• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2014

Background: In Japan, more than 60% of employees are reported to suffer from anxiety and stress. Consequently, Japanese society has begun to address such important issues as psychogenic disability and job-related suicide. Furthermore, given the aging of society and the surge in the number of elderly people requiring care, it is necessary to adequately and proactively support employees who care for their elderly relatives. The purpose of the present study was to investigate caregiver burden in caring for elderly relatives and work-related stress factors associated with mental health among employees. Methods: We studied 722 men and women aged 18-83 years in a cross-sectional study. The K10 questionnaire was used to examine mental health status. Results: The proportion of participants with a high K10 score was 15% (n = 106). Having little conversation with their supervisor and/or coworkers significantly increased the risk of depression [odds ratio (OR) 1.8], as did high job overload (OR 2.7) and job dissatisfaction (OR 3.8), compared with employees who frequently conversed with their supervisor and/or coworkers. Caring for elderly relatives as a prominent characteristic of an employee was a significant risk factor for depression (OR 2.1). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that employees who were caring for elderly relatives were significantly associated with an increased risk of depression. To prevent depressive disorders, it may be important to focus on reducing the work-caregiving role conflict, as well as enhancing employees' job control and better rewarding their efforts in the workplace.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.79-87
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• 2019

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of clinical and psychological factors on the quality of life of children and adolescents with epilepsy and their families. Methods Children and adolescents with epilepsy and their families (n = 63, age range = 6-17 years) completed questionnaires on epilepsy-related variables, quality of life, children's depressive symptoms, children's anxiety, children's behavioral problems, children's attention problems, parental stress, and parental anxiety. Stepwise regression analysis was performed to determine the significant predictive variables that affect quality of life. Results In the correlational analysis, children's attention problems (r = 0.363, p = 0.004), parental anxiety (r = 0.377, p = 0.003), parental stress (r = 0.564, p < 0.001), and children's behavioral problems (r = 0.503, p < 0.001) showed a significant correlation with quality of life. Parental stress (β = 0.415, p = 0.001, adjusted R² = 0.345) and children's behavioral problems (β = 0.285, p = 0.02, adjusted R² = 0.345) were significantly related to the quality of life. Conclusions Clinicians should pay attention to parental stress and children's behavioral problems, which affect quality of life in families with pediatric epilepsy.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.269-277
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to understand the mechanism of cardiovascular disease (CVD) caused by exposure to hazardous chemicals. We investigated changes in the symptoms of metabolic syndrome, which is strongly related to CVD, and in levels of other CVD risk factors, with a special emphasis on the roles of catecholamines and oxidative stress. The results revealed that neither body mass index (BMI) nor waist and hip circumferences were associated with exposure to hazardous chemicals. Among metabolic syndrome criteria, only HDL-cholesterol level increased on exposure to hazardous chemicals. Levels of epinephrine (EP) and norepinephrine (NEP) were not influenced by exposure to hazardous chemicals; however, the total antioxidative capacity (TAC) reduced because of increased oxidative stress. Both hazardous chemical exposure level and metabolite excretion were related to EP, NEP, and the oxidative stress index (OSI). Logistic regression analysis with these factors as independent variables and metabolic syndrome criteria as dependent variables revealed that EP was associated with blood pressure, and NEP with metabolic syndrome in the chemical-exposed group. In conclusion, the results suggest that reactive oxygen species generated and oxidative stress due to exposure to hazardous chemicals act as mediators and cause changes in the physiological levels of EP and NEP to increase blood pressure. This ultimately leads to the development of CVD through increase in cholesterol, triglyceride, and blood glucose levels by lipid peroxidation.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.39-52
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• 2009

Objectives : Cue reactivity is a key factor that modulates motivational goal-directed behavior associated with compulsive drug-taking and relapse. We investigated whether acupuncture attenuated the skin conductance response and the heart rate response to smoking-related visual cues in smokers. Methods : Twenty-nine smokers were treated with real acupuncture (RA) or sham acupuncture (SA). The stress response inventory was measured on the 5th day after quitting smoking. The skin conductance response and the heart rate were measured to evaluate the autonomic changes to the smoking related visual cues on the same day. Results : The sympathetic alterations in skin conductance and the heart rate induced by the smoking-related visual cues were significantly lower in the RA group, as compared to the SA group. The stress response inventory, such as somatization and frustration, in the RA group was significantly lower than that of the SA group. Conclusions : Acupuncture ameliorated the stress symptoms as well as the sympathetic activation to smoking cues during withdrawal. These findings indicate that acupuncture might be a useful tool in smoking cessation by inhibiting smoking cues-induced autonomic responses.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.48-55
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• 2002

Objective: Stress is known to be a common cause of short-term insomnia and insomniacs often complain that stress induces sleep problems. However, previous studies on the correlation between stress and sleep do not show consistent results. We aimed to investigate the effects of minor stressful events on sleep among college students. Method: Physically and mentally healthy college student volunteers filled out a self-assessment questionnaire to evaluate their stress and sleep. To find out the status of average stress and sleep, the volunteers filled out K-DSI and daily sleep assessments on three consecutive days. In addition, we surveyed the amount of caffeine beverage intake and assessed the degree of depression and anxiety. Results: The total number of students participating in this study was 202, 101 men and 101 women. Minor stress turned out to significantly affect non-restorative sleep and secondary symptoms of insomnia (awakening difficulty, displeasure, feeling of dissatisfaction with sleep, physical uneasiness or pain at awakening, daytime sleepiness, depressive moods, tiredness and concentration difficulty). However, global PSQI score, self-reported sleeping hours, sleep latency, awakening frequency, frequency and duration of napping, were not explained by stress scores. Conclusion: In this study, minor stresses seemed to affect sleep, especially secondary symptoms caused by non-restorative sleep. We can thus infer that minor stresses impair the restorative effects of sleep by inducing arousal, and the direct relationship the two can be confirmed by polysomnogram.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.87-97
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• 2000

One week survey to investigate the prevalence rate and clinical characteristics of laryngopharyngeal reflux symptoms in Korea. The subject(n=7,704 patients) was newly enrolled patients at the out patient clinic in 90 ENT departments of resident training hospitals and 11 local clinics, which were voluntarily participated in the study 1) Twenty five percent of all enrolled patients has LPR-related symptoms or clinical findings from the examination by ENT specialists. 2) Among e name of LPR-related diagnosis, globus syndrome was e most common, and follows by reflux laryngitis, and chronic laryngitis. 3) Women was more prevalent than men, and it is common in 5th, 6th, and 7th decades, which seems to be related with aging process. 4) Most popular symtoms of LPR. were globus sensation, conic throat clearing, and hoarseness of unknown origin. 5) Aggravating factors of LPR-related symptoms were tiredness, mental stress, drink alcohol, cigarettes smoking, spicy food, and drinking coffee. 6) LPR-related symptoms were more common in professional voice users. 7) In past medical history, diseases of stomach and tonsillitis were most common.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.104-117
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• 2004

Objectives: To propose the basic data for the development of the optimum health promotion program (HPP) for the workers in a petrochemical industry complex. Methods: The subjects were 553 workers who worked at the six plants in a petrochemical industry complex. From February to March 2003, questionnaire survey was conducted by the nurses with occupational health specialty about the life styles, interests, self-cognitions, practices of health behavior, subjective symptoms thought to be related the working environments, burden to the own health, needs and intentions to participation of the HPP. Data analysis was done using SPSS program (ver 10.0) with ${\alpha}=0.05$ of statistical significance. Results: The mean age and tenure of the subjects were 39.7 years and 14.2 years, respectively, and proportion of smokers was around 50%. Two of third (66%) satisfied their own job, and 58% recognized themselves healthy. The most frequent health behavior were exercise (60%) and regular health check (87%) in individual and job based, respectively. About half of them (58%) had at least one of the symptoms thought to be related the working environments, and the most frequent one was odor (21%). These symptoms were more frequent in case of the shorter career. The needs of HPP was relatively higher in exercise (66%), cancer prevention (51%), stress control (47%), and intention to participation was also the highest in exercise (64%). Job satisfaction was higher in case of the higher interests and cognitions to their own health, and thought that the ownership's interest to workers' health be high (p<0.01), but no associations with the subjective symptoms. The mean level of burden to the own health were $14.1{\pm}13.9$ of physical, $11.7{\pm}13.6$ of emotional, $9.1{\pm}10.7$ of behavioral as out of one hundred. They felt the more burden in case of office workers, the lower interests and cognitions to their own health, the lower satisfaction to their job, the frequent drinking group, and complained the subjective symptoms (p<0.05). Abnormal results of the regular health check was higher in the frequent drinking group (p=0.083). Conclusions: For the optimum HPP for the workers in the petrochemical complex, the ownership's interest to workers' health would be enhanced, and the priority would be focused on exercise and drinking habits control.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.2169-2177
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• 2010

The effects of job related factors on psychosocial health status were examined by taking job stress into account. The self-administered questionnaires were performed, during the period between Oct. 1st, 2009 and Nov. 30th, 2009, to 805 individuals in the service of general administration located in Daejeon City. Causal relationships between job related factors, job stress, and, psychosocial health status were examined by structural equation model. The main finding as follows: For correlations of such indices of psychosocial health status as PWI and MFS with various studied items, all of these two indices were found to be in a negative correlation with the job position, job career, satisfaction in job life, autonomy of job, supervisors support and coworkers support, whereas in positive correlation with the experience of sick absence per year and job demand. With the analysis of structural equation model, the degree of job stress factors was more influential on the level of psychosocial health status than job related factors in such a manner as that the greater the job stress, while the lower the job related factors, the higher the psychosocial health status(PWI and MFS). Moreover, it was found to have the inter-relational effects that the greater the job related factors, the lower the job stress factors. Thus the effective strategy for stress and fatigue symptoms reduction among governmental employees requires additional programs focusing on innovated job specifications.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.57-67
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• 2007

In currently, stress diseases are increased that present several sign and symptoms. Under stress condition, there are dry mouth, burning mouth syndrome, oral mucosa diseases and halitosis more frequently. Changing of salivary proportion is checked in almost patients with changing of function and structure in salivary gland. This study purpose are what effect stress does on salivary gland, and a-amylase on salivary gland. This study was resulted that 1. Under restraint stress, acinar cells are vacuolization and changing of intercellular spaces are separated, and peripheral tissues of duct are changed 2. Acinar cells were shrunk after 3 hours under restraint stress, intercellular space was separated after 6hours, peripheral tissues of duct started to change after 72 hours, and acinar cells and peripheral tissues of duct were all severely changed after 168hours. 3. In immunohistochemical study, amylase reaction was showed partially and irregularly after 3 hours, was getting little milder after 6 hours. And amylase reaction was gradually increased from the time of 12 hours after experiment up to the time of 48 hours after experiment. But after 168 hours, amylase appearance was diminished. According this result, emotional stress can change of salivary gland structure, and amylase secretion, the important digestive enzyme from salivary gland is changed and it is supposed to make digestive disorder and to make halitosis efficiency. So, we need to study about secretion of amylase.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.573-586
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Quality of stress experienced in counseling and counseling of elderly female novice counselors and, through this, to provide information and information that can help counselors of elderly to continue their counseling. The study participants interviewed 157 elderly women who were studying at religious institutions, counseling graduate schools, and general graduate schools. in the data collection, each individual participated in a one - to - one interview for 3 months from May to August, 2017. To analyze this material, it was used CQR method, as one of the Qualitative analysis methods. The results were divided into two factors of stress in the academic and counseling domains. in academic stress, academic stress symptoms, content, and weighting factors were separated into three key factors. in counseling stress, four core factors were identified: client, supervision, counselor's ability, and social environmental factors. The significance of this study is that the elderly novice counselors in the elderly have specified the areas of stress experienced by them and provided them with helpful information Then, implications and suggestions were discussed.