• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.37-68
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• 2024

Objectives: This study aimed to systematically review thread-embedding treatment studies for depression, anxiety, and dementia and examine the effectiveness and safety of thread-embedding treatment. Methods: Ten domestic and international search databases were used for study selection, including CNKI, PubMed, CENTRAL, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, PsycArticles, RISS, OASIS, and KCI. We included studies that presented diagnostic or appropriate criteria for depression, anxiety, and dementia, and randomized control studies using thread-embedding therapy. We searched papers published until October 10, 2023. Results: Twenty-one studies were selected, of which 11 studies were conducted on depression, nine on dementia, and one on anxiety disorders. The most commonly used acupoint for depression was Gansu (BL18), whereas zusanli (ST36) and fenglong (ST40) were used for dementia. The most commonly used type of thread was 1-0 United States pharmacopeia (USP) and 1 cm for depression and 2-0 USP and 1 cm for dementia. The treatment period for most of the studies was once every 2 weeks and for 8 weeks. Among the included studies, 17 showed significant improvements in depression scales, such as Hamilton depression rating scale and Self rating depression scale, activities of daily living scales, and cognitive function scales, such as Hasegawa dementia scale and Mini-mental state examination. Six studies reported adverse events, and no studies reported significant adverse events. Two studies reported follow-ups. Conclusions: This study presents limited evidence for the effectiveness and safety of thread-embedding therapy for depression, anxiety, and dementia. Well-designed studies are needed to review the clinical efficacy and safety of thread-embedding therapy in the future.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.298-305
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aims to identify the relationship between nursing students' social anxiety and communication ability, and in particular, to determine the mediating effect of self-efficacy. Methods: A total of 187 nursing students enrolled at four universities in Korea completed surveys between August and September 2020. The measurements included the Global Interpersonal Communication Competence Scale, self-efficacy scales, and interaction anxiousness scales. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, an independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, multiple regression following the Baron and Kenny method, and bootstrapping for mediation. Results: Communication ability was significantly negatively correlated with social anxiety (r=-.61, p<.001) and significantly positively correlated with self-efficacy (r=.77, p<.001). Furthermore, self-efficacy had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between social anxiety and communication ability. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that communication ability can be improved if individual characteristics such as social anxiety and self-efficacy are considered. Therefore, when developing communication ability improvement programs for nursing students in the future, it is considered important to actively consider these personal characteristics.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.227-233
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• 2019

Background: Dental anxiety in children is a major barrier in patient management. If dental anxiety in pediatric patients is assessed during the first visit, it will not only aid in management but also help to identify patients who are in need of special care to deal with their fear. Nowadays, children and adults are highly interested in multimedia and are closely associated with them. Children usually prefer motion pictures on electronic devices than still cartoons on paper. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate a newly designed scale, the animated emoji scale (AES), which uses motion emoticons/animojis to assess dental anxiety in children during their first dental visit, and compare it with the Venham picture test (VPT) and facial image scale (FIS). Methods: The study included 102 healthy children aged 4-14 years, whose dental anxiety was measured using AES, VPT, and FIS during their first dental visit, and their scale preference was recorded. Results: The mean anxiety scores measured using AES, FIS, and VPT, represented as $mean{\pm}SD$, were $1.78{\pm}1.19$, $1.93{\pm}1.23$, and $1.51{\pm}1.84$, respectively. There was significant difference in the mean anxiety scores between the three scales (Friedman test, P < 0.001). The Pearson's correlation test showed a very strong correlation (0.73) between AES and VPT, and a strong correlation between AES and FIS (0.88), and FIS and VPT (0.69), indicating good validity of AES. Maximum number of children (74.5%) preferred AES. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the AES is a novel and child-friendly tool for assessing dental anxiety in children.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the association of vocational interest and personality with oral mucosal diseases. Methods: Three hundred and fifty eight college students in Gyeonggi-do completed Vocational Preference Inventory L form and a questionnaire and collected data were analyzed by R program. Results: The prevalence of symptoms of oral mucosal diseases showed no significant difference among six vocational personality types. Compared to subjects with good or fair general health status, a significantly increased percentage of subjects with bad general health status showed herpetic stomatitis (p<0.01), oral malodor (p<0.01), and glossodynia (p<0.0001). Prevalence of taste disturbance increased significantly as the score of emotional instability (${\beta}=0.0438$, p=0.0082), anxiety (${\beta}=0.038$, p=0.0174), angry hostility (${\beta}=0.0398$, p=0.0061), depression (${\beta}=0.0443$, p=0.0035), and impulsiveness (${\beta}=0.0358$, p=0.0186) increased. Subjects who strongly felt oral malodor revealed significantly higher mean scales of scores of anxiety and angry hostility than subjects who did not feel oral malodor (p<0.05). Subjects who strongly felt oral malodor manifested significantly higher mean scales of scores of anxiety than subjects who slightly felt oral malodor (p<0.05). Conclusions: Taste disturbance was affected by emotional instability, anxiety, angry hostility, depression, and impulsiveness. Oral malodor was related to anxiety and angry hostility. Therefore, psychological aspects of taste disturbance and oral malodor could be evaluated by Vocational Preference Inventory L form.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.219-228
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• 1982

This study aimed at assessing the industrial workers' mental health status and identifing the relationship between mental health status and socio-demographic variables. We administered psychiatric self report rating scale (SCL-90)to 622 manual workers and 191 office workers in a textile .industry. The study began on 1 November, 1981 and lasted for 30 days The results were as follow: 1. Scores of symptom dimension were higher in female rather than male, younger than older, lower income group than higher one, lower educated group than higher one, manual workers than office workers and unmarried group than married one respectively. 2. The result of dimension scores of total samples showed that the score of Obsessive-compulsive scale was highest. The rest symptom dimension showed the order as follows: Interpersonal sensitivity, Depression, Hostility, Anxiety, Paranoid ideation, Somatization, Psychoticism and Phobic anxiety. 3. In order to identify the partial contribution of each socio-demographic variables on the mental health, multiple regression method was applied, and the result was as follows. 1) Sex was the most important one to explain the Somatization, Phobic-anxiety and Psychoticism scales among the 7 variables in the multiple regression equation. 2) Economic status was the most important variable to explein the Obsessive-compulsive, Depression and Hostility scales. 3) Marital status was the most important variable to explain the Interpersonal-sensitivity and Paranoid ideation scales.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.54-63
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• 1996

In this cluster analysis of out-patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) we described the psychological features and personality patterns of these patients. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was administered to 29 IBS patients who received treatment in the gastroenterology department of Ajou University Hospital to produce individual profiles for each patient. The 29 profiles with 13 standard scales, 15 content scales and 11 personality scales were subjected to cluster analysis resulting in three clusters of the original sample. Titles used to describe the psychological features and personality patterns seen in the three clusters included : (1) depression and anxiety : (2) somatization and denial of affect ; (3) anger overcontrol. Future studies on the treatment of IBS patients may well consider these features, as IBS patients have different psychological patterns.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.55-61
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• 2017

Background: Smartphone addiction, academic stress and anxiety of university students are increasing gradually; however, few studies have investigated these factors in medical school students. Therefore, this study investigated associations between smartphone addiction scale and sociopsychological aspects in medical school students. Methods: A total of 231 Yeungnam University College of Medicine students were enrolled in this study in March 2017. Gender, school grade, type of residence, and smartphone usage patterns of the students were surveyed. The Korean Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale and each Korean version scale were used to assess sociopsychological aspects such as loneliness, stress and anxiety. Results: There was a direct statistical correlation between loneliness, stress of negative perception, anxiety and smartphone addiction scales. There was also a negative statistical correlation between stress of positive perception and smartphone addiction scales. There was a higher level of anxiety among female students than male students. Additionally, there was a higher level of stress associated with negative perception and anxiety among medical students in the first grade than other students. Moreover there was a higher level of loneliness, stress of negative perception and anxiety among students who live with friends than students who live with their own family. Conclusion: Smartphone addiction scale and sociopsychological aspects significantly correlated. Moreover, the results suggest that female medical students in the first grade who have been separated from their family need more attention and management of loneliness, stress and anxiety to avoid smartphone addiction.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.151-161
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• 2023

Objectives: To examine effect of Korean medical treatment on patients with insomnia and correlations among changes in psychological scales before and after treatment. Methods: Medical records of 38 patients diagnosed with insomnia based on DSM-V who received Korean medical treatment (herbal-medication, acupuncture, Korean psychotherapy) for at least 8 weeks were retrospectively reviewed. Psychological scales including Insomnia Severity Scale (ISI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) were measured every four weeks and analyzed. Results: After eight weeks of treatment, ISI, BDI-II, BAI, STAI-X-1/2, and STAXI-S/T showed statistically significant decreases. Psychological scale pairs that showed a statistically significant correlation were ISI and BDI-IIㆍSTAI-X-1ㆍSTAI-X-2ㆍTA, BDI-II and BAIㆍSTAI-X-1ㆍSTAI-X-2ㆍAX-I, BAI and STAI-X-1ㆍSTAI-X-2ㆍSAㆍTA, STAI-X-1 and STAI-X-2, SA and TA, and TA and AX-I. In women, the improvement of AX-C was high. The improvement in AX-I score was significant when the disease duration was more than one year. A lower pretreatment BAI value predicted a greater decrease in ISI score after treatment. Conclusions: Korean medical treatment including herbal medicine, acupuncture, and Korean psychotherapy was effective in improving insomnia symptoms and accompanying symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and anger. In the future, more in-depth follow-up research is needed on the mechanisms by which various psychological problems (depression, anxiety, anger, etc) cause and worsen insomnia and the psychological symptoms secondary to insomnia.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.120-128
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• 2015

Objectives : The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a commonly used psychological test measuring personality and psychopathology in both clinical and non-clinical population. This study was to evaluate characteristic MMPI-2 profile associated with the risk of suicide among college students. Methods : We analyzed the survey response of 2,964 college students who participated in a health survey from a school health center at a national university in 2011. Those who endorsed any of six items on the suicidaity module of MINI were classified as a suicide risk group and remaining students who did not as a control group. Then we compared the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score, the MMPI-2 Clinical scales and Restructured Clinical (RC) scales. To evaluate the correlation RC scales with suicidality score, Pearson correlation analysis was performed. Results : The suicide risk group was 464 students, and the control group was 2,500. The classification result of suicidality, 255 (8.6%) students were low-risk group, 149 (4.8%) students were moderate-risk group and 60 (2.0%) students were high-risk group. In the suicide risk group, VRIN, F scale, Clinical scale and RC scales were significantly higher. In the control group L, K and S scales were significantly higher. Suicidality score has significant correlation with all RC scales. Conclusion : In the suicide risk group, overall psychopathology was higher than the control group. Taken together, features of depressive symptom, antisocial behavior, aggressiveness, introversion may indicate the risk of suicide in college students. These results display both clinical and public health implications for clinicians and school health professionals.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.135-141
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• 2018

Objective : This study evaluated the role of smartphone application in the self-assessment of three psychiatric symptoms: stress, depression, and suicidal ideation. Methods : A total of 5,646 respondents were evaluated with three scales (Perceived Stress Scale, PSS, Center for Epidemiologic Study for Depression, CES-D, Scale for Suicidal Ideation, SSI) via smartphone application 'mindscan'. We analyzed the sociodemographic variables, the levels of three symptoms, and the association between the scores on all three scales. Results : The mean total scores of PSS, CES-D, and SSI were 24.86, 35.15, and 18.03, respectively. Women showed significantly higher scores on PSS, CES-D, and SSI when compared with men. Younger users showed a significantly higher score on all three scales when compared with older users. The scores on all three scales were higher than in other studies with off-line surveys. The PSS was positively correlated with CES-D (r=0.690), and with SSI (r=0.367). The CES-D was positively correlated with SSI (r=0.540). Conclusions : A smartphone application for mental health based on three scales (PSS, CES-D, and SSI) is a relatively useful screening tool compared with off-line general population surveys. The association between the three scales reflects the relationship between the three psychiatric symptoms observed in clinical practice.