• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.246-257
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• 2016

Objectives The Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) measures the Yin-Yang temperament of Sasang typology with proven structural and clinical validity in adults, however it was not examined with teenagers. The purpose of this study was to validate the biopsychological structure of SPQ in middle school students.Methods 681 Korean high school students (356 boys and 325 girls) completed SPQ, Junior version of Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI), and height and weight measures. The correlation between SPQ and JTCI subscales were examined, and the differences of SPQ and JTCI subscales, Body Mass Index (BMI) and Pondera Index (PI) among high (30%), middle (40%), and low (30%) SPQ total score groups were investigated with Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The profile analysis was also performed to compare JTCI subscale profiles of three SPQ total score groups.Results The SPQ score was significantly (p<0.001) correlated positively with JTCI Novelty-Seeking and negatively with JTCI Harm-Avoidance. The JTCI Novelty-Seeking score of high SPQ group was significantly (p<0.001) higher than that of low SPQ group, and the JTCI Harm-Avoidance score of low SPQ group was significantly higher than that of high SPQ group. The JTCI subscale profiles for three SPQ groups were significantly different for boys and girls. Significant correlations or differences for the PI and BMI among SPQ groups were not found.Conclusions This study presented that the biopsychological structure of SPQ is robust as shown in adults. The SPQ would be a useful clinical measures of Sasang typology in pediatric patients.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.167-184
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• 2021

Objectives: Operational definition and its validated measure of traditional Korean medicine (TKM) are pivotal for research studies and reliable clinics. There have been ten years of clinical studies on Eum-Yang (Yin-Yang) and Sasang typology using Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) of integrative biopsychology. The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review on the use of SPQ to provide insights and foundation for its further studies and clinical application. Methods: Clinical studies on SPQ were searched using five domestic and foreign research databases. Attained research articles were then subjected to predefined systematic reviews. Demographic characteristics of participants and research topics of articles were described. Psychological and physical features of SPQ and its subscales were reviewed and compiled to reveal biopsychological characteristics. Results: There were 33 articles with 15,085 participants on Eum-Yang (n=19) and Sasang typology (n=14). The SPQ-total score was in an increasing order of So-Eum, Tae-Eum, and So-Yang. Eum-Yang groups were categorized at a 3:4:3 ratio using %ile score of SPQ-total. The SPQ-total showed a significant positive correlation with Novelty-Seeking and a negative correlation with Harm-Avoidance in psychological perspective, while it was not significantly correlated with Body Mass Index or Ponderal Index in physical perspective. The SPQ-total and subscales explained psychopathological characteristics of stress recognition, negative emotion, problem behavior, and depression. Conclusions: The SPQ was found to be an objective biopsychological measure of TKM for Sasang typology and psychopathology. It would provide foundation for 'Korean Psychology' and multidisciplinary studies.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.13-23
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• 2018

Objectives The Eum-Yang (Yin-Yang in English) temperament was shown to have clinical and structural validity with Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), however the studies of the association with behavior problems and personality structure in adolescents were not satisfactory. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between Eum-Yang temperament and behavior problems in Korean middle school students. Methods 122 first grader of middle school students (68 boys and 54 girls) completed SPQ, Junior version of Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI), and Youth Self Report (YSR). The correlations between SPQ, JTCI, and YSR subscales were investigated. And, also the differences between SPQ, JTCI, and YSR subscales among Yang (high 30% of SPQ total score) and Eum (low 30% of SPQ total score) temperament groups classified with SPQ total score were examined. Results The SPQ total score were correlated with Novelty-Seeking (r=.321) and Reward-Dependence (r=.392) in boys, and with Novelty-Seeking (r=.427) and Harm-Avoidance (r=-.444) in girls. The SPQ total score were not significantly correlated with Body Mass Index, Ponderal Index and YSR total, however significantly correlated with YSR Internalizing problems and Withdrawal/depressed subscale (r=-.242 and r=-.419) in boys and Withdrawal/depressed subscale (r=-.449) in girls. There were significant differences between Eum and Yang groups in Novelty-Seeking, Harm-Avoidance and Withdrawal/depressed as for boys and girls. Conclusions The biopsychological structure of SPQ was confirmed with middle school students. The behavioral (SPQ-B) and emotional (SPQ-E) perspectives of Eum-Yang were found to be protective and risk factors, and also correlated with Externalizing and Internalizing behavior problems, respectively. The biopsychological characteristics of Eum-Yang temperament and its relation with psychopathological symptoms in late-childhood should be carefully analyzed.