• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.209-216
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• 2015

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a day-hospital treatment program designed to help development of children with pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) and mental retardation (MR). Methods : Retrospective review of the charts of 32 children (28 with PDD, 4 with MR), who participated in a day-hospital treatment program of Seoul Metropolitan Eunpyeong Hospital, from October 2008 to February 2012, was conducted. Development level of each patient was evaluated according to the Psycho-Educational Profile-Revised (PEP-R), Social Maturity Scale (SMS), and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Evaluation was done at two points, before participation and after 1 year participation. Results : Children who participated in the day-hospital treatment program showed significant improvement in all categories of PEP-R, SMS, and CARS. Conclusion : Day-hospital treatment program is effective for helping development of children with PDD and MR.

• Anxiety and mood
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.67-72
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• 2021

Objective : This study examined the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among North Korean defectors during preparation for early settlement. In addition, the correlation between PTSD and other mental disorders with suicidal ideation was assessed. Methods : A total of 639 North Korean defectors aged 19-65 years were included from resettlement and training centers. PTSD was assessed using the PTSD Diagnostic Scale (PDS). The prevalence of other mental disorders and suicidal ideation were assessed using the Korean version of the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire (K-PDSQ). Results : A total of 6.8% of North Korean defectors had a PDS score >23, which was suggestive of a diagnosis of PTSD. Prior repatriation to North Korea was significantly associated with PTSD. The defectors with PTSD had a higher prevalence of other mental disorders (major depressive disorder prevalence: adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 14.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.7-31.2, panic disorder prevalence: AOR, 9.5; 95% CI, 4.6-20.0, generalized anxiety disorder prevalence: AOR, 5.6; 95% CI, 2.4-13.2). No significant association was found between suicidal ideation and PTSD. Conclusion : North Korean defectors had a relatively high prevalence of PTSD and suicidal ideation during preparation for early settlement. Cohort studies are needed to assess the lasting effects of PTSD on North Korean defectors' settlement in Korea for a longer period.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.209-279
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• 2016

The Korean Mental Health Act was amended 2016 overall. This paper examines and evaluates the old Korean Mental Health Act since 1995 and the new Korean Mental Health Promotion Act 2016 from the Perspective of Human Rights and Inclusion of Persons with Psychosocial Disabilities. The persons with mental disabilities was separated and ruled out from society by the enactment of the Mental Health Act in 1995 and five times amendment. That has been justified and institutionally supported by medical viewpoint. The medical approach which reconsider the persons with mental disabilities as patients conceal that the aims of the involuntary admission in Mental Hospital are protection of society and the relief of the family member's duty of support for person with mental disabilities. This is institutionally supported in the 1995 Korean Mental Health Act by involuntary admission through the consent of family members as protectors. According to the old Act, the family members as protectors are authorized to consent to involuntary admission of persons with mental disabilities. Also, the psychiatrist that diagnoses the person with mental disabilities and evaluates the need for treatment by admission is not impartial in this decision. Family members as protectors may want to lighten their burden of support for the person with mental disabilities in their home by admitting them into a mental hospital, and the psychiatrist in the mental hospital can be improperly influenced by demand of hospital management. Additionally, Article 24 of the Korean Mental Health Act for the Involuntary Admission by the Consent of Family Members as Protector might violate personal liberty, as guaranteed in the Korean Constitution. The Mental Health Promotion Law was amended to reduce the scope of the persons with mental illness which are subject to forced hospitalization and to demand that a second diagnosis is made by another psychiatrist and screening by the committee concerning the legitimacy of admission in the process of the involuntary admission by the consent of family members as a method of protection. The amended Mental Health Promotion Law will contribute to reducing the number of the involuntary admissions and the inclusion of persons with mental disabilities. But if persons with mental disabilities are not providing some kind of service to the community, the amended Mental Health Promotion Law does not work for Inclusion of them.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.279-287
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• 2015

Objectives : With the observation of factors influencing depression, self-reported happiness, self-reported stress and suicidal attempt, this study compared and evaluated the mental health of adolescents from multicultural families and monocultural families in Korea. Methods : This study compared the characteristics of adolescents from multicultural and monocultural families based on the analysis of data of The Tenth Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey and analyzed the factors influencing adolescent depression, self-reported happiness, self-reported stress and suicidal attempt. Results : There was no significant difference in the levels of depression, self-reported happiness, and self-reported stress between adolescents from multicultural and monocultural families. However, suicidal ideation and suicidal attempt were significantly higher in adolescents from multicultural families. Conclusion : There was no significant difference between the mental health of adolescents from multicultural and monocultural families. Because depression is the greatest factor for suicidal attempt, and violence has stronger relationship with depression of adolescents from multicultural families, further study is needed to prevent this trend.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• 제35권5호
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• pp.896-903
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• 2005

Purpose: This study was designed to exam me the effects of an assertive training program on interpersonal relations, and psychiatric symptoms in patients with a mental disorder. Method: The study employed a quasi experimental design. The subjects included 44 patients with a mental disorder, 20 in the experimental group, and 24 in the control group. Data was collected using structured questionnaires over a 3 month period. Results: There were greater significant increases in scores of interpersonal relations and content of communication in the experimental group than the control group. Also, there was a greater significant decrease in the score of psychiatric symptoms in the experimental group than the control group. Conclusion: Assertive training has an effect on increasing content of communication and decreasing psychiatric symptoms.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.260-266
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• 2006

Objectives : Synapsin III near VCFS region on chromosome 22q affects. It could be an interesting candidate gene for schizophrenia. D22S280 is a highly polymorphic genetic marker residing in synapsin III. We examined association of D22S280 marker on synapsin III with Korean patients with schizophrenia. Methods : The subjects were 46 male Korean patients with schizophrenia and 60 male normal controls. Using polymerase chain reaction, gel electrophoresis, ABI 310 genetic analyzer, and GeneScan Collection 3.1 software, we confirmed genotypes of D22S280 marker. We examined Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and case-control association using SAS/Genetic 9.1.3. Results : Genotypes of both schizophrenia and control groups were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. We could not find any significant statistical differences in allele-wise(${\chi}^2$=10.4, df=6, p=0.098) and genotype-wise (${\chi}^2$=22.1 df=19, p=0.258) analyses of D22S280 marker between schizophrenia and normal controls. Individual allele analyses with df=1 showed significant differences in A1(p=0.025) and A7(p=0.034) allele, which were not significant following Bonferroni corrections(A1:p=0.177, A7:p=0.235). Conclusion : We couldn't find any association between schizophrenia and the synapsin III gene. Given the small number of subjects studied, further investigations are needed.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.129-135
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• 2013

Aggression can be defined as 'behavior intended to harm another' which can be seen both from humans and animals. However, trying to understand aggression in a simplistic view may make it difficult to develop an integrated approach. So, we tried to explain aggression in a multidisciplinary approach, affected by various factors such as neuroanatomical structures, neurotransmitter, genes, and sex hormone. Parallel with animal models, human aggression can be understood with two phenomena, offensive aggression and defensive aggression. Neurobiological model of aggression give a chance to explain aggression with an imbalance between prefrontal regulatory influences and hyper-reactivity of the subcortical areas involved in affective evaluation, finally in an aspect of brain organization. Serotonin and GABA usually inhibit aggression and norepinephrine while glutamate and dopamine precipitate aggressive behavior. As there is no one gene which has been identified as a cause of aggression, functions between gene to gene interaction and gene to environment interaction are being magnified. Contributions of sex hormone to aggression, especially molecular biologic interaction of testosterone and regulation of estrogen receptor have been emphasized during the research on aggression. This multidisciplinary approach on aggression with types, neurochemical bases, and animal models can bring integrated interpretation on aggression.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• 제20권12호
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• pp.97-106
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• 2022

The aim of this study was identify national forensic psychiatric hospital nurses' attitudes, perceived meaning, facilitators and barriers to the recovery of mental health. A descriptive study design was used. The participants were 100 nurses working in a national forensic psychiatric hospital. The collected data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent t-test, ANOVA, scheffe-test using SPSS 26.0 WIN program. Also, content analysis was used for the responses described by the participants. The participants attitude toward recovery from mental health was positive(3.90±0.41), attitude showed significant differences in certification of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner(t=-2.06, p= 042), certification of addiction nurses(t=-2.36, p= 020). The meaning of recovery that participants perceived were symptom mitigation(42.0%), barriers were family indifference and prejudice(31.0%), facilitators were medication, psychiatric rehabilitation program and therapeutic interviews(33.0%). It is necessary to provide education to improve nurses' understand to mental health recovery, organizational efforts are needed to establish a family support system and therapeutic environments for the recovery of mentally disordered offenders.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.7-17
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• 1981

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between family attitude about mental illness and their general characteristics. The subjects for this study were a sample of 120 families selected from psychiatric ward of one university hospital, which is one national hospital in Seoul. Data was collected from July 1th to August 10th in 3980 used by Opinion about Mental Illness Scale (O.M.I.). The materials were analized by S.P.S.S. program. The findings of the study were as follows: A. Families' attitude toward mental illness shown ay this study was more negative compared to those of Korea1 nursing professorss, nurses and nursing students. B. Variables which influence families' attitude about mental illness: 1. There is no significant between general characteristics and authoritarianism. (p＞ 0.05) 2. Benevolence (Factor B) was found to be significantly related to such variables as religion, eucation levels, existence of mental patient in their an intimate friends. (P < 0.01) Families' attitude about benevolence was mere positive in families who have not relegion or having christion beliefs: haying the higher education levels; not having a mental patient in their an intimate friends. 3. Mental health ideology (Factor C) was found to be significantly related to variable experience of mental illness. (P < 0.01). families' attitude about mental health ideology was more positive in families who had experience of mental illness. 4. Social Restrictiveness (Factor D) was found to be significantly related to variable relationship between families and patients(P<0.01). An intimate friend's attitude about mental health Ideology was mon positive than that of parent and couple. 5. Interpersonal Etiology (Factor E) was found to be significantly related to variable religion (P < 0.05). Families' attitude about interpersonal etiology was more positive in families who have relegion.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.34-42
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• 2021

Objectives: This study investigated sleep quality in female full-time homemakers and evaluated the relationship of sleep disturbance with psychological and socio-environmental factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study adopted a structured survey and sequential recruitment method for randomized participation of community-dwelling full-time female homemakers. Sleep quality and mental health were measured using the Korean version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (K-PSQI), Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (K-BDI-II), Korean version of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (K-BAI), and Korean version of the Beck Hopelessness Scale (K-BHS). The willingness-to-pay (WTP) method was selected to measure the self-evaluated monetary value of household service work. The relationship among the main relevant factors was statistically analyzed through a mediation model. Results: A total of 166 participants were analyzed and classified having poor versus good sleep quality (poor : 24.1%, n = 40 ; good : 75.9%, n = 126 ; cut-off point = 9 on the K-PSQI). Significant between-group differences were observed in mental health status (K-BDI-II, p < 0.001 ; K-BAI, p < 0.001 ; K-BHS, p = 0.003). The moderated mediation model was verified, indicating that depression may mediate the association between nurturing burden and sleep disturbance. The path from nurturing burden to depression may be moderated by average monthly household income. Conclusion: A relatively high portion of full-time female homemakers may suffer from sleep disturbance and interactions between psychological and socio-environmental factors might determine sleep quality, suggesting the need for public health policies targeting improvement of sleep quality and mental health among full-time homemakers.