• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.168-176
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• 2020

Objectives : Loneliness and poor sleep quality are common phenomena in old age and are associated with negative physical and mental health. However, little is known regarding the relation between loneliness and sleep quality. The aim of this study was to examine the association of loneliness and sleep quality among the elderly living alone. Methods : This is a cross-sectional study that enrolled 1,090 subjects who are the community-residing elderly living alone. Sociodemographic status, medical condition, cognition, mood disorder, sleep quality and levels of loneliness were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and a specific semi-structured interview conducted by trained nurses. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data regarding sociodemographic variable and loneliness. Univariate and Multivariate regression analyses were applied to examine the association between loneliness and sleep quality after adjustment for multiple confounding variables. Results : The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) mean score of "lonely group" (9.2±4.2) was significantly higher than that of "not lonely group" (7.3±3.7) (student-t test, p<0.001). Loneliness was significantly associated with PSQI (standardized β=0.065, p=0.025), sleep disturbance (standardized β=0.086, p=0.005), use of sleep medication (standardized β=0.065, p=0.034) after adjustment for possible confounding variables including sex and mood disorder. Conclusions : Loneliness was associated with sleep disturbance and this finding implied negative impact of loneliness on sleep quality of older adults. Public health promotion efforts to reduce loneliness may improve sleep quality and mental health in the elderly living alone.

• Asia-pacific Journal of Multimedia Services Convergent with Art, Humanities, and Sociology
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.403-411
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to know the changing process of ethnic identity of the Korean-Chinese in South Korea. To this end, in-depth interviews with 12 Korean-Chinese Korean had been conducted in order to know how their ethnic identity was changing while they are settling in South Korea. Results had found that the changing of ethnic identity closely associated with their cultural adaptation process. There are three s changing stages of their ethnic identity. First, in the initial period of entering to South Korea, the Korean-Chinese were excited and filled with the hope for their 'homeland'. Second, while integrating into mainstream society they feel the crisis of ethnic identity. Social exclusion led them to reconsider their own Korean-Chinese identity. Third, at the present stage there are three different cognitions for their own identity--- Korean, Chinese, neither Chinese nor Korean. This study has offered a view to understand the acculturation process of the Korean-Chinese settling in South Korea. Without a doubt, their self-cognition of ethnic identity has a big impact on social integration in South Korean. Therefore, Korea mainstream society with Korean-Chinese needs to work together on building their own healthy ethnic identity.

• 한국노년학
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.699-721
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare factors affecting the subjective life expectancy among the elderly, and to suggest health practice and social welfare service implications for later life. A total of 4,483 seniors from the 6th wave(2016) of the Korean Longitudinal Study on Aging (KLoSA) were used for analysis. The subjects were divided into three age groups: the young-old (n=2,106, 65~74 years), middle-old (n=1,803, 75~84 years), and oldest-old (n=574, 85 years and older). Control variables were sociodemographic factors and health status factors. Independent variables were health promotion behavior, cognition of public care, participating social activity, economic activity, and receiving basic pension. The data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. The main results were as follows. Health promotion behavior was associated with the young-old. Social activities and economic activity were associated with the young-old and middle-old. Receiving basic pension had a significant impact on all age groups. In the middle-old, significant results were focused on socio-demographic and health status factors compared to other groups. The results of this study will provide basic data for the elderly policy and welfare service and will help to find and improve the important factors for the life of the elderly.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.481-487
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• 2016

The elderly population with dementia is rapidly growing in South Korea. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dementia and oral health in 197 subjects aged ${\geq}65$ years. The questionnaire included questions on subjective health status, subjective health concern, subjective oral health status and behavior, mastication ability, Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), and Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaires (KDSQ). Oral examination was conducted by a single dentist to evaluate upper or lower denture use, and determine the numbers of remaining and functioning teeth, including implant and fixed prosthesis. The subjects who required a dementia test (KDSQ-C [cognition] of ${\geq}6$) had significant differences in systemic disease prevalence rate, subjective health status, subjective health concern, KDSQ-V (vascular disease) score, KDSQ-D (depression) score, subjective oral treatment need, key food mastication ability and OHIP-14 score compared to the healthy subjects. The proportion of denture wearers, total remaining teeth, total functioning teeth, toothbrushing frequency, oral pain severity, symptoms of periodontal disease, subjective oral health status, and subjective oral health concern showed no significant differences between the two groups. KDSQ-C and OHIP-14 scores showed a strong positive relationship, while KDSQ-C score and total remaining teeth or key food mastication ability showed a weak negative relationship. In the multiple regression analysis, the KDSQ-D, KDSQ-V, and OHIP-14 scores influenced the KDSQ-C scores. We suggest a relationship between oral health and cognitive impairment.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2011

In this study, we examined the impact caused by chronic exposure to Mn by investigating the degree of brain activation based on the data of recognition activities using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging). A questionnaire survey, blood tests, and fMRI tests were carried out with respect to two groups. Group 1 was an exposure group consisting of 15 male workers who are 34 years old or older, and who worked for longer than 10 years in a shipbuilding factory as a welder. Group 2 was a control group consisting of 15 workers in manufacturing industries with the same gender and age. The results showed that blood Mn concentration of Group 1($1.3\;{\mu}g/dl$) was significantly higher than that of Group 2($0.8\;{\mu}g/dl$)(p < 0.001), and Pallidal Index (PI) of Group 1 was also significantly higher than that of Group 2 (p < 0.001). PI value of the group whose blood Mn concentration was $0.93\;{\mu}g/dl$ or higher was significantly higher than that of the group whose blood Mn concentration was less than $0.93 \;{\mu}g/dl$ (p < 0.001). As for brain activity area within the control group, the right and the left areas of occipital cortex showed significant activity and the left area of middle temporal cortex, the right area of superior inferior frontal cortex and inferior parietal cortex showed significant activity. Unlike the control group, the exposure group showed significant activity on the right area of superior inferior temporal cortex, the left of insula area. In the comparison of brain activity areas between the two groups, the exposure group showed significantly higher activation than the control group in such areas as the right inferior temporal cortex, the left area of superior parietal cortex and occipital cortex, and cerebellum including middle temporal cortex. However, in nowhere the control group showed more activated area than the exposure group. As the final outcome, chronic exposure to Mn increased brain activity during implementation of arithmetic task. In an identical task, activation increased in superior inferior temporal cortex, and insula area. And it was discovered that brain activity increase in temporal area and occipital area was more pronounced in the exposure group than in the control group. This result suggests that chronic exposure to Mn in the work environment affects brain activation neuro-network.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.29-62
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• 2006

The early development of an infant is crucial due to the enormous impact it has throughout an infant's life. Therefore, it is important to understand the development process of an infant and provide a high-quality educational environment so that an infant can progress at an innate pace to learn how to exercise, understand, speak, socialize, and empathize as well as having a balanced growth. When educating an infant, joy is a substantial factor in the formation of trust and development of relationship that makes education efficient. Music can be an effective means to offer a fun atmosphere vto the infant in which it stimulates active participation of the infant and development of a variety of dimensions to the infant's development. Also, the purpose of music therapy education is utilizes to plan for the different age groups' level of understanding of music and allow the infant to have a positive experience and develop properly. The purposes of this study are as following: to examine characteristics according to an infant' developmental steps thoroughly, to suggest interventions using music therapy education to stimulate development of an infant, to prove that infants age 3 to 6 obtain the necessary ability and skill through the effective educational therapy through music, and finally to create a music program for educating infants or music therapy. This study has examined theories of the music approach targeting infants age 3 to 6 and made character observations of infant' Motor, Cognition, Communication, Socialization, and Emotions. With the basis of the above theory, the different levels of development has been divided, specific goals has been set up according to the levels, and various music therapy education for infants have been created. The music therapy education activity has been approved by five professionals who are renown in their specific field. They made comments that the development levels were properly divided in the paper. They also commented that the music program is adequate for achieving the goal of each developmental level and it stimulates the different levels of an infant's development. In conclusion, the study reflects that the approach of music therapy education stimulates the different levels of infant development. Music therapists can utilize this music program to help handicapped children identify characteristics of progress and develop at their own ability.

• 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.