• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.63-68
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• 2023

Objectives: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had various effects on mankind, especially children and adolescents. Because children and adolescents spend a lot of time at school, COVID-19 has had a great impact on school mental health. In this study, we investigated the effect of prolonged COVID-19 on school mental health. Methods: We prepared self-report questionnaires for depression (Children's Depression Inventory, CDI), anxiety (Korean version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children; Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, GAD-7), and post-traumatic stress (Primary Care Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, PC-PTSD) for administering to students aged between 7 and 18 years, recruited by a COVID-19 psychological prevention support group in the Gwangmyeong Mental Health Welfare Center for 2 years, in 2020 and 2021. Results: For children aged 7-12 years, there was no significant difference between the years 2020 and 2021 in the assessment of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. Conversely, for adolescents aged 13-18 years, there was a significant increase in the scale scores (CDI, PC-PTSD, and GAD-7). Conclusion: Prolonged COVID-19 might have had a significant impact on the mental health of adolescents who spent a lot of time at school. When comparing the years 2020 and 2021, middle and high school students were more affected by COVID-19 than elementary school students.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.83-116
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to raise the issue of the existing deinstitutionalization debate, considering only the shipment process to these two spaces, and still leaving the inter-facility circulation of vulnerable mental handicapped who are still hanging around the facility. In particular, we sought to supplement the discussion of deinstitutionalization by illuminating the problems of those who have to rely on facilities, as well as the mental health facility system and the homeless facility system. In the case of homeless persons with mental disabilities who repeatedly use the mental health facility system and the homeless facility system, they confirmed the pattern of using the facilities by constantly changing the place to manage the overlapping risk of mental illness and homelessness. Also it is triggered by the voluntary nature of the parties with no resources and resources. This situation appeared to be inevitable in the absence of resources and supportive systems that would actually enable a life in the community. Nevertheless, I asserted that the life of the mentally handicapped, which is circling the facility, is extremely unstable and is not desirable from a welfare point of view.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.398-406
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• 2022

Objectives: While the risk of depression is expected to substantially increase among older adults receiving community care, leisure life satisfaction can be regarded as a key component in enhancing the mental health of those receiving community care. However, it is not yet known whether community care utilization increases the risk of depression, or what role is played by leisure life satisfaction in these settings. This study investigated the relationship between community care utilization and depression, as well as the main effect and the moderating role of leisure life satisfaction on the link between community care utilization and depression among older adults. Methods: This study, using the 2019 Korean Welfare Panel Survey, conducted multiple regression analysis on data from 4494 elderly people aged 65 years or older. Results: After controlling for potential covariates, older community care recipients were more likely to report symptoms of depression than those who did not receive community care. Meanwhile, leisure life satisfaction was negatively associated with depression in older adults. The test for interaction between community care utilization and leisure life satisfaction revealed that leisure life satisfaction significantly attenuated the link between depression and community care utilization. Conclusions: The findings of this study imply that leisure life satisfaction could play a meaningful role in improving the mental health of older adults receiving community care. Welfare policies affecting older adults should consider leisure life satisfaction as an important resource for reducing depression in community care settings.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.495-503
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• 2023

Objectives: While older adults using community care services are known to be vulnerable for depression, community care utilization (CCU) may help to improve the mental health of these elderly. To date, however, it is much less clear how CCU affects depressive symptoms in the elderly population. This study focuses on the trajectory of depressive symptoms across years of CCU among older adults in Korea. Methods: Using the 2006-2019 Korean Welfare Panel Survey, this study is focused on elderly born in 1940 or earlier and selected 3281 persons for baseline interviews in 2006. This consisted of 35 800 person-year observations during a period of 14 years. Panel data analysis were employed to construct years of CCU. Results: After controlling for covariates, linear term of years using community care was negatively associated with depressive symptoms, but a quadratic term was positively significant. The trajectory of depressive symptoms across the years of CCU follows a U-shaped curve. Older adults in the first year of using community care reported the highest level of depressive symptoms. However, a significant and steady decrease in depressive symptoms was observed during the following 9 years of CCU, which then gradually increased. The level of depressive symptoms at the 14th year of using community care remains significantly lower than the level at the outset of its utilization. Conclusions: This finding implies that CCU could be beneficial for improving mental health among older adults.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.332-341
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the Basic Old-Age Pension (BOP), which is a non-contributory pension, and depression in BOP beneficiaries in Korea. Methods: We used the second and third waves (2007-2008) of the Korea Welfare Panel Study to identify the effect of the BOP on mental health in the year of its introduction. The Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale, applied in a Korean context, was used to evaluate mental health. To analyze the effect of the BOP, a difference-in-difference approach was used in analyses of all subjects and subgroups. Results: For this study population of 760 adults, the BOP did not have a statistically significant relationship with depression in its beneficiaries. After controlling for type of household, the BOP was still not associated with lower reporting of depression, either in single-beneficiary or double-beneficiary households, in the year of the benefit. Conclusions: The BOP policy had no significant relationship with the level of depression among recipients. However, this should not be interpreted as implying that income subsidy programs for older adults, such as the BOP, do not affect mental health, considering the importance of economic hardship in this population and the program's socioeconomic effects.

• Journal of Korean Neuropsychiatric Association
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.190-208
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• 2018

Objectives To initiate and develop a treatment guideline in multidisciplinary approaches for related professions who are either working and/or living with children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders who show behavioral problems. Methods To collect and reflect opinions from multiple professions who assumedly have different interventions or mediations on behavioral problems, a self-report survey and Focus Group Interview (FGI) were conducted for a group of child and adolescent psychiatrists, behavioral therapists, special education teachers, social welfare workers, and caregivers. Results According to a self-report survey and FGI results from multiple professional groups, aggressive behavior is the mostly common behavioral problem necessitating urgent interventions. However, both mainly used intervention strategies and effective treatment methods were different depending on professional backgrounds, such as pharmacological treatment, parent training, and behavior therapy, even though they shared an importance of improving communication skills. In addition, there was a common understanding of necessity to include parent training in a guideline. Lastly the data suggested lack of proper treatment facilities, qualified behavior therapists, and lack of standardized treatment guideline in the field needed to be improved for a quality of current therapeutic services. Conclusion It is supported that several subjects should be included in the guidelines, such as how to deal with aggressive behavior, parent training, and biological aspects of neurodevelopmental disorders. Also, it is expected that publishing the guideline would be helpful to above multiple professions as it is investigated that there are lack of treatment facility and qualified behavioral therapists compared to need at the moment.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.47 no.10
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• pp.51-61
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• 2009

The purpose of this research is to verify the impact of job stress on depression among married workers and to examine mediation effect of work-family conflict between the two variables. 356 married workers in Seoul and Gyonggi Province were selected to analyze. The results indicate that job stress was statistically influential on depression and work-family conflict. And job stress implied the partial mediation effect of work-family conflict, with both direct and indirect impacts on depression. These findings indicated that maltreatment of job stress and workfamily conflict would negatively impact on depression. Therefore, work organizations must launch and activate EAP(employee assistance programs) or family friendly welfare programs in order to increase the overall mental health of the employees.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.592-608
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• 2022

This study conducted a group reminiscence program for the elderly who use the elderly daycare center. And this study verified the effectiveness of the elderly's mental health related quality of life to identify the relationship between the participating elderly and the non-participating elderly in a group reminiscence program. To this end, in order to examine the effectiveness of a group reminiscence programs for the elderly using the daycare center on MHRQoL, and the difference between the experimental group and the control group was compared with the non-equivalent control group pre-post test design. The research results are as follows. First, the experimental group that conducted the group reminiscence program in this study had a higher quality of life than the control group that did not participate the group reminiscence program. Second, significant results were found in vitality and mental health in the sub-factors of MHRQoL of the experimental group, and emotional role restriction and social function did not show significant results. Based on the results of this study, to develop and improve programs that encompass the entire sub-areas of MHRQoL, and to implement programs that positively affect the psycho-social intervention for the elderly persons. Finally, it was suggested to link and cooperate with senior welfare centers and general social welfare centers.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.124-135
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the service satisfaction for families who have someone with mental illness, and are using community mental health centers in Gyeonggi Province. Methods: The participants in this study were 796 family members. Data were collected using Family satisfaction survey questionnaire developed by the author (23 items on family service and 15 items on client service). Results: The total satisfaction level for the service with family and client resulted in above average scores. Of the 23 service items, data showed the highest level of satisfaction was with professional skills and attitude, and day rehabilitation programs, and the lowest for professional activities for advocacy and social welfare benefits, emergency & crisis intervention, medical expense subsidies. Of the 15 service items, job and housing related service had the lowest level of satisfaction. Conclusion: It is recommended that psychiatric emergency & crisis intervention programs and system development be accelerated. Also, there is a need to develop medical expense subsidy programs for older family caregivers, job and housing focused rehabilitation programs and community facilities for the client, as well as more active and powerful professional advocate activities for persons who have mental disabilities and their families.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.521-533
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• 2018

This study aimed to understand the meaning and essence inherent in the life experiences of people with schizophrenia. We approached with phenomenological method, and the research participants were 10 adults, aged 20 or older, who were diagnosed with schizophrenia. As a result, we found four essential themes. The participants with schizophrenia lived a life with special constraints of being thrown to the reality in which they experienced continuing suffering. Nevertheless, their daily lives were maintained on the basis of their own feelings and needs. In this study, we confirmed that they should be understood and treated in the mental health field with the perspective that they are not 'patients' nor a pathological outcome, but a 'human' with schizophrenia.