• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.121-130
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to explore the level of the moral distress for nurses working in long-term care hospitals or nursing homes, and identify factors that influence the moral distress. Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires including the Korean version of Moral Distress Scale-Revised (KMDS-R), Jefferson Empathy Scale for Health professionals (K-JSE-HP), Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire (K-MSQ), and the Hospital Ethical Climate Survey (HECS). A total of 194 nurses from 11 long-term care hospitals or 27 nursing homes completed the structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25. As results, the mean score for moral distress was $73.81{\pm}51.29$ in this study. The moral distress of nurses working at nursing homes was higher than that of nurses working in long-term care hospitals. Among the sub-factors of moral distress, the 'futile care' was the highest score and the 'limit to claim the ethical issue' was the lowest. The main factor affecting moral distress among nurses in this study was the ethical climate of organization. In this paper, we propose that in order to effectively reduce the moral distress of nurses working in a long-term care hospital or a nursing home, it is more impactful to address structural issues related to the caregiver workplace than to adjust individual factors.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.39-49
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• 2000

This research investigated the effect of socio-economic variables and economic distress variables on the university students' coping behavior in meal management. The data used in this research included 544 university students in Ulsan Areas. The independent explanatory power of socio-economic variables was larger than economic distress variables. But the explanatory power was increased in the regression analysis model that was included both the socio-economic variables and the economic distress variables. The influencing variables that effected the level of coping behavior in meal management were the amount of discretionary expenditure, gender, status of housing, employment distress and income distress.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.52-62
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• 2013

Objectives: To investigate the association between psychological distress and obesity among law enforcement officers (LEOs) in the United States. Methods: Self-reported data on psychological distress based on six key questions were obtained from LEOs who participated in the National Health Interview Survey (2004-2010). We used Prochaska's cut-point of a Kessler 6 score ${\geq}5$ for moderate/high mental distress in our analysis. Mean levels of body mass index (BMI) were compared across three levels of psychological distress. Results: The average age of LEOs (n = 929) was 39.3 years; 25% were female. Overall, 8.1% of LEOs had moderate or high psychological distress; 37.5% were obese (BMI ${\geq}30$). Mean BMI increased with increasing psychological distress (no distress, BMI = $27.2kg/m^2$; mild distress, $27.6kg/m^2$; and moderate/high distress, $33.1kg/m^2$; p = 0.016) after adjustment for age, race, income, and education level among female officers only. Physical activity modified the association between psychological distress and BMI but only among male LEOs (interaction p = 0.002). Among male LEOs reporting low physical activity, psychological distress was positively associated with BMI ($30.3kg/m^2$ for no distress, 30.7 for mild distress, 31.8 for moderate/high distress; p = 0.179) after adjustment, but not significantly. This association was not significant among males reporting high physical activity. Conclusion: Mean BMI significantly increased as psychological distress increased among female LEOs. A longitudinal study design may reveal the directionality of this association as well as the potential role that physical activity might play in this association.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.114-119
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• 2015

Background: There has been considerable interest in Japanese society in the problem of work-related stress leading to depressive symptoms, and an increasing number of primary houseworkers maintain paid employment. The purpose of this study was to examine the differential impact of multiple roles associated with psychological distress among Japanese workers. Methods: We studied 722 men and women aged 18-83 years in a cross-sectional study. The K10 questionnaire was used to examine psychological distress. Results: The proportion of participants with psychological distress was higher in women (17.8%) compared with men (11.5%). Having three roles significantly decreased the risk of psychological distress [women: odds ratio (OR), 0.37-fold; men: OR, 0.41] compared with only one role. In working married women, there was significantly less psychological distress (OR, 0.27), and those with childrearing or caregiving responsibilities for elderly parents had significantly less psychological distress (OR, 0.38) than those with only an employment role. Similarly, working married men who had childrearing or caregiving responsibilities for elderly parents had significantly less psychological distress (OR, 0.41) than those who had only an employment role. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that participants who had only an employment role had an increased risk of psychological distress. The degree of psychological distress was not determined solely by the number of roles. It is important to have balance between work and family life to reduce role conflict and/or role submersion, which in turn may reduce the risk of psychological distress.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.56-62
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• 2017

Objectives : The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between psychological distress and pain in cancer patients. Methods : 249 patients with cancer who visited National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital between April 2013 and March 2014 were evaluated with National Cancer Center Psychological Symptom Inventory(NCC-PSI) which consisted of Modified Distress Thermometer(MDT) and Modified Impact Thermometer(MIT). Each scale was divided into 3 subscales targeting separate symptoms: insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Psychological distress was defined as positive for those who scored above the cutoff values in at least one of all six subscales. The Numeric Rating Scale for Pain(NRS-Pain) was used to assess the subjective severity of pain. Logistic regression was performed to investigate the association between psychological distress and pain. Results : Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that pain, gender, compliance, and two subscale scores of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale(HADS) were significantly associated with psychological distress. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that pain and HADS anxiety subscale score maintained a statistically significant association with psychological distress adjusted for variables including age, gender, years of education, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, cancer stage, Charlson Comorbidity Index, compliance, and HADS depression subscale score. One point increase in pain was 1.31 times more likely to cause psychological distress. In secondary analysis, pain was significantly associated with all subscales of NCC-PSI, except MIT-anxiety subscale. Conclusions : This study suggests that NCC-PSI, a screening tool for psychological distress, reflects pain. We recommend that physicians who treat cancer patients consider the examination of psychological distress which provides comprehensive evaluation of various factors regarding quality of life.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.351-359
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• 2004

Purpose: A descriptive study was conducted to examine the levels of distress, state anxiety, and physiologic responses in postoperative patients under patient controlled analgesia (PCA), and to determine correlations among the variables. Method: The study sample included women who underwent an elective hysterectomy procedure or other gynecologic surgeries(N=100). Subjective distress was assessed by visual analog scales around 8 hours postoperatively. Trained nurses collected objective distress data through observation of subject's behavior and vital signs. Data were analyzed with frequencies, percentages, means, Pearson correlation coefficients, ANOVA, and the Scheffe post test using SPSS/PC 11.0. Result: Subjective distress, objective distress, and state anxiety scores were relatively low, except pain scores(5.31 out of 10.0) among sub-scales of subjective distress. Women who had a total abdominal hysterectomy showed significantly higher levels of both subjective distress and state anxiety than those after a minor gynecologic surgery. In relationships among variables, subjective distress correlated positively with postoperative state anxiety, but not with the amount of analgesic medication, verified by further analysis on sub-scales of subjective and objective distress. The higher the levels of state anxiety, the higher the levels of tension, dyspnea, facial change, and systolic blood pressure observed. Conclusion: Regardless of effective pain management, most postoperatively experienced distress in gynecological patients was derived from surgery associated anxiety and pain. Specific psychological strategies should be established as well for those with high levels of state anxiety to facilitate prompt recovery.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.203-209
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• 2014

Background: Coal mining is of significant economic importance to the Australian economy. Despite this fact, the related workforce is subjected to a number of psychosocial risks and musculoskeletal injury, and various psychological disorders are common among this population group. Because only limited research has been conducted in this population group, we sought to examine the relationship between physical (pain) and psychological (distress) factors, as well as the effects of various demographic, lifestyle, and fatigue indicators on this relationship. Methods: Coal miners (N = 231) participated in a survey of musculoskeletal pain and distress on-site during their work shifts. Participants also provided demographic information (job type, age, experience in the industry, and body mass index) and responded to questions about exercise and sleep quality (on-and off-shift) as well as physical and mental tiredness after work. Results: A total of 177 workers (80.5%) reported experiencing pain in at least one region of their body. The majority of the sample population (61.9%) was classified as having low-level distress, 28.4% had scores indicating mild to moderate distress, and 9.6% had scores indicating high levels of distress. Both number of pain regions and job type (being an operator) significantly predicted distress. Higher distress score was also associated with greater absenteeism in workers who reported lower back pain. In addition, perceived sleep quality during work periods partially mediated the relationship between pain and distress. Conclusion: The study findings support the existence of widespread musculoskeletal pain among the coal-mining workforce, and this pain is associated with increased psychological distress. Operators (truck drivers) and workers reporting poor sleep quality during work periods are most likely to report increased distress, which highlights the importance of supporting the mining workforce for sustained productivity.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.32 no.E
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• pp.67-73
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• 1990

Many distress mechanisms in pavement are known to be caused by the poor mechanical properties of bituminous concretes. Among many mechanical properties, tensile strength is one of the more important indicates that represent the resistance of pavement to traffic loading. However, there has been no relationship established between the strength and distress mechanisms. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate a correlation between the tensile strength value and the intensity of distress in bituminous concrete. Distress data were collected from an extensive field investigation over 77km of a four-lane highway in South Carolina, USA, and from laboratory prepared specimens in two phases of study. Strength data were obtained from a total of more than 400 field cores taken from the same highway and from 640marshall specimens of surface course mixture prepared in the laboratory. These data were analyzed using statistical test techniques. It was found from statistical analyses that the tensile strength of bituminous concrete had a strong relation with the pavement condition in the field. In the analysis of rutting and stripping, low strength concrete showed a higher distress rate in the mixture, and mixtures under distress in the field showed obviously reduced strength values. Stripping was found to be the most significant distress mechanism that was correlated with low strength bituminous concrete. Rutting appeared more frequently in a low strength pavement section of the highway as a sign of failure due to traffic loading.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.25 no.4 s.40
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• pp.429-447
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• 1992

The effects and roles of social support and stressors (stressful life events and chronic strains) on psychosocial distress were examined in a model with data from a sample of the white-collar workers (N=416) in Korea. The findings of this study present that mean levels of psychosocial distress were higher in the female, youth, unmarried and divorced, and low economic status (monthly income). The analysis also shows that, as expected, stressful life and chronic strains as stressors are positively related to occurrence of psychosocial distress, and social support is negatively related to psychosocial distress. Further, the contribution of social support to predicting psychosocial distress is greater in magnitude than that of stressful events, chronic strains, and seciodemographic variables. There is no evidence that social support buffers the impacts of stressors on psychosocial distress, rather social support takes a role of mai or direct effects on psychosocial distress. Therefore, the strength of the social support is an important and meaningful strategy to prevent from stress and mental, physical illness.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.219-231
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to develop and evaluate a distress nursing intervention for relieving psychosocial distress. Methods: We developed a twelve-week non-pharmacological distress nursing intervention to decrease distress. This intervention includes cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness based stress reduction, psychoeducation and supportive therapy. The participants were 27 gynecologic cancer patients who agreed to participate in this study, selected by convenience sampling (experimental group-17 and control group-10). The data collection period was performed from November, 8, 2010 to February, 1, 2011. Data were analyzed by using the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. Results: There were no difference between the two groups distress score, distress problem and quality of life. The experimental group had significant higher IL-12 and IFN-${\gamma}$ and lower TGF-${\beta}$ between before and after the distress nursing intervention. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the distress nursing intervention was an effective intervention in improving immunologic function of gynecological cancer patients.