• Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2020

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate suicidal behaviors and the related psychopathology across the different stages of schizophrenia. Methods: We recruited 131 patients with schizophrenia and categorized them into two groups, according to the duration of illness (DI) as follows: ≤10 years (n=39) and >10 years (n=92). Psychopathology and suicidality were assessed using the 18-item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS-18) and the suicidality module from the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, respectively. Results: One-quarter of the patients with a DI ≤10 years and nearly one-sixth of the patients with a DI >10 years experienced suicidal behaviors in the previous month. Suicidality scores were significantly associated with the "affect" factor scores of the BPRS-18 in patients with a DI ≤10 years (β=0.55, p=0.003) and with the "resistance" factor scores in patients with a DI of >10 years (β=0.29, p=0.006). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that psychopathological factors were differentially associated with suicidality in patients with schizophrenia according to the illness stage. Our findings suggest that for effective suicide prevention, different approaches are required for the management of each stage of schizophrenia.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.84-93
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• 2019

Objective : The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between occupational stress and depression, as it is seen to be corresponding with the work characteristics of local government officials. Methods : The data of 671 local government officials who participated in this study from July to December 2015 as a part of an occupational stress management program, were analyzed retrospectively in this study. Likewise, the participants completed questionnaires, including a short form of the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) the results of which were evaluated and reviewed. Results : The study noted that the subscales of occupational stress related to depression were varied, according to the work characteristics of the participants, after adjusting for age and job grade. It was found that the participant's variables of job insecurity, lack of reward, organizational system and occupational climate were significantly related to the development of a depressed mood in the participant in a general sense. Notably, the factor of interpersonal conflict was significantly related to depressed mood among the general administrative group; meanwhile, lack of reward in the welfare group and insufficient job control in the technical group were significantly associated with the likelihood of developing a depressed mood in participants reviewed. In the operation and maintenance of facilities group, job insecurity was significantly related with depressed mood, whereas job demand was related more with the incidence of depression in the field work group. Conclusion : This study revealed that the influence of occupational stress on depression varied according to the occupational characteristics experienced by the participants in the work environment. These findings may be used to enhance the occupational stress management program for local government officials according to their work characteristics, to bring awareness to this issue.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.154-163
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a positive psychology-based mental health promotion program for high school students. Methods: This study used a randomized control group pretest-posttest design. A total of 47 high school students participated from two high schools in Gyeonggi Province. They were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=24), which participated in the 8-session program, or to a control group (n=23). Psychological well-being, depression, and self-esteem were measured. Results: A significant difference in psychological well-being was observed between the two groups after the program. However, there were no significant between-group differences in depression or self-esteem. Conclusion: The positive psychology-based mental program was effective at increasing psychological well-being in adolescents, especially high school students. This study suggests that a school curriculum could incorporate positive psychology-based mental programs for high school students to promote their mental health.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.56-72
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• 2001

Community mental health management system emphasizing on the rehabilitation and the return to the community has been established and carried out for many years. The study has been demanded to prove that the decreasing rate of the recurrence of the mentally ill resulted to lower their medical costs, to enrich the quality of life, and to reduce the psychological burden of their family. This study tried to prove that the mental health services to the mentally ill which were registered in community mental health center of A city have an influence on the medical cost, the quality of their lives. the family burden. The subject group of this study were 39 home-based mentally ill patients and their 37 family members, totally 76 people registered in mental health center of A city and participated in its program. This research had been measured twice, the first before the intervention and the second after at least a year. The measuring tools in the research were the medical cost measurment tools developed by the researcher, the quality of life index by Yoo ja, Noh(1988) and the family burden by Montgonery(1985). The methods were modified and supplemented in this study. This research made use of SPSS Win 10.0. The results of this study are the same as followings. 1) There were the significant difference in the medical cost before and after the mental health service delivery. 2) The quality of lives of the mentally ill, after the mental health services delivered were significantly higher than before. 3) The family burden were significantly reduced after the delivery of community mental health services. Community mental health services brought out efficient results to the social return and rehabilitation. And these results means that the mentally ill changed highly the quality of life and their burden of family and medical cost were reduced. So the public organization and the private society should help positively the mentally ill and their family through mental health policy and social service agency to live healthy lives and to be valuable member of society.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.27-36
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• 2024

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effects of a 1-night, 2-day mental health healing center program on the physical stress, autonomic nervous system health, brain activity levels, brain stress, concentration levels, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores of dementia patients and their caregivers. Methods: Forty-eight dementia patients (average age 80 years, 14 males and 34 females) and 48 caregivers (average age 65.23 years, 14 males and 34 females) participated in the program. Pre- and post-assessments were conducted to measure the variables. Results: Dementia patients experienced reduced physical stress, increased brain activity levels, decreased brain stress, improved concentration levels, and a significant decrease in PHQ-9 scores (p<0.05). However, there was a tendency for a decline in autonomic nervous system health among dementia patients. A significant decrease in physical stress was seen in caregivers, but no other significant differences were observed. Conclusions: While the 1-night, 2-day mental health healing center program did not produce significant changes in the caregivers of dementia patients, it exhibited overall positive effects in dementia patients. Consequently, mental healing programs should be utilized effectively for dementia patients. Furthermore, investigating the significance of ongoing programs for the mental well-being of dementia caregivers is imperative, mirroring the attention given to dementia patient care.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.4-14
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• 2023

This study aimed to discuss mental health services for children and adolescents that are being implemented as initiatives of the Korean government and to review the functions and roles of these projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three government departments are in charge of providing mental health services for children and adolescents: Ministry of Education, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and Ministry of Health and Welfare. The Ministry of Education has implemented several policies to facilitate the early detection of mental health issues among school students (from preventive interventions to selective interventions for high-risk students). The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family additionally serves out-of-school children and adolescents by facilitating early identification of adolescents in crises and providing temporary protection or emergency assistance (as required) through the Community Youth Safety-Net Project. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health and Welfare operates relevant mental health agencies for individuals of all ages including children and adolescents. Any high-risk students who have been screened through the projects of the Ministry of Education are supported through referrals to the following institutions for appropriate treatment of their symptoms: specialized hospitals, the Youth Counseling and Welfare Center operated by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the National Youth Healing Center, the Mental Health Welfare Center operated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Suicide Prevention Center, and the Child Welfare Center. To assist students who are facing any psychological difficulties because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education has established a psychiatric support group for providing emergency mental health care; furthermore, schools are promoting psychological surveillance (e.g., provision of non-face-to-face counseling services that are centered around the Wee Center). The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and Ministry of Health and Welfare have provided varied mental health support services in order to address the challenges faced by children and adolescents during the pandemic. Nevertheless, the mental health services operated by each ministry do show some limitations because their service provision system is insufficiently collaborative. The present study discussed the positive effects of each initiative as well as its limitations; furthermore, it suggested improvements for facilitating the healthy development of children and adolescents' mental health.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.109-115
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• 2019

Objectives: This study investigates lay beliefs about the etiology and treatments of tic disorder and Tourette's syndrome, as well as identifying sociodemographic and personality variables affecting these beliefs among South Koreans. Methods: In total, 673 participants (mean age $41.77{\pm}12.03$ years) completed an online survey regarding their beliefs about tic disorder and Tourette's syndrome. The factors related to their lay beliefs about the disorders were analyzed, and the correlates were investigated. Results: Results indicated that lay people in South Korea held strong beliefs that the causes of tic disorder and Tourette's syndrome lie within the parenting/psychological and neurological/biological categories, compared to the dietary/environmental one. Among the sociodemographic variables, sex, age, and levels of subjective mental health knowledge were primarily associated with the aforementioned beliefs. Familiarity with tic disorder and Tourette's syndrome was also associated with these beliefs. Among the personality traits investigated, extraversion and conscientiousness had significant influences on the beliefs people had about tic disorder and Tourette's syndrome. Conclusion: The results suggest that both policy makers and mental health service providers should adopt a strategic approach for developing and implementing health education interventions about tic disorder and Tourette's syndrome because individual sociodemographic variables, familiarity with the disorders, and personality traits are all associated with the beliefs about these disorders.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.1155-1166
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to investigate the residents' opinions about community mental health in the Taegu-Kyungpuk area for the future development of a community mental health program and model appropriate for Korea, The subjects were 152 residents in the Taegu - Kyungpuk area. In July 1999, the data was collected using a convenience sample technique. Mental health status was significantly different for the level of occupational advantage(x$^2$＝15.684, p＜.05) and physical health(x$^2$＝39.262, p＜.000). Factor structure for mental health problems with the percentage of variance was as follows. optimistic view(27.518), dark view(10.758), mastery(6.200), discomfiture(6.101) and life style(5.641). Most of the respondents(92.1%) took the mental health problems seriously. The serious aspects of the mental health problem were found to be epilepsy, mental retardation, neurosis and schizophrenia respectively. Concerning about the view of community mental health, most of the respondents answered that the a C.M.H.C. was ‘useful and urgent’ concerning the need for C.M.H,(77.6%). They answered positively on the utilization of C.M.H.C(75.7% ) and preferred the separately new community mental heath center. A psychiatrist was preferred as the key person in charge(44.1%). If community mental health centers were established in a community health center, they answered that the expected major problem would be quality control of care(44.7%). They preferred the psychiatrist's office as the recommended agency for the insane(44.7%). Opinions of the asylum system were found very negative in respect to psychiatric therapy and humanitarianism. The results of this study will help establish a relevant model for this community as the primary site for a community-based mental health model.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.23-35
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• 2013

A study of the factors influencing the quality of life and social support of people suffering with mental disabilities, who use mental health centers. The purpose of the study includes the general characteristics of subjects, characteristics of the mental health center, the mean score of social support and quality of life of people living with mental disabilities. The 132 questionnaires were administered by meeting directly with subjects and personal visits. 112 Questionnaires were returned(85% response rate). Data was collected from mentally disabled patients in Chungnam Mental Health Center. difference in quality of life by using t-test, one way ANOVA table, the relationship between social support, quality of life by pearson correlation coefficients, and relevant factors affecting quality of life by multiple regression with the SPSS 19.0 program. This study revealed that the group that participated regularly in the day time rehabilitation program showed better social support and positive attitude to a better quality of life than the other group that participated irregularly. This result is directly proportional to the participation frequency to the program during the recent 3-month duration. Another correlation with religion was found in the study due to the fact that a buddhist group showed positive significance in quality of life than non-religious groups. The results show positive correlation between the improvement of the quality of life of patients living with mental disabilities and the social support they receive.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.239-248
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• 2023

Purpose: The parents of adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease may experience impaired mental health and quality of life. This longitudinal study aimed to verify whether the mental health and quality of life of the parents of adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease declined when their children had active disease. Methods: Sociodemographic data, parental anxiety, depression, and quality of life were analyzed using validated questionnaires for each variable. After the baseline survey, the second and follow-up surveys were conducted at 3 and 12 months, respectively. The active disease group comprised eight parents whose children had active disease during the baseline and second surveys. The remission group comprised 14 parents whose children remained in remission during both surveys. The improved group comprised nine parents whose children experienced active disease at baseline and remission during the second survey. Parental mental health and quality of life were compared among the groups. Results: Significantly higher levels of anxiety were observed in the active disease group in all surveys (p<0.050). Although depression levels and quality of life did not differ significantly among the three groups, pairing the active disease group with other groups showed some large effect sizes. Conclusion: Parents tended to experience decreased mental health and quality of life when their adolescents experienced active inflammatory bowel disease. Consequently, our hypothesis was partially verified. Therefore, parents need support when their children have active disease; this finding highlights the need for parental support systems.