• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.153-171
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• 2015

The purposes of this study were to explore the relations of preschoolers' narrative representation profile types to diurnal cortisol regulation pattern at home. Fourteen story stems from the MacArthur Story Stem Battery (MSSB, Bretherton, et al., 1990) were administered to 40 preschoolers(22 boys, 18 girls, aged 5) recruited from 8 kindergartens in the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas. And also, their saliva cortisol was collected. The children's responses were aggregated into 5 dimensions, based on content themes and performance scores, which included emotions expressed and narrative coherence using the MacArthur Narrative Coding System(Robinson, et al., 2004). Data were analyzed by means of cluster analysis. Five response profiles emerged over the course of this research: Prosocial, Anxiety, Dyregulated aggression, Restricted, and Avoidance profiles. Cortisol at home showed decrease diurnal cortisol regulation patterns, however it showed a difference according to narrative response profiles. Restricted, Prosocial, and Avoidance profiles showed decrease diurnal cortisol regulation patterns. Anxiety profiles showed flat pattern, and Dyregulated aggression profile showed rising diurnal cortisol regulation pattern. These results show the preschoolers' internal representation may affect the diurnal cortisol reaction in daytime.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Educational Facilities
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.18-24
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• 2017

본 연구는 청소년 스트레스 호르몬 변화를 보기위한 연구로 컬러 컨설팅 환경개선에 따른 스트레스 호르몬 변화를 연구하였다. 청소년 스트레스 연구들에 따르면, 아동이나 청소년도 성인만큼 스트레스를 경험하고 있고 청소년들의 스트레스는 정서적 부적응과 신체적 건강에도 영향을 미친다. 스트레스가 지속되면 부신피질에서 스테로이드 호르몬인 코티솔도 분비하는 근거를 통해 환경변화로 생긴 코티솔 분비를 측정하였다. 코티솔 분비를 통한 스트레스 반응 정도 측정은 침해성을 최소화하기 위한 간편한 방법인 타액검사로 실시하였으며 비 침습적인 방법으로 특별한 장비나 도움이 없이 수집할 수 있었고 부작용이 적은 효율적 검사였다. 연구 결과 전체 학생(46명)의 코티솔은 환경개선 사전($0.121{\pm}0.087{\mu}g/dL$)에 비해 사후($0.096{\pm}0.058{\mu}g/dL$)에 감소하였고(t=1.718, p=.093) 중고등학생(36명)의 코디솔은 사전($0.137{\pm}0.092{\mu}g/dL$)에 비해 사후($0.104{\pm}0.062{\mu}g/dL$)에 감소하였으며, 유의수준 10%에서 통계적으로도 유의미한 차이를 보였다(t=1.750, p=.089). 따라서 환경 개선 전에 비해 환경 개선 후 청소년들의 스트레스가 감소되었음을 알 수 있다. 하지만 초등학생(10명)의 코티솔은 사전($0.064{\pm}0.023{\mu}g/dL$)에 비해 사후($0.065{\pm}0.016{\mu}g/dL$)에 변화를 보이지 않아, 유의수준 5%에서 통계적으로 유의미한 변화는 나타나지 않았다(t=-0.121, p=0.906). 따라서 후두엽이 발달하는 중학생 시기는 환경 변화에 민감하며 색채 자극에 크게 영향을 미치는 시기인 만큼 본 연구에서 환경전후로 검사한 코티솔 분비의 측정값도 감소함을 볼 수 있었다. 하지만 본 연구는 환경 변화에 코티솔 분비량에 유의미한 변화를 나타내지 않은 초등학생들은 스트레스 호르몬 변화에는 차이가 없었지만 환경변화의 자극이 없었다고 볼 수는 없다.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory study was to find a specific time of day with a stable cortisol level and to investigate the relationship between salivary cortisol and sleep. Methods: A total of 36 Korean female college students participated in the study. Salivary specimens were collected 6 times a day for 2 days in different stressful situations. Sleep characteristics were measured using an actigraph while salivary specimens were collected. Perceived stress was evaluated using the Global Assessment of Recent Stress. Results: Depending on whether there were morning peak and/or afternoon elevations in the cortisol levels, the type of diurnal cortisol pattern was classified into 4 types. None of the cortisol levels in different times of the day showed significant relationships to perceived stress levels. Cortisol levels in the morning, levels of peak cortisol and diurnal differences of cortisol were significantly correlated with sleep duration. The time with most stable cortisol level was 9-10 pm. Conclusion: It is recommended that measurements of salivary cortisol are taken from 9-10 pm since it showed a stable value regardless of diurnal cortisol rhythm and sleep. Sleep duration should be considered as an important confounding factor in measuring cortisol levels in the morning and the diurnal differences of cortisol.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.111-118
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• 2011

With increasing interest in health promotion and quality of life, growing attention has been focused on the beneficial effects of urban green area. However, very few evidence-based approaches have been conducted on the health-related benefits of urban greenery. Therefore, this study examined the health-related benefits of green areas using physiological and psychological indices to obtain evidence-based data on these benefits. Twenty male university students were selected as subjects. Data were collected when participants viewed landscapes in a green area or an urban area for fifteen minutes. This research was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of School of Medicine, Chungnam National University. Physiological data in the green area revealed significantly decreased heart rates, significantly increased high-frequency value of heart rate variability, an index of parasympathetic activity, and reduced salivary cortisol concentration, a stress hormone, compared to the urban area. Psychological tests showed the green area significantly reduced the negative mood state and psychological symptoms, and significantly increased the positive mood state. Our data provided evidence for the health-related benefits of green areas, and the findings of this study support that green areas can play a critical role in health promotion for urban residents, by positively affecting autonomic nervous and endocrinal activities.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.104 no.1
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• pp.140-149
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• 2015

The aim of this study was to clarify the physiological and psychological effects of walking around and viewing a lake in a forest environment. The subjects included 11 male Japanese university students (age: $22.0{\pm}1.2$ years) who were randomly assigned to visit either a forest or an urban (control) setting. They were instructed to walk a predetermined 15-min course and to view the setting from a seated position for 15 min. Heart rate variability, heart rate, blood pressure, pulse rate, and salivary cortisol levels were measured to assess the subject's physiological responses to the environment. Four questionnaires (SD method, reports of "refreshed" feeling, POMS, and STAI) were administered to assess the subjects' psychological responses. It was found that walking around and viewing a lake in a forest environment can suppress sympathetic nerve activity, increase parasympathetic nerve activity, and decrease the heart rate, blood pressure, pulse rate, and cortisol levels. In addition, a forest environment can enhance the "comfortable," "soothing," "natural," and "refreshed" feelings, improve the mood state, and reduce anxiety. These results provide scientific evidence of the physiological and psychological effects of forest therapy.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.70-80
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• 2016

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of an integrated recreation program on mood states, flexibility, and stress of elderly women. The integrated recreation program was applied to dance as a physical activity and songs and art as emotional activities in consideration of the characteristics of the elderly activities. The subjects were 50 elderly women aged 65 years or older who reside in K-do. The examination period was December 2 in 2014 to February 17 in 2015, during which time mood states, flexibilities, density of the salivary cortisol, variations in heartbeats, and stress were measured. The integrated recreation program had positive effects on mood, flexibility and stress reduction in elderly women. Based on these results, the integrated recreation program is considered to increase mood states and flexibility of elderly women while lowering stress. Therefore, the integrated recreation program developed in this study not only helps the physical and mental health of elderly women, but can also be widely utilized as a health promotion program for the elderly.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.206-213
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to compare salivary cortisol levels, self-reported occupational stress, and anxiety before duty to those after duty in the shift and regular work nurses, and the relationships among them. Methods: Thirty nurses working in a tertiary hospital participated in the study. Salivary specimens were collected before and after daytime duty for 2 days. The occupational stress and state anxiety were also evaluated using self-report questionnaires. Results: The average level of salivary cortisol was $0.40{\mu}g/dL$ before duty and $0.20{\mu}g/dL$ after duty in Korean nurses. Overall levels of salivary cortisol, self-reported occupational stress, and anxiety were higher in shift working nurses than regular working nurses. In shift working nurses, the salivary cortisol gap between before and after duty was attenuated on the first day of daytime duty. Significant positive correlation was found between the level of cortisol before duty and anxiety after duty. Conclusion: Strategies to alleviate occupational stress and anxiety are needed for shift working nurses, especially for those with elevated levels of cortisol. It seems to require 3days to recover from attenuated cortisol rhythm during nighttime duty in shift working nurses.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.260-267
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between high school students' observation ability quotient and changes in their stress hormones while observing fruits. This experimental study was performed with 29 first-year female high school students in a metropolitan city. In order to measure the observation ability quotient, an appropriate scientific observation program was developed. In observation program, the subjects carried out observations in an open and autonomous environment and recorded their observations. Their saliva samples were extracted before and after the task so as to analyze the amount of the secreted hormone. Also, their observation ability was measured using the quotient equation of observation ability. And then, in order to investigate the relationship between the observation ability and the cortisol hormone, a correlation analysis was performed. The main results are as follows: First, the amount of learner's hormone secreted during the experiment decreased in overall after the free observation. And the observation ability quotient turned out to be significantly correlated to the cortisol hormone.