, and that positive thinking can overcome negativity, loneliness, and depression.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.85-90
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• 2009

Introduction: There has been an increasing interest in the relationship between sleep and suicidality. In addition, suicidal patients habitually report their sleep problems. Although sleep-related complaints and electroencephalographic changes are generally encountered in psychiatric disorders, sleep complaints such as insomnia, hypersomnia and nightmares are more common in suicidal patients. In current study, we aimed at investigating the relationship between self-reported sleep duration and suicidality in general population. Methods: One thousand general population (male:female=500:500, mean age=$39.6{\pm}11.6$ years, ranged age=20-77 years) completed Center for Epidemiologic Study-Depression (CES-D), Beck Suicide Intent scale (BSI), Spielberger State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), Morningness-Eveningness Scale (MES) and brief questionnaire of sleep habits. Results: After controlling for age and sex, score of BSI was correlated positively with the score of CES-D, STAXI and BIS on partial correlation analysis ($r_p$=0.251; p<0.001, $r_p$=0.352; p<0.001, and $r_p$=0.175; p<0.001, respectively). In addition, score of BSI was inversely correlated with the score of MES (rp=-0.066; p=0.037). However, score of BSI showed no significant correlation with sleep duration. However, regression analysis revealed that short (<6 hrs) or long (>10 hrs) sleep duration, the family history of psychiatric illness, the score of CES-D, and the score of STAXI predicted higher score of BSI significantly in total subjects (F=17.837, adjusted $R^2$=0.166; p=0.003, p=0.003, p<0.001, and p=0.003, respectively). This model was explained better in depressed subjects with 16 or higher score of CES-D (F=9.920, adjusted $R^2$=0.298). Conclusion: Current result suggested that not only short sleep duration (<6 hrs) but also long sleep duration (>10 hrs) might be related to suicidality.