• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.286-293
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• 2022

Background: The death rate of workers due to industrial accidents in South Korea (3.61 persons in 2017) is higher than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average (2.43) and the fifth highest among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries. Although the pandemic of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed, the socioeconomic aspects of Korean society, the number of Koreans suffering accidents and the number of deaths in 2020 have increased. It is necessary to take measures to prevent accidents and make comprehensive efforts to return to work. This study proposes research questions about the effect of workers' positive perception on whether to work after accidents and the impact of the experience of rehabilitation services on the return to work. Methods: This research performed a panel logistic regression analysis using data on workers' compensation insurance in Korea for two years (2018-2019). Results: This research finds that workers' positive perceptions of workability and life satisfaction contributed affirmatively to their re-employment. Several factors related to employment (e.g., work period, the number of job qualifications) also positively affect their return to work. However, the experience of rehabilitation services did not have a significant effect on re-employment. The variables of their health conditions (e.g., disability grade, feelings of health problems, age) negatively influenced their return to jobs. Conclusion: These results suggest the importance of workers' mental recovery and the need to innovate rehabilitation services for their employment. Positive thinking and self-rehabilitation could be critical for workers, parallel with social welfare policies.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.71-78
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• 2012

The mass social trauma, such as organized violence, wars, oppression by dictatorships and massive terrorist attacks, exposes thousands of people to trauma in a short period of time. Therefore, the mass social trauma is distinguished from individualized trauma, such as a violent attack, rape or a traffic accident in that it results in multiple and extended consequences beyond the individual. During the Khmer Rouge regime, one quarter of the Cambodian population was killed as a result of malnutrition, forced labor and mass killings. Until now, its evil continues to affect Cambodian's physical and mental health problems. Although there is ongoing debate, to date, no consensus has been reached supporting a clear set of recommendations for the intervention and longitudinal study regarding the influence of killing field massacre being too little. And comparative cultural studies, such as comparing the East to West or other Asian cultures are also lacking. This article gives an overview of previous study results about the mental health of Cambodians, and suggests a possible research issue and therapeutic interventions to determine the impact of mass trauma to the members of society and post-traumatic recovery factors.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.67 no.4
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• pp.227-249
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of work between Asian Americans and white Americans living with mental illness. Employment is important for recovery of Asian Americans with mental illness. However, little is known about reasons of low participation and completion rates on recovery and employment services for Asian Americans with mental illness. Although few studies have suggested that exploring cultural difference is a key to understand these issues, no study have explored how their culture influences a viewpoint on work. Therefore, a study to explore the meaning of work and influences of culture on work is required. This study used both quantitative and qualitative methods. An Internet version of world of work survey was developed based on results of study by Millner(2015) and cognitive interview. The survey was conducted from May to August 2015 and 91 people living with mental illness completed the survey. T-test was used for analyzing qualitative data and researchers analyzed qualitative data. Asian Americans showed higher preference for employment and have more difficulty at workplace and in receiving recovery and vocational services. The findings from this study can inform the development of recovery-oriented employment for people living with mental illness from diverse ethnic groups.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.86-95
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of forest walking program on stress and recovery among schizophrenic patients in a closed ward. Methods: A non-equivalent control group pre-posttest design was used. The participants were composed of 36 patients with schizophrenia admitted in two psychiatric hospitals. The experimental group (n = 18) received the forest walking program twice a week with a total of 6 weeks. Results: The study results revealed that the forest walking program was effective on stress(${\chi}^2=34.11$, p<.001), subjective recovery(${\chi}^2=22.40$, p<.001) and clinical recovery(F=28.34, p<.001) of hospitalized patients with schizophrenia. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the forest walking program for schizophrenic patients in the closed ward can be an effective nursing intervention to reduce stress and improve recovery ability. We suggest that mental health nurses may adapt this program to help patients with schizophrenia in a closed ward.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.55-68
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• 2002

While the survival rate of preterm infants and employment rates of mothers with infants have been dramatically increasing, little is known about the impact of maternal employment and having premature infants on maternal health recovery after delivery. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine differences in postpartum health by mother's employment and infant's prematurity over time during the first 3 months postpartum. The study used a longitudinal design and was secondary data analysis from a large study. A convenience sample of 132 mothers was recruited with mothers who had fullterm or preterm infants through the postpartum unit. They were followed up for 3 times (at 1-2 days, 6 weeks, and 3 months) during the first 3 months postpartum period. Level of fatigue and hysical symptoms were indicators for postpartum physical health; Positive affect and negative affect were assessed for postpartum mental health, and role functional status after childbirth was for role performance. Finding indicated that health indicators changed significantly over time but there was no main or interaction effect for maternal employment status. There were main effects of infant's prematurity on positive affect, negative affect, and role functional status (self-care and social and community activities). This study enhanced the understanding of postpartum health of mothers with preterm infants as well as those with fullterm infants during the postpartum period.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.240-248
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• 2015

Background: Recovery from fatigue is important in maintaining night workers' health. This study compared the course of self-reported recovery after 2-week 12-hour schedules consisting of either night shifts or swing shifts (i.e., 7 night shifts followed by 7 day shifts) to such schedules consisting of only day work. Methods: Sixty-one male offshore employees-20 night workers, 16 swing shift workers, and 25 day workers-rated six questions on fatigue (sleep quality, feeling rested, physical and mental fatigue, and energy levels; scale 1-11) for 14 days after an offshore tour. After the two night-work schedules, differences on the $1^{st}$ day (main effects) and differences during the follow-up (interaction effects) were compared to day work with generalized estimating equations analysis. Results: After adjustment for confounders, significant main effects were found for sleep quality for night workers (1.41, 95% confidence interval 1.05-1.89) and swing shift workers (1.42, 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.94) when compared to day workers; their interaction terms were not statistically significant. For the remaining fatigue outcomes, no statistically significant main or interaction effects were found. Conclusion: After 2-week 12-hour night and swing shifts, only the course for sleep quality differed from that of day work. Sleep quality was poorer for night and swing shift workers on the $1^{st}$ day off and remained poorer for the 14-day follow-up. This showed that while working at night had no effect on feeling rested, tiredness, and energy levels, it had a relatively long-lasting effect on sleep quality.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.7 s.80
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• pp.1174-1180
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• 2006

The present study was sought to clarify whether the combination of mental activity with subway noise affects hematological variables. Fifty-six healthy volunteers participated in this experiment and underwent a stress task consisting of combination_of mental activity (mental arithmetic) with subway noise for 50 min and 60min of recovery after the end of the stress task. Venous blood samples were collected for measuring CBC, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), fibrinogen concentration, D-dimer and high sensitive C-reactive protein (H-CRP) levels before (baseline), 50min of stress task (S-50m), and 60 min of recovery (R-60m). Total leukocyte, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts significantly increased at R-60m compared with baselines. RBC count at S-50m was higher, while monocyte counts at S-50m and R-60m were lower than those of baselines. aPTTs shortened at S-50m and R-60m, but PT reduced at R-60m as compared with baselines. D-dimer and H-CRP levels at S-50m and R-60m were significantly higher than those of baselines. These findings imply that a combination of mental activity with subway noise nay cause leukocytosis, homo-concentration, shortened PT and aPTT, decreased ESR, and raised D-dimer and H-CRP levels, suggesting possible development of inflammation and prothrombogenic reaction attributable to a subway environment.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.276-285
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• 2021

Purpose: This study investigated the factors that influence depression in adolescents diagnosed with asthma in South Korea, providing basic data supporting efforts to improve adolescents' mental health. Methods: Multiple regression analysis was conducted on 4,020 subjects who had been diagnosed with lifelong asthma among the 57,303 respondents to the 15th Korea Youth Risk Behaviour Web-Based Survey from 2019. Results: The participants were more likely to have depression if they were female, in middle school, their academic achievement was poor, they were drinkers or smokers, if they felt a very high amount of stress, and if they experienced very inadequate recovery from fatigue. Adolescents with asthma were 9.00 times more likely to experience depression when they felt a very high amount of stress (95% confidence interval [CI]=5.51-14.69, p<.001) than when they felt no stress. Conclusion: Given these factors, measures to improve the mental health of adolescents should be developed and expanded, especially to decrease their stress levels. A separate program that is different from the school's regular health curriculum should be developed to manage the stress levels of adolescents with asthma, such as an after-school program or a program conducted at a local community centre.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2007

Numerous psychological stressors playa role in development of the cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to determine whether a combined mental activity with experimental subway noise affects hematological physiology. Fifty-four healthy volunteers were divided group I which underwent subway noise (n=24) and group II which underwent a combined mental activity with subway noise (n=30). Venous blood samples were collected for measuring CBC, prothrombine time (PT), activated partial thromboplastine time (APTT), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), D-dimer and high sensitive C-reactive protein (H-CRP) levels before, 50 min of stress task (S-50m) and 60 min of recovery (R-60m). Changed ratios of granulocyte, lymphocyte, monocyte and platelet counts at S-50m and R-60m were higher in group II compared to group I. RBC count and hematocrit level in group I increased whereas those in group II decreased at S-50m. PT, APTT and ESR in the both groups were shortened at R-60m and the decreased ratios were high in group II compared to group I. H-CRP and D-dimer in the both groups were elevated at S-50m and R-60m while the increased ratios in group II were greater than those in group I. These observations imply that a combined mental activity with experimental subway noise may be a stressor which affects hematological physiology.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.175-203
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• 2008

It has been well known and empirically supported that many persons with psychiatric disabilities experience recovery in the community. The sense of recovery is experienced while they recognize and manage mental illness and cope with everyday life utilizing personal and social resources. In order to explore ways in which the sense of recovery is enhanced, this study investigated the structure of relationships among the mental health state, optimism, positive emotions, quantity and quality of the social relationships, coping, and recovery of 460 persons with psychiatric disabilities through structural equation modeling. Of findings, first, in the results of path estimates of measurement and theoretical model, especially optimism and positive emotions demonstrated significant effects on the social relationship, coping, and the recovery, while, by contraries, positive emotions showed no significant direct effects on coping, neither the social relationships did on the recovery. Second, on the recovery optimism and positive emotions had direct effects, while quantity and quality of the social relationships had only indirect effects. It is particularly noted that positive emotions showed stronger effects on the recovery than optimism, and also had direct and indirect effects on the social relationships. Finally, partial mediating effects of coping were found between optimism and the recovery, between quality of the social relationships and recovery, and between quantity and quality of the social relationships; another partial mediating effects of quality of social relationships between quantity of social relationships and coping, and between positive emotions and coping; and the last same effects of quantity of the social relationships between positive emotions and coping. According to these results, discussions and implications for social work practice and practice research were suggested regarding the differential effects of positive cognitions and emotions on the recovery and different mechanisms of the quality and quantity of the social relationships, and the relationships among the resources, coping, and the recovery of persons with psychiatric disabilities.