• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.90-94
• /
• 2015

Several insects have been shown to exert a strong influence positively on peoples' emotions. Insect-mediated mental healthcare program was designed to help meet the physical, behavioral and developmental needs of adolescents. They were provided with an insectmediated mental healthcare program for a total of 10 sessions, one session per wk, at 1 h per session, accompanied by a pre- and post-test for emotion. Significant differences and correlations were found according to the individual participants' planning, subjective quality of life, self-reported depression and self-worth, respectively. The results indicated that adolescents who participated in the insect-mediated healthcare program group once showed significant improvement in their planning, subjective quality of life and self-worth. However, most of all participants' self-reported depression was not influenced. These findings suggest that pet-insects positively affect adolescent's emotional health via an insect-mediated healthcare program.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.279-287
• /
• 2019

This study carried out a horticultural program for people with mental disabilities to determine suitability of the horticultural activity program and to actually apply to vocational rehabilitation. The program was carried out in 16 sessions from April 12 to June 7, 2018 with nine people with a strong will to participate in vocational rehabilitation at a health center for persons with mental disabilities. The tools used were the Horticultural Activity Performance Assessment (psychological behavior) and Purdue Pegboard Test that examines functions of hands and arms. The subjects sold the products they made during class time and obtained the profits. After the program, the scores increased with a significant difference (p = .000) in the psychological behavior area of the Horticultural Activity Performance Assessment. Hand and arm movement also showed continuous improvement along the program with a significant difference (p = .000), as well as finger dexterity also with a significant difference (p = .018). The net profit was 314,000 KRW (subtracting cost of goods 314,000 KRW from total sales 628,000 KRW). The profit was shared equally among the nine subjects, each receiving 34,900 KRW. Therefore this study proved horticultural activity class is suitable for vocational rehabilitation of people with mental disabilities proved by the positive effects. We also expect that the subjects will be able to make more profits if they learn more skills, since they are interested the process of making such profits.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.60 no.2
• /
• pp.69-77
• /
• 2020

The quality of a veterinary service depends on the veterinarian's physical and mental health. However, a veterinarian's mental health is generally considered to be more vulnerable than that of other health care professionals. As many veterinary students will enter the veterinary profession in near future, it is necessary to investigate their psychological status. This study examined stressors affecting student life in one veterinary school. Anxiety, depression, and stress levels were assessed using questionnaires and qualitative research techniques. The results obtained from questionnaires showed that the proportion of veterinary students with psychological distress was higher than expected. The major stressors experienced by the veterinary students were academic, economic, and environmental. Qualitative study using a photovoice method revealed that the students in this study felt relatively deprived compared with those in other veterinary schools. In addition, they were distressed by the school environment and limited human relationship. Our results suggest that veterinary school administrators should be aware of students' psychological distress and should undertake systematic improvement in their educational system by altering counseling programs, curricula, and school culture principles.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.508-517
• /
• 2021

Background: After the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in January 2020, Korea has experienced three waves in 2020. This study aimed to analyze changes in health care utilization according to the period of the 1st to 3rd waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We analyzed 3,354,469,401 national health insurance claims from 59,104 medical facilities between 2017 and 2020. Observed-to-expected ratios (O:E ratio) with data from 2017 to 2019 as expected values and data from 2020 as observed values were obtained to analyze changes in medical utilization. T-test was used to test whether the difference of observed and expected values was statistically significant. Results: In 2020, the O:E ratio was 0.894, indicating a decrease in health care utilization overall during the pandemic. The O:E ratio of the 1st wave was 0.832, which was lower than those of the second (0.886) and third (0.873) waves. Health care utilization decreased relatively more among outpatient, women, children and adolescents, and health insurance patients. And health care utilization decreased more in small medical facilities and in Daegu and Gyeongbuk during the first wave. During the pandemic, the O:E ratios of respiratory diseases were 0.486-0.694, while chronic diseases and mental diseases were more than 1.0. Conclusion: Health care utilization decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic overall, and there were differences by COVID-19 waves, and by the characteristics of patients and medical facilities. It is necessary to understand the cause of changes in health care utilization in order to cope with the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.9-15
• /
• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between empathy ability and attitude toward mental illness in nursing college students. The subjects of this study were collected in June, 2017 for the 4th grade students attending the nursing department in D city. The data were collected using the SPSS.19 program. The results showed that empathy ability of nursing college students had a significant effect on the attitude toward mentally ill patients. The explanatory power of empathy ability on each subscale was 18% for benevolence, 16% for authoritarianism, 9 % for social restrictiveness, and 4% for community mental health ideology. In conclusion, the empathy ability of nursing college students was found to affect the attitude toward the mentally ill. As the empathy increased, the authoritarianism of the mentally ill was lowered, the benevolence was increased, the social life support and community mental health ideology was positive, so the positive attitude toward mental illness was increased overall. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically train and education nursing college students to develop empathy needed for the therapeutic relationship. These efforts will contribute to the improvement of the awareness of the mentally ill.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.423-432
• /
• 2014

Objective and Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of individual characteristics, work-related factors, lifestyle factors, and health problems with work ability among aging workers in Korea. Method: In this cross-sectional survey, the study population consisted of 1,594 workers who had participated in a voluntary health promotion center and private workplace. Participants completed the work ability index. Results: The mean WAI score was 37.4, while the mean age of the sample was 43.25. In the age group over 50 showed 36.26. The majority of participants rated their work ability as 'good' to 'excellent', one-third moderate and about 7.5% poor. Work ability decreased significantly with age among the men. The younger group had higher scores on the work ability index than the age group over 50, except for mental resources. By work characteristics, work ability was analyzed to be the lowest in the case of work handling heavy stuff. Lastly, as a result of health factors analysis, the good management and retention of current health status can be the measure helpful to the improvement of work ability. Conclusion and Application: According to the results, it can be a basic principle to devise and enforce preventive measures on the factors for which improvement or action is possible, together with workplace-level systematic approach, in order to improve work ability. For such measures to be realized, it is necessary to check trends in change for several years.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.101-111
• /
• 2013

To develop the Korean-Version-Improvement program for ordinary people, we investigate how Korean-High-Intelligent people use their cognitive function, intellectual capacity and Intelligent Quotient test. Using Mensa iq test, we classify intelligent examination tool into various components; visual, geometrical component and cognitive interpretation component. Also we organized each component, got database of intelligent subjects sample, classified itemized availability. Based on these things, we prove efficiency of intelligent examination tool. We found out that high intelligent people showed high Intelligent Index using visual cognitive stimulation with cognitive function when subjects were exposed to certain situation; solving the problem. This intelligent examination tool is low price and safe and easily carrying out with personal computer. If we develop intelligence quotient examination customized with mental retardation populations, a variety of subjects will improve their cognition with efficiency and inexpensively.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.14 no.12
• /
• pp.6309-6316
• /
• 2013

Morbidity, mortality, mental health and problem behavior appears to be high in adolescence, but there is no proper intervention. This quasi-experimental study examined the effects of the neurofeedback training on the general health status, mental health and problem behavior, and the brain function quotient through structured questionnaires and brain waves of 11 high school students (experimental group 5, control group 6). The study was conducted at I high school in Seoul from September to December, 2012. The subjects participated in the neurofeedback training twice a week for a total of 20 sessions by trained researcher. The data was analyzed using paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed rank test depending on the normality using SPSS 20.0. Significant improvement was observed in the emotion quotient and stress resistance quotient (left, right) among the brain function quotient, but not in the general health status, mental health and problem behavior.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.17 no.11
• /
• pp.110-122
• /
• 2017

This study is to examine moderating effects of income and mediating effects of health related quality of life in the relationship between depression experience and suicidal behavior among menopausal middle-aged women in Korea. This study employed 1,182 middle-aged women aged 40 to 60 of the third year (2015) data from the 6th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(KNHANES VI). The results are that first, depression experience were significantly associated with suicidal behavior. Secondly, health related quality of life appeared to mediate the relationship between depression experience and suicidal behavior. Thirdly, income was significantly moderated the relationship between depression experience and suicidal behavior in relatively low income group below average income after controlling for mediating effects of health related quality of life. These results showed that there is a need to enhance health policy for mental health care in middle-aged women and to expand intervention program for improvement of health related quality of life, and especially, intervention for improving mental health of low-income group.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.107-120
• /
• 2009

Background : To estimate fall incidence rate and associated factors in inpatients from a general hospital. Method : The data were collected from 104 fall incident reports developed by the patient safety committee in a general hospital in Seoul from 01 January 2007 to 31 December 2008. Information included general characteristics of patients, factors related to fall, types, places, circumstances and outcomes of fall. Result : The incidence rate of fall, which was 4.4 per 1,000 total discharged patients and 0.5 per 1,000 patient-days, was much lower than that of several hospitals in the United States. The difference may reflect the different incidence reporting system of each hospital. Fall-prone patients were, in general, $$\geq_-$$65 years of age, had an alert mental status, were ambulatory with some assistance, and were dependent on and ambulatory device. High incidence of falls was associated with patients with circulatory disease. The majority of fall events usually occurred in bed or at the bedside in the patient's room, and occurred more often during the night than during the day or evening. Risk factors of fall were use of drugs (antihypertensive or neuropsychiatric drugs) and environmental factors (e.g., overly high bed height, surrounding objects, inadequate fitness shoes and slippery floor). Physical injury occurred in 43.3% of fall events, which typically required diagnosis of injury and treatment such as suturing. Risk factors for repeated falls were use of a neuropsychiatric drug (odds ratio=13.9) and gait disturbance (odds ratio=91.2). Risk factors for fall-related injury were alert mental status (odds ratio=3.3 times more likely to fall than those who were drowsy or in a stupor) and general weakness(odds ratio=3.3 times more likely to fall than those who were not generally weak). Conclusion : Medical and nursing staff should be aware of the fall risk factors of hospitalized patients and should intensively pursue preventative strategies. Development of fall prevention education based on these results is recommended.