• Anxiety and mood
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.28-33
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• 2016

Objective : One of the aims of this study was to confirm the relationship in firefighters who have a high risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder. We also explored the mediation effects of resilience and posttraumatic growth (PTG) on the association between traumatic experiences and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Methods : A total of 677 firefighters were assessed in terms of the intensity of job-related traumatic experiences using the Visual Analogue Scale. They completed the Korean version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), the Korean version of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and the Korean version of the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10). Results : The intensity of traumatic experiences was significantly negatively related to the CD-RISC-10 score, but it was positively related to the PTGI and the IES-R scores. The CD-RISC-10 score had a significantly positive correlation with the PTGI score, but it was negatively correlated to the IES-R score. Path analyses revealed that resilience and PTG independently mediated the association between traumatic experiences and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Conclusion : These results suggest that traumatic experiences contribute to posttraumatic stress symptoms and that these impacts may be mediated through resilience and PTG.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.410-412
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• 2017

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious problem not only among workers who experience industrial accidents but also among workers who witness such accidents. Early intervention is needed to prevent prolonged psychological problems. There has been no study conducted regarding the psychological problems of and interventions for bystander workers in Korea. This study introduces the experience of intervention on psychological problems at the Busan Workers' Health Center workers who witnessed their colleagues' death. An investigation and an intervention were conducted according to the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) Guide. In total, 21 individuals including indirect observers showed statistical differences on scores of the Impact Event Scale Revised and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 after the intervention. Future interventions and research involving a larger sample size over a longer period are needed. The KOSHA Guide could be a useful tool for urgent psychological intervention in the event of major workplace disasters.

• English & American cultural studies
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1-31
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• 2018

It is needless to say that America's indiscriminate artillery and chemical attacks have worsened the conditions of Vietnam's tropical rain forests, causing war-torn combat troops and civilians to suffer more from the participation and aftermath of the Vietnam war. Around two decades after the Vietnam War, American and Vietnamese writers dealing with the destruction of the human and nature of the Vietnam War and the following traumatic experience commonly report the horrors of inhumane warfare, but some differences among them appear in the reception of the ecocide consciousness. For American writers who had been involuntarily involved or who had stayed in the back area as interpreters and counter-intelligence force, the Vietnam War was often a kind of exotic "addicted adventure" which their American hometown could not provide. But apart from overcoming postwar post-traumatic stress by writing of healing which was shared with American war writers, Vietnamese writers have been able to overcome the scars of war as the communal memorial, which Jonathan Shay emphasized as the necessary comforting ritual by community members showing the sign of honor and care. On the other hand, American war writers were on the side of "separate peace," as Jeong stressed, and the Vietnam War to them was more racist like the case of "body count." Nevertheless, it is fortunate that the hideous experience of war could turn them all into the creativity pool, just as the 5,000 square mile of bomb creators have been used as the postwar fish ponds.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.155-161
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• 2019

Recently, increases in major disasters such as fires, earthquakes and typhoons have raised public expectations for safety. In addition to this increase in expectations of safety, the government continues to push for more manpower and better treatment for firefighters who are operating in the disaster scene. Despite the improvement of working conditions and increased welfare for firefighters, however, the incidence and turnover of various mental diseases continues to increase. It is reported that many of the diseases such as post-traumatic stress disorder and the turnover of firefighters are due to a mismatch in individual's personality and work environment. In this study, 108 firefighters were evaluated for their vocational aptitude in the new curriculum. Based on the analysis results, new firefighters were proposed to provide employment and education training improvements, and to provide job security suitable for the individual's personality type through the introduction of the vocational aptitude test for firefighters who are working in the fire service. In addition, we would like to use the vocational aptitude test as a material for reducing post-traumatic stress disorder and increasing turnover through long-term tracking and observation, rather than from a one-off perspective.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.65-73
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• 2021

Objectives: In Japan, there are many disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis, and because of the high temperature and humid climate, health education for food poisoning may be particularly important. In addition, sexual problems caused by precociousness of adolescents, smoking and drinking are already serious socially important problems, and addiction problems are also emerging. Methods: Various publications from Japanese governments, interest groups such as government officers, health center workers, and people from health educators. For the information of Korean health education conditions, a current health educator and people from middle and high schools. Results: In 2012, based on the "Investigation Report on the Mind Care of Children in Emergency Disasters" from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) situation of children in East Japan affected areas was discovered, and health education became important. In 2014, the "School Health and Safety Act Enforcement Rule" was amended, and health checkups are emphasized as part of school health. Conclusions: School health education in Japan differs from other health care systems in many ways with the system of Korea in the context of non-existence of official health education curriculum. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develope how the curriculum of school health education in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.484-493
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• 2021

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to understand and explain the meaning and nature of post-traumatic stress among industrially injured workers. Methods: In this study, Colaizzi's phenomenological research method and an in-depth interview were used, and data were collected from 8 industrially injured workers among adult men and women over the age of 20, those who are able to express their opinions, have experienced injuries due to industrial accidents, and those who have been injured for more than 6 months who had participated in the study from 1st May 2021 to 30th September. The in-depth interview with research participants took approximately 30 minutes to 90 minutes on average. Results: The research results were classified into five categories, eleven thematic collections, and 27 themes. The Five categories were 'maze with no exit', 'erased existence', 'impenetrable barrier', 'tightly closed iron gate', and 'overcoming reality hurdles'. Conclusions: This study can help understand and describe the experiences of post-traumatic stress among workers who have experienced industrial accidents by taking a phenomenological approach. It suggests the need for program intervention and institutional improvement for psychosocial rehabilitation as well as an institutional approach toward these targets.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.27 no.4_2
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• pp.851-860
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• 2024

This study analyzed factors that influence the welfare awareness level of paramedics. Paramedics are professionals responsible for the health and safety of the public, and their welfare is a factor that enables them to carry out their duties smoothly. The study results showed that the overall level of welfare awareness was analyzed to be very low at 2.80 points. We also found that there were gender and class differences in some areas. One notable point is the item 'In the event of a lawsuit or other complaint or accident during a call, the fire department responds adequately for me.' which received the lowest score of 2.22 point. I hope that in the future, fire departments will implement policy measures to protect emergency personnel from complaints and reduce the stress they experience when dispatched to disaster areas. Based on the results of this study, I hope that follow-up researchers will conduct a comparative analysis of the level of welfare awareness among various factors.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.169-181
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• 2011

Objectives: The Child Report of Post-traumatic Symptoms (CROPS) and the Parent Report of Post-traumatic Symptoms (PROPS) are screening measures for post-traumatic symptoms in children. The present study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of the Korean versions of the CROPS and the PROPS. Methods: The Korean versions of the CROPS and the PROPS were administered to a sample of 304 children aged 6 to 15 years old. The internal reliability, test-retest reliability, factorial validity, predictive validity and concurrent validity were evaluated. Results: The reliability of the CROPS and the PROPS was shown to have excellent internal consistency and test-retest correlation. The single factor structure of the PROPS was good and that of the CROPS was borderline acceptable according to confirmatory factor analysis. Other validity measures such as the predictive validity and concurrent validity were also shown to be satisfactory. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the Korean versions of the CROPS and the PROPS were reliable measures with satisfactory psychometric qualities. Because it takes less than 5 minutes to fill out the CROPS and the PROPS, respectively they can be quick and easy screening scales for assessing post-traumatic symptoms in Korean children.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.69-78
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• 2016

Objective : Disaster causes psychological distress to a large number of people in a short period of time, by both direct and indirect exposure to traumatic events embedded in various realms of disaster experience. Optimal, well-planned treatment interventions should follow from the early acute period to recovery phase, extending up to several months later. In this context, there is an increasing need for systemic review to gain comprehensive insights for disaster interventions. These need to be added to public policy, and for the prevention and treatment of disaster-related psychopathology. Here, we review the published studies on psychological interventions for disaster-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Methods : Specific psychological interventions regarded as effective treatments for have been selected for this review, such as CBT (Cognitive-Behavior Therapy), Exposure Therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing), SIT (Stress Inoculation Therapy) and Psychoeducation. In addition, natural disasters, industrial disasters, and accidents involving aircraft and ships were also categorized as disasters, along with war and combat trauma. Results : Cognitive behavior therapy and exposure therapy had the strongest research support for effectiveness, and could be considered as the first-choice treatment for disaster-related PTSD. The second line of treatment is EMDR, although this treatment modality has the advantage of reaching certain treatment improvements in fewer sessions. However, the effects of SIT and psychoeducation to the survivors of disasters, remains unclear at this point. Additionally, we propose the possibilities of using virtual reality component and imagery rescripting as modified forms of traditional cognitive behavior therapy and exposure therapy. Conclusion : Cognitive behavior therapy and exposure therapy, deemed effective treatments for various trauma, are considered to be effective for survivors from disasters. However, the efficacy of other interventions has not yet been examined methodologically in well-designed studies, such as randomized controlled trials. In particular, future empirical studies are needed, since it is difficult to conclude that psychological interventions have similar effects on different types of disasters.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.137-143
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• 2015

Fire fighter are exposed to the situations which are hard to predict due to continuous and accidental changes which hinder their fire fighting activity. As these threats of safety accident act as fear factors, they are doing insecure fire fighting activities. Therefore, as unclear and abnormal risks of working environment such as the riskiness of expansion of disaster, instability, obstacles of activities, abnormality, urgency, etc. increase, safety accidents are caused. This study analyzes the actual condition of safety and health and awareness of fire fighter who are exposed safety accidents during their fire fighting activities and utilize such result as the basis data to secure safety of fire fighter, keep efficient safety control and prevent accidents. The results of analysis are as follows. As rescue works among all fire-fighting works shows the highest emotional stabilization and the highest post-traumatic stress disorder is shown in fire sergeant level positions, and fire fighters whose working period is 10-15 years, reinforcing safety training to long-term workers is necessary. As the result of survey regarding safety awareness, the highest awareness level was shown in fire sergeant level positions, and fire fighters whose working period is over 20 years, and when it comes to operation of fire fighting equipments, fire-fighting workers and workers having 1-4 years of working period showed high safety awareness. The more serious injury in a fire fighter experienced as the first injury after working as a fire-fighter, the more cause-and-effect relationship was shown between personal physical condition and work, and it is shown as obstacles of fire fighting activities and affects to post-traumatic stress disorder. Moreover, as after-work off duty activities also affect to official disaster, systematic improvement of working environment is required. Occupational medical work compatibility evaluation considering the distinct characteristics of works to secure fire-fighter' health care together with fire-fighting capability is shown to be necessary.