• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2012

Objectives : This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of victims of bullying and the demographic characteristics of victims, and their related psychopathology, in a Korean nationwide sample of youths in middle and high school over a one month period. Methods : During the autumn of 2009, students in the 7th to 12th grades at 23 secondary schools participated in a nationwide, cross-sectional study. The study subjects completed the Adolescent Mental Health and Problem Behavior Screening Questionnaire-II (AMPQ-II) and Symptom Checklist-90-Revision (SCL-90-R). Based on the data acquired, descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed. Results : Among the 3364 participants, 2272 (67.54%) completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of victimization was 28.9%. Male gender was positively associated with victimization, and grade level was negatively related to victimization. The AMPQ-II bullying score (Factor 4) was significantly (p<.001) and positively correlated to the AMPQ-II student total score (r= 0.50), Worry and thought (Factor 1 ; r=0.38), Mood and suicide (Factor 2 ; r=0.31), Academic and Internet-related problems (Factor 3 ; r=0.24), Rule violations (Factor 5 ; r=0.23), and AMPQ-II teacher total score (r=0.11). Somatization (r=0.23), Obsessive-compulsive behavior (r=0.24), Interpersonal sensitivity (r=0.30), Depression (r=0.33), Anxiety (r=0.26), Hostility (r=0.30), Phobic anxiety (r=0.22), Paranoid ideation (r=0.36), and Psychoticism (r=0.31) results from the SCL-90-R were also found to be positively related to the AMPQ-II bullying score, and remained significant after adjusting for age and gender. A total of 26% of the victims reported suicidal ideations as compared to 9% of non-victims over the month prior to the evaluation ($x^2$=119.595, df=1, p<.001). The multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that the AMPQ-II bullying score significantly increased the risk of suicidal ideation [Exp(b)=1.55, df=1, p<.001] after adjusting for age and gender. Conclusion : School bullying was highly prevalent among Korean middle and high school students. This study provided strong evidence that suicidal ideation and psychopathology were serious problems among the victims of bullying.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.197-208
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• 2015

Objectives : The purposes of this study were to examine the reliability and validity of the Korean version of Social Communication Questionnaire (K-SCQ) and to determine cut-off scores for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods : A total of 166 subjects with ASD and their 186 unaffected siblings were recruited through child psychiatry clinics of university hospitals. Board certified child psychiatrists screened all probands suspected to have ASD based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition. To confirm the diagnoses, the Korean versions of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (K-ADI-R) were administered to all the subjects. All parents completed the K-SCQ and Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). The non-ASD siblings were evaluated with the same instruments as the probands with ASD. We performed a factor analysis to examine the structure of K-SCQ. For testing the validity of K-SCQ, we compared the difference in Lifetime and Current scores of probands with ASD and their non-ASD siblings using t-test and analysis of covariance. Correlations between the K-SCQ and other measurements of ASD symptomatology, including K-ADI-R totals and domain scores and SRS, were examined. Receiver operation characteristic curve analysis was performed to extract cutoff scores discriminating affection status. Results : Four factors were extracted through factor analysis of K-SCQ ; 1) social relation and play, 2) stereotyped behavior, 3) social behavior, and 4) abnormal language. Cronbach's internal consistency was .95 in K-SCQ Lifetime, and .93 in K-SCQ Current. There were significant differences in total score of K-SCQ, both in Lifetime and Current between the ASD group and non-ASD siblings group (p<.05). K-SCQ scores were significantly correlated with K-ADI-R subdomain scores and SRS total scores (p<.05). The best-estimate cut-off scores of K-SCQ for diagnosis of ASD were 12 for 48 months and over, and 10 for below 47 months. Conclusion : Our findings suggest that the K-SCQ is a reliable and valid instrument for screening autistic symptoms in the Korean population. Lower cut-off scores than the original English version might be considered when using it as a screening instrument of ASD.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.2-30
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• 2016

This article provides an overview of the developmental history and rationale of medical ethics to establish the code of ethics and professional conduct of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (KACAP). Most medical professional organizations have their own codes of ethics and conduct because they have continuous responsibility to regulate professional activities and conducts for their members. The Ethics and Award Committee of the KACAP appointed a Task-Force to establish the code of ethics and conduct in 2012. Because bioethics has become global, the Ethics Task Force examined global standards. Global standards in medical ethics and professional conduct adopted by the World Medical Association and the World Psychiatric Association have provided the basic framework for our KACAP's code of ethics and professional conduct. The Code of Ethics of the Americal Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has provided us additional specific clarifications required for child and adolescent patients. The code of ethics and professional conduct of the KACAP will be helpful to us in ethical clinical practice and will ensure our competence in recognizing ethical violations.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.63-71
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• 2010

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the clinical and demographic variables such as body weight, dosage, family history of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and psychiatric co-morbidity on the side-effects of OROS-Methylphenidate (OROS-MPH), and to evaluate the relationship between drug response and side effect severity. Methods : A total of 144 children (ages 6-18) with diagnosed ADHD were treated with OROS-MPH. Children were examined at baseline and after 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks of each treatment condition. The stimulant drug side effect rating scale (SERS), pulse rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and electrocardiogram (ECG) were evaluated to assess side effect profiles. Changes in these parameters from baseline were examined and analyzed. Results : Anorexia (30.95%) and insomnia (13.10%) were the most commonly reported side effects during this study. Insomnia and loss of appetite score increased at one week follow-up, but was sustained or decreased as treatment progressed. Small but significant increases in pulse rate and diastolic blood pressure were observed during treatment ; however, no clinically meaningful changes in ECG parameters were noted during the study. Low body weight, high dosage of OROS-MPH, and family history of ADHD were associated with cardiovascular side effect. In contrast, there was no significant relationship between OROS-MPH treatment response and the severity of side effect and no difference resulted between the responder and non-responder groups with respect to OROS-MPH dosage in the 12 weeks of follow-up. Conclusion : To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first Korean study to investigate comprehensive side effect profiles and their correlates in OROS-MPH treatment for ADHD children. OROS-MPH was well tolerated with no clinically significant side effects during the treatment period. In conclusion, low body weight, high dosage of OROSMPH, and family history of ADHD could be used as predictive factors in increasing pulse rate and blood pressure.