• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.3 s.58
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• pp.540-554
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• 1997

The effects of cigarette smoking on the psychosocial distress, the absenteeism, the occupational injuries, and on the prevalence for the accidents were assessed in 795 male workers who had been employed since March 1994. The results show that the prevalence of current smokers were higher in young men, lower educational level, lower income, single men(unmarried or divorced), alcohol drinkers, and blue collar workers. In the bivariate analyses, the workers with the high job demand and low work control were more likely to smoke, although the relationship was not strong. Those who reported lower satisfaction on his job tended to smoke more. Mean scores of psychosocial well-being index(PWI) were higher in current smokers than nonsmokers. For the hierarchical multiple regression analyses, interaction terms between cigarette smoking and job stressors(job demand and work control) were not significant. For smokers, the odds ratios for the occupational injuries, and the accidents were 1.40(95% confidence interval 0.77-2.57) and 1.96 (95% confidence interval 0.75-5.09), respectively. The mean absent day were 4.13 for smokers, 3.65 for nonsmokers, although the differences were not statistically significant. It seems that cigarette smoking had not caused any crucial effects on the psychosocial well-being status and the occupational risks. Some considerations for the further research on the relationship of cigarette smoking on the mental health status and the occupational risks were also discussed.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.31-48
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• 2005

Purpose: Studies focus on cancer control, prevention, or assessment of psychosocial problems and intervention methods. However, few studies exist concerning psychosocial problems, measuring tools for those problems, and interventions for cancer patients in Korea. One of the purposes of this study was to review studies in this area, to examine various psychosocial problems experienced by cancer patients. This is a crucial area to investigate, since psychosocial problems in turn negatively influence the patients' immune function, which speeds the progress of the disease. Another goal was to identify instruments used to measure psychosocial functioning and problems in cancer patients, to analyze their validity and reliability, with the aim to discover the best instruments. A final goal was to explore and compare the effects of psychosocial interventions, to determine the most effective practices. Method: Journal articles published since 1995 were searched from PubMed Data base, Google search engine, and published cancer-related studies, using search keywords "psychosocial function and intervention for the cancer patients"; whole articles of selected references were reviewed and analyzed. Result: Most common psychosocial problems were depression, fatigue, nausea, pain, distress, resulting in a low quality of life. The seven scales found in the literature to assess the psychosocial functioning were Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Symptom Checklist 90-R, Profile of Mood States, Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale, Brief Symptom Inventory, and SF-36 HRQOL(Health Related Quality of Life). Social support interventions for cancer patients were effective in improving quality of life scores. Conclusion: It is necessary to apply support intervention strategies to help cancer patients in Korea. These strategies can help to reduce the effects of psychosocial symptoms, which in turn affect the development and control of cancer. Strategies developed in Western countries may need to be modified for use within Korea. Further studies are warranted to review the support intervention strategies that were being used to for cancer patients

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.287-300
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• 2015

Objectives: Self-rated health is a measure of perceived health widely used in epidemiological studies. Our study investigated the determinants of poor self-rated health in middle-aged Korean adults with diabetes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted based on the Health Examinees Study. A total of 9759 adults aged 40 to 69 years who reported having physician-diagnosed diabetes were analyzed with regard to a range of health determinants, including sociodemographic, lifestyle, psychosocial, and physical variables, in association with self-rated health status using multivariate logistic regression models. A p-value <0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results: We found that negative psychosocial conditions, including frequent stress events and severe distress according to the psychosocial well-being index, were most strongly associated with poor self-rated health (odds ratio $[OR]_{\text{Frequent stress events}}$, 5.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.63 to 6.29; $OR_{\text{Severe distress}}$, 11.08; 95% CI, 8.77 to 14.00). Moreover, younger age and being underweight or obese were shown to be associated with poor self-rated health. Physical factors relating to participants' medical history of diabetes, such as a younger age at diagnosis, a longer duration of diabetes, insulin therapy, hemoglobin A1c levels of 6.5% or more, and comorbidities, were other correlates of poor reported health. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that, in addition to medical variables, unfavorable socioeconomic factors, and adverse lifestyle behaviors, younger age, being underweight or obese, and psychosocial stress could be distinc factors in predicting negative perceived health status in Korean adults with diabetes.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.52-63
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the quality of life (QOL) and to identify the factors influencing QOL in gynecological cancer patients. Methods: The subjects of this study were 242 people who were receiving medical therapy or follow-up after surgery from one general hospital in Daegu. Data were collected from August 1, 2010 to January 31, 2011. A questionnaire including questions on QOL, distress score, distress problem, depression, anxiety, insomnia, perceived health status and body image were completed by the subjects. Results: The mean score of QOL was $70.68{\pm}13.40$. Religion, job, presence of spouse, level of education, household income, financial compensation, disease stage and recurrence were the significant factors related to QOL. Distress score, distress problem, depression, anxiety, insomnia, perceived health status and body image were also significant factors influencing QOL. Sixty eight percent of the variance in subjective overall QOL can be explained by body image, distress problem, distress score, anxiety, level of education and perceived health status (Cum $R^2$=0.689, F=76.316, $p$ <.001). Body image was the most important factor related to QOL. Conclusion: An integrative care program which includes general, disease-related and psychosocial characteristics of patients is essential to improve QOL in gynecological cancer patients.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.203-209
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• 2014

Background: Coal mining is of significant economic importance to the Australian economy. Despite this fact, the related workforce is subjected to a number of psychosocial risks and musculoskeletal injury, and various psychological disorders are common among this population group. Because only limited research has been conducted in this population group, we sought to examine the relationship between physical (pain) and psychological (distress) factors, as well as the effects of various demographic, lifestyle, and fatigue indicators on this relationship. Methods: Coal miners (N = 231) participated in a survey of musculoskeletal pain and distress on-site during their work shifts. Participants also provided demographic information (job type, age, experience in the industry, and body mass index) and responded to questions about exercise and sleep quality (on-and off-shift) as well as physical and mental tiredness after work. Results: A total of 177 workers (80.5%) reported experiencing pain in at least one region of their body. The majority of the sample population (61.9%) was classified as having low-level distress, 28.4% had scores indicating mild to moderate distress, and 9.6% had scores indicating high levels of distress. Both number of pain regions and job type (being an operator) significantly predicted distress. Higher distress score was also associated with greater absenteeism in workers who reported lower back pain. In addition, perceived sleep quality during work periods partially mediated the relationship between pain and distress. Conclusion: The study findings support the existence of widespread musculoskeletal pain among the coal-mining workforce, and this pain is associated with increased psychological distress. Operators (truck drivers) and workers reporting poor sleep quality during work periods are most likely to report increased distress, which highlights the importance of supporting the mining workforce for sustained productivity.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.446-457
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was done to evaluate the effects of psychosocial interventions on cortisol and immune response in adult patients with cancer. Methods: MEDLINE via PubMed, Cochrane Library CENTRAL, EMBASE, CINAHL and domestic electronic databases were searched. Twenty controlled trials (11 randomized and 9 non-randomized trials) met the inclusion criteria with a total of 862 participants. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane's Risk of Bias for randomized studies and the Risk of Bias Assessment tool for non randomized studies. Data were analyzed using the RevMan 5.2.11 program of Cochrane library. Results: Overall, study quality was moderate to high. The weighted average effect size across studies was -0.32 (95% CI [-0.56, -0.07], p=.010, $I^2 $=45%) for cortisol concentration, -0.62 (95%CI [-0.96,-0.29], p<.001, $I^2 $=0%) for T lymphocyte (CD3) and -0.45 (95%CI [-0.74, -0.16], p=.003, $I^2 $=0%) for Th lymphocyte (CD4) numbers. Psychosocial interventions were not effective for Tc lymphocyte (CD4), NK cell, monocyte, and cytokine response. Conclusion: Although these results provide only small evidence of successful immune modulation, they support the conclusion that psychosocial interventions can assist cancer patients in reducing emotional distress and improving immune response.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.284-291
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• 2007

Purpose: Even though the breast is not removed, women with a breast conservative operation(BCO) are suffering from the psychosocial distress comparable with mastectomies. The purpose of this study was to identify how clinical nurses view essential nursing problems and nursing approaches to post operative breast cancer experiences. Method: To identify the clinical nurses's interpretation, they were asked to respond to a case involving a woman struggling with breast cancer. The nurses' responses were analyzed using a manifest content analysis strategy to determine themes in problem identification and nursing care strategies. Result: The clinical nurses recognized that most of the patient's experiences originated from a psycho-social problem. Fifteen nurses(83%) interpreted the breast cancer woman's experience derived from her psychosocial problem. They identified the most effective nursing approaches for breast cancer women following surgery as counseling and providing information. Conclusion: In conclusion, the results revealed that a psychosocial skill including an empathic communication skill is essential for excellent nursing in post operative patient care.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 2009

Objectives : We examined quality of life, psychosocial adjustments to illness, changes in sexual functioning, and prevalence of psychiatric disorders in AIDS patients compared to patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection (CHB). Methods : Thirty-one men with AIDS and 50 men with CHB were enrolled. The Short-Form 12-Item Health Survey (SF-12), the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS), and the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire short form (CSFQ-14) were administered. Results on these assessments were compared between the 31 AIDS patients and 50 CHB patients. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSMIV (SCID) was administered to determine the psychiatric diagnosis only for the AIDS patients. Results : The Physical Component Summary score (PCS) was lower in AIDS patients than in CHB patients (p<0.001). In the section examining sexual relationships, AIDS patients exhibited a lower level of adjustment (p<0.05) and had more changes in sexual function (p<0.05) than did CHB patients. Administration of the SCID to AIDS patients indicated that the lifetime prevalence of any psychiatric disorder was 56.7% ; 43.3% for mood disorders, 33.3% for alcohol use disorders, 26.7% for anxiety disorders, and 20% for adjustment disorder. Patients who had experienced any psychiatric disorder had more severe psychosocial distress (p=0.004) and evidenced a lower level of overall psychosocial adjustment (p=0.030) than patients who had not. Conclusion : We showed that AIDS patients have a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders, and that AIDS patients with psychiatric disorders were particularly low in levels of psychosocial adjustment. Thus, careful attention should be given to psychiatric aspects of AIDS patients emphasizing the early diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.11-26
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• 2008

Objectives: We evaluated the level of psychosocial stresses and fatigue symptoms among clerical public officers and its related factors.Methods: The self-administered questionaires were performed, during the period between Dec. 5th, 2005 Metropolitan City. The survey items included subjects' socio-demographic and job-related characteristics, health-related behavior, degree of job demand, job autonomy, social support in work, type A behavior pattern, locus of control, sense of self-esteem, psychosocial distress and degree of fatigue.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.707-716
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• 2009

The levels of psychosocial stresses and fatigue of firemen were analyzed to reveal the various factors related to them. The self-administered questionnaires were performed to 262 firemen ill Cheonsju City. In terms of various levels of psychosocial stresses, 12.2% were under potential stresses, 87.8% were under high-level of stress, but healthy group was not found. The levels of fatigue symptoms divided by the median of total scores was 51.1% of low levels, and 48.9% of high levels. Multiple stepwise analysis revealed that the factors or influence on psychosocial stresses with explanatory powers of 11.5% included subjective health status, job satisfaction, job demand and alcohol drinking habits. The factors of influence on fatigue symptoms with explanatory powers of 9.0% included subjective health and regular exercises. The study results indicate that the level of stress or fatigue is so complicatedly influenced by variable factors. Thus the effective strategy for stress and fatigue reduction among firemen should include additional programs focusing on health promotion.