• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was to examine the relationship between mental health status and suicidal thinking among cancer patients. Methods: The data set of the 4th Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey (2009) was used and 230 subjects with cancers were included in the present study. Using SPSS/WIN 18.0 program, data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, ${\chi}^2$ test and logistic regression analysis. Results: About one-third of subjects had stress, symptoms of depression and suicidal thinking. Female had more suicidal thinking than male (${\chi}^2$=5.44, p=.020). In addition, subjects with high income level had more thinking about suicide compared with those in low income level (${\chi}^2$=7.54, p=.023). There was a significant difference in suicidal thinking according to the educational levels (${\chi}^2$=13.25, p=.004). In the logistic regression analysis, it was indicated that gender, depression and stress were significant predictors on suicidal thinking, accounting for 26.7~38.1%. Conclusion: From the findings in this study, it was suggested that the healthcare providers should try to improve their mental health status in order to prevent suicidal thinking among the individuals diagnosed with cancer.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.19 no.2 s.20
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• pp.233-243
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• 1986

Our study was designed to identify the difference in the mental health status among hospitalized patients due to occupational diseases and accidents and pre-employment physical examinees, and to identify the relationship between mental health status and socio-demographic variables, and to provide information useful to non-psychiatric clinicians in caring of such patients. Samples were comprised of 189 pneumoconiotic patients, 132 industrial accident-induced patients and 122 pre-employment physical examinees who were interviewed with 90-item symptom cheklist (SCL-90). The following results were obtained: 1) Mean scores of symptom dimension on socio-demographic subgroup showed higher tendencies in older aged, male, lower educated, miner, married, mining residence, and pneumoconiotic patients. 2) Mean scores of total samples on all symptom dimensions were as follows in the order of their magnitudes; Depression, Somatization, Obsessive-compulsive, Anxiety, Psychoticism, Interpersonal sensitivity, Phobic-anxiety, Hostility, and Paranoid ideation. 3) The highest mean scores on each socio-demographic subgroup were as follows; Depression in younger aged and Somatization in older aged; Depression in male Somatization in female; Somatization in lower educated and depression in higher educated; Somatization in miners and depression in non-miners; Somatization in married and Depression in unmarried; Depression in all kind of residences; Somatization in patients and Depression in pre-employment physical examinees(normal). 4) In consequence of stepwise multiple regression, the important socio-demographic variables were age, occupation, diagnostic classification, and residence. Age was the most imprtant variable in Somatization, Depression, Obsessive-compulsive, Anxiety, Phobic anxiety, Paranoid ideation, and Psychoticism. Occupation was the most important one in Interpersonal sensitivity and Hostility and also had significant realtionships with all symptom dimensions.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.37-46
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was performed to consider the association between Internet using time for non-educational purposes and adolescent health, and to examine how health status differs between Internet users and non-users. Methods: We analyzed 2009 data from the Korea Adolescent Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey, conducted on a nationally representative sample of students in grades 7 to 12. A total of 75 066 adolescents were categorized into four groups according to their Internet using time excluding using for educational purposes: non-Internet users (NIUs), occasional Internet users (OIUs) (<1 h/d), moderate Internet users (MIUs) (${\geq}1$ and <2 h/d), and heavy Internet users (HIUs) (${\geq}2$ h/d). Health factors included eight health risk behavior indices, four mental health indices and six physical health indices. Results: The distribution of Internet use was as follows: NIUs 17.4%, OIUs 68.1%, MIUs 12.7%, and HIUs 1.7%. In multivariate analysis, using OIUs as a reference, U- or J-shaped associations were observed for five health risk behavior indices (current smoking, current drinking, drug abuse, sexual intercourse, sedentary behavior on weekdays) and four mental health indices (stressed, depressed, suicidal ideation, attempted suicide) in both genders. After removing confounding effects, including age, region, school type, subjective school record, subjective economic status, presence of parents, living with family, and sedentary behavior, these associations were still observed. Conclusions: Health professionals should consider both Internet non-users (for non-educational purposes) and heavy users to be high-risk groups in terms of health status. Also, more well-designed studies are needed to clarify what factors are working in these nonlinear associations.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence problematic drinking among adolescents in South Korea. The first aim of this study was to examined the problematic drinking status according to ocio-demographics characteristics, mental-health, and health behavior factors. The second aim was to identify factors affecting problematic drinking. Methods: Using statistics from the $11^{th}$(2015) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, any variations among the subjects were presented by percentages and analyzed by $x^2$-tests, and then logistic regression analysis was conducted. Results: In the final model, gender, economic status, weekly allowance, father's education level, experience of sadness, smoking, and consumption of high-caffeine drinks were all significantly associated with problematic drinking. Conclusions: Awareness of teenagers regarding the potential health effects of problematic drinking, in particular in regards to mixing smoking and high-caffeine drinks with consumption of alcoholic beverages, should be increased through health education. Teenagers need to be taught the physical and mental dangers of drinking. A program that can teach proper drinking habits and prevent excessive drinking is needed. It should be a national matter just like the smoking policy.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.27-37
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• 2022

This study was attempted to identify the effects of physical and mental health on quality of life in middle-aged adults by gender. The Data were analyzed for 4,511 adults (2,260 men, 2,251 women) aged 45 to 65 who had no missing values in major variables based on the data of the 2016 Korea Health Panel. According to the data, the quality of life in middle-aged adults was .92 (±.08) for men and .91 (±.10) for women, which was significantly higher than that of women (t=3.54, p<.001). Factors affecting the quality of life in middle-aged men were subjective health status (β=.40, p<.001), stress (β=-.17, p<.001) and education level (β=.10, p<.001), and these variables explained 23% of the quality of life (F=227.28, p<.001). Factors affecting the quality of life in middle-aged women were subjective health status (β=.40, p<.001), stress (β=-.11, p<.001), education level (β=.05, p=.011) and anxiety (β=-.05, p=.022), and these variables explained 21% of the quality of life (F=145.42, p<.001). Based on the results of this study, the group with low level of education in middle-aged adults needs health management, education on how to relieve stress, and intensive management to improve the quality of life. In addition, the differentiated approach should be required to reduce anxiety in middle-aged women.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.90-97
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• 2019

This study investigated the healthcare status of South Korea and member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). By employing the position value for relative comparison index, healthcare status was measured through the following components: demand, supply, accessibility, quality, and cost. Statistical analysis was conducted through the Mann-Kendall test from analyzing trends from 2000 onwards. Results showed that while Korea, on average, scores higher than the OECD average in most of the investigated components, it is below average in certain indexes including primary care and mental health care. Considering the various health issues that have been raised about these indexes, it is important these components be improved upon by policy-makers.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.43-54
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• 2014

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to find out the relation factors of weight control behaviors, mental health status and body image perception in adolescents and to use basis data of health promotion for adolescents. Methods: This study used data from the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-2, 2011). The subjects were 653 between 12-19 age. Data analysis was done with SPSS/WIN 19.0 using Chi-square test, and Logistic regression. Results: The result is as follows. The case of female adolescents, abnormal perception of body image was significantly higher on weight reduction effort and normal weight, low weight in BMI. The case of male adolescents, abnormal perception of body image was higher on normal weight in BMI. Conclusions: The adolescents tend to do unreasoning weight loss behavior without properly perception for their body image. Therefore, we suggest that adolescents be provided social support for positive body image and be developed perception program with the importance of inner values.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2023

Backgrounds: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the university students population is one of the high risk and vulnerable groups. This study analyzed the status of student's mental health, including anxiety and depression caused by COVID-19, and its related factors among a university students in Korea. Methods : Our study subjects included university students in Korea. The survey items included general characteristics, teaching methods, physical activity, eating habits (SDBQ-L), weight-related questions, general anxiety disorder-7(GAD-7), and depression symptoms checklist. Frequency analysis, chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis were performed and data was analyzed using R version 4.1.2 program. Results : The prevalence of anxiety complaints was 5.5%, while the prevalence of depression complaints was 30.8%. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis of factors influencing anxiety, anxiety occurred 19.081 times (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.352-154.807) in the group with unhealthy diet (p<0.01). While in the multivariable analysis to identify factors affecting depression, women were 2.607 times significantly higher (95% CI: 1.255-5.415) than men, 0.407 times (95% CI:0.197-0.840) for residents of the metropolitan area, 3.418 times higher (95% CI:1.633-7.198) for unhealthy dietary people, and 2.225 times higher (95% CI: 1.080-4.582) for weight gainers (p<0.05). The type of class had no effect. Conclusions: COVID-19 and its associated interventions had negative effects on the mental health status including anxiety and depression in university students in Korea. Based on our results we recommend developing mental health interventions and prevention strategies for students in all universities in Korea.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.413-421
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• 2023

Objectives: This study explored the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on psychosocial stress in prime working-age individuals in Korea, focusing on gender inequalities. We hypothesized that the impact of COVID-19 on mental health would differ by age and gender, with younger women potentially demonstrating heightened vulnerability relative to men. Methods: The study involved data from the Korea Community Health Survey and included 319 592 adults aged 30 years to 49 years. We employed log-binomial regression analysis, controlling for variables including age, education, employment status, marital status, and the presence of children. The study period included 3 phases: the period prior to the COVID-19 outbreak (pre-COVID-19), the early pandemic, and the period following the introduction of vaccinations (post-vaccination). Results: The findings indicated that women were at a heightened risk of psychosocial stress during the early pandemic (relative risk [RR], 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98 to 1.05) and post-vaccination period (RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.10) compared to men. This pattern was prominent in urban women aged 30-34 years (pre-COVID-19: RR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.10; early pandemic: RR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.25; post-vaccination period, RR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.31). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has exerted unequal impacts on psychosocial stress among prime working-age individuals in Korea, with women, particularly those in urban areas, experiencing a heightened risk. The findings highlight the importance of addressing gender-specific needs and implementing appropriate interventions to mitigate the psychosocial consequences of the pandemic.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.677-685
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• 2017

This study was done to explore the relationship among mental health, self efficacy, happiness, suicidal ideation and related factors. Data collection from May 1, 2015 August 31 were enrolled in U-city. The questionnaire was filled out by 467 citizen in cities of Ulsan. Mental health was negatively correlated with self efficacy and was positively correlated with suicidal ideation. Self efficacy was positively correlated with happiness and negatively correlated with suicidal ideation. Also, happiness was negatively correlated with suicidal ideation of elementary student. Among the general characteristics, factors affecting suicidal ideation was marietal status, preferred mental health, and happiness significantly accounted for 43.3% of the variance for suicidal ideation. The most significant factor influencing suicidal ideation was mental health.