• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.59-69
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• 2006

Bidirectional relationships exist between cancer and depression; the prevalence of depression in cancer patients is higher than in the general population, and depression predicts cancer progression and mortality. The mechanisms through which depression contributes to the progression of cancer are related with dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and impairment of immune function. However, depression in cancer patients tends to be underdiagnosed and not appropriately treated. The methods of diagnosis and assessment of depression in cancer patents have been debated because physical symptoms of depression mimic both cancer symptoms per se and the side effects of cancer treatment. Many studies have shown that various psychosocial and/or pharmacological interventions are effective at improving de-pressive symptoms and quality of life in cancer patients. Furthermore, antidepressant treatments are effective for various physical symptoms related to cancer, such as fatigue, anorexia, pain, hot flashes, and itching. This article reviews and discusses current knowledge about depression in cancer patients.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.279-288
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between occupational stress and depression of construction workers. Methods: The subjects were 168 construction workers selected from I city and K city in Korea by convenient sampling. The data were collected by self-report questionnaires from August 1 to 31, 2011. The data were analyzed by frequencies, t-test, ANOVA, Tukey test, Pearson correlation coefficient, stepwise multiple linear regression with the SPSS/WIN 15.0 program. Results: The total mean scores of occupational stress on the subjects were 46.65 and lower (below 50%) than those of the Korean male workers, standard. According to the CES-D cut-off point, the prevalence of depression was 25%. The study showed that occupational stress is positively correlated with depression. Conclusion: This study concludes that it is necessary to develop stress management program to reduce occupational stress and depression.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.198-206
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• 2014

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to identify the prevalence and influencing factors of fecal incontinence, and to analyze the association between fecal incontinence and depression. Methods: The subjects of this study were 233 women living in rural areas, and data were collected using questionnaires from February 24 to May 30, 2012. Fecal incontinence was measured with the Continence Grading Score, and depression with the Geriatric Depression Scale. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS through $x^2$-test, Fisher's exact test, t-test and ANOVA. Results: Of the subjects, 16.7% had fecal incontinence. The prevalence of fecal incontinence was higher in older women ($x^2=23.55$, p<.001), those with vaginal delivery ($x^2=4.81$, p=.049), those with parity of 4 or more ($x^2=13.47$, p=.003), and those with urinary incontinence ($x^2=26.36$, p<.001). The level of depression was significantly higher in older women (F=19.27, p<.001), those with low academic qualification (F=18.17, p<.001), those with urinary incontinence (F=4.15, p=.043), and those with fecal incontinence (F=14.90, p<.001). Conclusion: These results suggest that there should be supports by public health care for fecal incontinence prevention and care programs in order to promote the physical and emotional health of rural women.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.10
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• pp.549-559
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of depression in Korean middle-aged adults and to identify the gender difference in factors associated with the severity of depression. The data of 2,241 individuals who participated in the Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2014 were used. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed. The prevalence rate of moderate to severe depression ($PHQ-9{\geq}10$) was identified at 5.2% (men 3.3%, women 7.0%). The factors associated with the severity of depression in men were younger age, living in metropolitan, unemployed, lower body mass index, and heavily drinking. On the other hand, women were affected by having no spouse, lower income, limited physical activity, and sleeping shorter hours.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.313-323
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• 2015

This study was performed to examine the prevalence of and risk factors for depression and anxiety among breast cancer survivors in their 40s. Completed questionnaires were collected from 609 breast cancer survivors in their 40s who agreed to participate the study. The mean scores of CES-D and GAD-7 were 16.35(SD=9.24) and 4.25(SD=4.17), respectively. Nearly 47.7% of the participants had depression and 10.3% had anxiety. The mean score of pain severity was 1.91(SD=1.60) and 10.9% of the participants reported more than moderate pain. The final model in the hierarchical regression analysis showed that pain interference, unemployment, the type of live-in partner, and past psychiatric disease were the significant risk factors for depression, and pain interference, unemployment and past psychiatric disease for anxiety. These results show the prevalence of depression and anxiety among breast cancer survivors in their 40s is high and suggest appropriate psychosocial intervention should be provided for high risk groups based on those risk factors.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.229-239
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate and examine the relationship between dietary habits, food intake patterns, and depression in Korean women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Korean Version was used to determine whether a participant was depressed or not. The dietary habits were assessed by the Min-Dietary Assessment (MDA) method, and food intake data were collected by the 24-hour recall method on two non-consecutive days, at least 7 days apart, and the average of the two days was used to estimate the usual dietary intake. The total MDA scores of the Depression Group was significantly lower than that of the No-Depression Group ($31.5{\pm}6.4$ vs $33.4{\pm}6.0$, p = 0.027). The intake of cereals/potatoes/sugar products, milk and milk products, plant protein, and calcium for the Depression Group were significantly lower compared to the No-Depression Group. The Depression Group had a significantly higher percentage of energy intakes from protein as well as the consumption of fish and shellfish compared to the No-Depression Group. There was a significant inverse relationship between milk and milk products consumption and the prevalence of depression [OR (95% CI) for the highest tertile compared to the lowest: 0.390 (0.177-0.857); p for trend = 0.016]. There were also significant positive relationships between the prevalence of depression and the consumption of the following: fish and shellfish [OR (95% CI) for the highest tertile compared to the lowest: 2.319 (1.128-4.770); p for trend = 0.009], animal protein (p for trend = 0.049), and the percentage of energy intakes from protein [OR (95% CI) for the highest tertile compared with the lowest: 2.546(1.156-5.609); p for trend = 0.025]. Further studies are needed in order to investigate whether the intake of protein and of animal protein is indeed associated with depression in PCOS patients in Korea and the possible mechanisms thereof. The results of our study can be applicable for the development of effective nutrition counseling and education programs regarding PCOS patients with depression as part of their successful treatment regimen.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.181-188
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• 2011

Major depression is a devastating disorder of which lifetime prevalence rate is as high as up to 25% in general population. Although the etiology of the disorder is still poorly understood, it is generally accepted that both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the precipitation of depression. Stressful lifetime events are potent precipitating environmental factors for major depression and early-life stress is in particular an important element that predisposes individuals to major depression later in life. How environmental factors such as stress can make our neural networks susceptible to depression and how those factors leave long-lasting influences have been among the major questions in the field of depression research. Epigenetic regulations can provide a bridging mechanism between environmental factors and genetic factors so that these two factors can additively determine individual predispositions to major depression. Here we introduce epigenetic regulations as candidate mechanisms that mediate the integration of environmental adversaries with genetic predispositions, which may lead to the development of major depression, and summarize basic molecular events that underlie epigenetic regulations as well as experimental evidences that support the active role of epigenetic regulation in major depression.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.311-318
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• 2014

Objectives: As the elderly population grows and the prevalence of depression increases, the incidence of geriatric depression disorder will continue to increase. The effect of an intensive Korean medicine treatment program on geriatric depression disorder was studied. Methods: Geriatric depression disorder patients who received treatment over a period of three years were reviewed, with the geriatric depression score (GDS) used as the primary outcome. The intensive Korean medical treatment program applied to the geriatric depression disorder patients consisted of herbal medicine, acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, moxibustion, meditation, qigong exercises, and reminiscence therapy. Results: The GDS scores of patients who received the intensive Korean medical treatment program decreased from an average of 19.57 (${\pm}5.52$) to 15.76 (${\pm}6.99$) and there was a significant difference. Conclusions: When the intensive Korean medical treatment program was applied to geriatric depression disorder patients, the symptoms of depression improved. This treatment program will be helpful for improving symptoms in patients and can be applied by trained clinicians.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.221-227
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of illness perception on depression and quality of life in patients with hemodialysis. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using structural equation modeling. Depression, quality of life and cognitive and emotional illness perceptions were measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression-10 (CESD-10), Short Form-36 version 2 (SF-36v2), and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ) in 272 hemodialysis patients. Results: Prevalence of depression was 76.1%, and higher in female patients on hemodialysis. Cognitive illness perception had effect on depression and quality of life, while emotional illness perception had effect only on depression. Quality of life was explained 69.6% through depression (${\beta}=-.74$, t= -8.17) and cognitive illness perceptions (${\beta}=.21$, t= 3.06), while depression was explained 40.5% through cognitive (${\beta}=-.34$, t= -5.99) and emotional (${\beta}=.59$, t= 9.37) illness perceptions. Conclusion: In the inevitable choice of dialysis, illness perception could decrease depression and improve quality of life in hemodialysis patients.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.10 no.spc
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• pp.55-68
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• 2004

Recently, rates of depression and suicide of adolescents in industrialized countries, including Korea, were rapidly increasing. Adolescent depression was often associated with anxiety disorder, eating disorder, attention deficits hyperactivity/disruptive behavior disorder. and suicidal attempts. Epidemiological data about depression and suicide of adolescents are reviewed. Psychological theories of depression and suicide are integrated in terms of a control theory interpretation. Issues about 'relationships between depression and anxiety' 'relationships between depression and suicide' 'the reason why rates of depression and suicide are rapidly increasing at adolescence' 'the reason why the different prevalence of depression between female and male is conspicuous at adolescence' and 'Korean culture associated with depression and suicide of adolescents' are discussed in terms of the revised control theory interpretation.