• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.1-13
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• 2019

This study examined the effect of digital technologies on adolescent mental health; attention deficit, aggression, depression. Furthermore, we investigated the role of parenting style and peer attachment as they might have effects on digital technologies. Using two-wave longitudinal data, we conducted longitudinal analysis from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey done in 2015 and 2016. Results showed that computer and internet usage for learning purpose has a positive effect on mental health, while computer games and social media have negative effects. Also, the positive effects of learning on depression indicated stronger in adolescents who felt less affection from their parents. On the other hand, the negative effects of computer games and social media could be moderated by both parenting style and peer attachment. Implications of these results and directions for future research are discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.42-44
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• 2019

Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE) is a rare and underdiagnosed neuropsychiatric illness. We present the case of a 17-year-old girl who was admitted to a tertiary-care psychiatric center with acute onset psychosis and fever. Her psychotic symptoms were characterized by persecutory and referential delusions, as well as tactile and visual hallucinations. Her acute behavioral disturbance warranted admission and treatment in a psychiatric setting (risperidone tablets, 3 mg/day). She had experienced an episode of fever with a unilateral visual acuity defect approximately 3 years before admission, which was resolved with treatment. Focused clinical examination revealed an enlarged thyroid, and baseline blood investigations, including thyroid function test results were normal. Abnormal laboratory investigations revealed elevated anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) and anti-thyroglobulin (anti-TG) levels (anti-TPO of 480 IU/mL; anti-TG of 287 IU/mL). Results of other investigations for infection, including cerebrospinal fluid examination, electroencephalography, and brain magnetic resonance imaging were normal. She was diagnosed with HE and was treated with intravenous corticosteroids (methylprednisolone up to 1 g/day; tapered and discontinued after a month). The patient achieved complete remission of psychotic symptoms and normalization of the anti-thyroid antibody titers. Currently, at the seventh month of follow-up, the patient is doing well. This case highlights the fact that in the absence of well-defined clinical diagnostic criteria, a high index of suspicion is required for early diagnosis of HE. Psychiatrists need to explore for organic etiologies when dealing with acute psychiatric symptoms in a younger age group.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.13-23
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• 2016

Objectives: The middle school students face a turbulent period between the stages of childhood and adolescence. If effective mental health education can be provided over this period, it can help prevent behavioral and emotional difficulties of students. This study aims to understand the priority of mental health education as demanded by middle school students. Methods: The subjects of this study were 612 middle school students from five schools in the P city. A questionnaire arranged mental health education into 39 items for use as a tool in the study. For data analysis, followed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA and multiple comparison analysis of Scheffe. Results: For general students, demand was highest for education on "Communication and Healthy Life," followed by "Self-esteem," "Stress," "Interpersonal Relationships and School Life". Conclusions: If education on mental health shall be offered at middle schools based on this study, education on how to communicate and lead a healthy life and improve self-esteem should go to general students to prevent behavioral and emotional difficulties. On the other hand, education and group programs for "Stress," "Mental Problems in the Adolescent Period" and "Addiction" should be offered to students with mental health problems to help prevent behavioral and emotional difficulties.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.217-223
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• 2014

Objectives : This study was conducted in order to investigate the influence of sexual trauma on the psychopathology and quality of life of children and adolescents in Korea. Methods : Twenty-seven children and adolescents and their caretakers who visited the Kangwon Sunflower Center participated in a cross-sectional study. Participants completed the Korean version of Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version, Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form-50 (CHQ-PF-50). Their scores were compared with those of a age and sex-matched control group of 27 healthy children and adolescents. Results : Victims of sexual violence showed higher t score in Withdrawn, Social problems, Delinquent behavior, Externalizing problems, and Total problems in CBCL, compared with control group. In CHQ-PF-50, there were lower scores on Bodily pain/discomfort, Behavior, Mental health, Time impact in parents, and Family activities subscales in victims of sexual violence. While Behavior and Family activities subscale showed negative correlations with Delinquent behavior, Externalizing problems, and Total problems in CBCL. Mental health subscale showed negative correlations with Social problems, Delinquent behavior, Externalizing problems, and Total problems. In addition, Time impact on parent subscale showed a negative association with Delinquent behavior in CBCL. Conclusion : The current study provided evidence suggesting that victims of sexual violence had a higher level of psychopathology and lower level of quality of life.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.2-6
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• 2018

Objectives: Experiencing early childhood trauma is related to multiple psychiatric problems in adolescents and adulthood. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Early Trauma Inventory Self Report-Short Form (ETISR-SF) among Korean adolescents. Methods: A total of 86 adolescents aged 12-17 years (mean age $14.50{\pm}1.35years$, range 12-17) were assessed using the ETISR-SF. Other instruments, including the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), the revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and the List of Threatening Experiences Questionnaire (LTE-Q), were used to assess clinical symptoms. After 2 months, 51 of the 86 participants were evaluated using the ETISR-SF to assess test-retest reliability. Results: The Cronbach's coefficient alpha for the ETISR-SF was high (0.803). Adolescents with depressive disorder showed higher ETISR-SF scores compared to healthy controls. The ETISR-SF scores were correlated higher with the scores on the LTE-Q (r=0.485) than with the scores on the CDI or RCMAS (r=0.165 and 0.347, respectively). Conclusion: The ETISR-SF was temporally stable, showing acceptable reliability (r=0.776). These findings suggest that the Korean version of the ETISR-SF appears to be a reliable and valid instrument for the measurement of reported childhood trauma.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.220-227
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Behavior Problems Inventory (BPI-01) among children and adolescents aged between 3 and 18. Methods: The control group consisting of one hundred children and adolescents was recruited from schools and the patient group consisting of forty one children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder were recruited from a hospital. We compared the measurements of both groups. To assess the concurrent validity of the BPI-01, we compared the problem behavior index of the Korean Scale of Independent Behavior-Revised (K-SIB-R) and, to assess the discriminant validity, we compared the Korean version of the Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL). The Cronbach's alpha of the BPI-01 was measured to assess its reliability. Correlation analyses between the BPI-01 and the other scale were carried out to examine the former's concurrent and discriminant validity. Results: The patient group showed a significantly higher score for all three subscales of the BPI than the control group. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.92 for the total severity score of the BPI and ranged between 0.67-0.89 for each subscale in the patient group. All subscales of the BPI-01's, i.e., self injurious behavior, stereotyped behavior and aggressive/destructive behavior, were significantly correlated with the corresponding subscales of the K-SIB-R. The BPI-01 generally did not demonstrate any significant correlation with emotional items such as anxiety/depression in the K-CBCL. Especially, the BPI-01's stereotyped behavior subscale showed little correlation with externalizing behaviors such as social problems and aggressive behaviors. Conclusion: This study found that the Korean version of BPI-01 is a reliable and valid behavior rating instrument for problem behavior in developmental disabilities among children and adolescents.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.419-430
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify variables influencing suicide ideation among adolescents. Methods: Data were collected from 235 middle school students in Chungbuk Province from April to September 2007. We used the Korean versions of Reynold's Suicide Ideation Questionnaire, Children's Depression Inventory and Conners-Wells' Adolescent Scale, Beck's Hopelessness Scale and Internet Addiction Scale-K for measuring the research variables. Results: Of the subjects, 23.0% were classified into the risk group of suicide ideation. Overall, the score of the suicide ideation scale was 14.25 (${\pm}16.38$). The score of the suicide ideation scale in female adolescents ($17.45{\pm}19.04$) was significantly higher than that in male ones ($11.17{\pm}12.65$). Depression was a major predictor of suicide ideation. ADHD, gender, internet addiction, and hopelessness were the other significant predictors of suicide ideation. Conclusion: A strategy for school mental health education should be provided in order to prevent suicide ideation. The function of school health and Mental Health Center should be reinforced in terms of organization and staff personnel.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.26-33
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• 2019

Objectives: Suicide is the most frequent cause of death among Korean adolescents, and adolescents who have experienced trauma have an increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression, and suicide attempts. However, resilience and self-esteem are protective factors. We examined the effects of resilience and self-esteem on the relationship among traumatic experiences, PTSD symptoms, depression, and suicidal ideation. Methods: Middle-school students (n=403) completed questionnaires assessing traumatic experiences, PTSD symptoms, depression, suicidal ideation, resilience, and self-esteem. Path analysis was performed to investigate the mediating effects of PTSD symptoms, resilience, self-esteem, and depression on the relationship between trauma exposure and suicidal ideation. Results: Traumatic experience was positively correlated with PTSD symptoms, depression, and suicidal ideation. PTSD symptoms and depression were positively correlated with suicidal ideation. The relationship between traumatic experiences and suicidal ideation was mediated by PTSD symptoms, which had both direct and indirect effects on suicidal ideation; the indirect effect was mediated by resilience, self-esteem, and depression. Conclusion: Korean adolescents who had experienced trauma were more likely to develop PTSD symptoms, increasing their risk of depression and suicidal ideation. However, self-esteem and resilience may help protect against depression and suicidal ideation. Our findings could inform suicide prevention initiatives.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.193-200
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• 2020

Objectives: Adolescent suicide, a major cause of adolescent death, is affected by various factors, including attitudes toward suicide. This study investigated the association between parenting style and adolescents' attitudes toward suicide and the mediating role of attitude toward suicide between parenting style and suicidal ideation. Methods: We surveyed 1,071 adolescents from eight middle schools in Incheon, Korea. The survey included sociodemographic information, attitudes toward suicide, perception of parenting style, depression severity, and suicidality. Results: Students in the authoritarian parenting group had a more permissive attitude toward suicide compared with the democratic and permissive parenting groups. These students considered that suicide is justified in certain situations and that choosing suicide is an individual's right. They also had a negative attitude toward talking about suicide or intervening in others' suicide. This association remained statistically significant after adjusting for the impact of confounding factors that could affect attitudes toward suicide, except for suicidal processes and preparedness to prevent suicide. In the mediation analysis, we observed that some factors of the attitudes toward suicide mediated between authoritarian parenting attitudes and suicidal ideation, namely, suicide as a right, preventability, suicide as normal/common, preparedness to prevent suicide, and resignation. Conclusion: This study revealed the significant impact of parenting style on children's attitudes toward suicide. Educating parents about the appropriate parenting attitudes-sympathetic and rational-can help prevent youth suicide.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.20-27
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• 2014

Objectives : The aim of this study was to determine whether intervention using a multidisciplinary approach affects maternal mental health, parenting stress, and sense of parenting competence in children with feeding disorder and failure to thrive (FTT). Methods : Children with feeding disorder and FTT were randomized to the intervention group (N=11) or control group (N=8). We administered the Korean standardization of Parent Temperament Questionnaire for Children (K-PTQ) in both groups before intervention, and the Korean version of the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (K-PSI-SF), Korean version of the Parenting Sense of Competence (K-PSOC), Korean version of the Beck's Depression Inventory (K-BDI), Korean version of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (K-BAI), and Korean version of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (K-MDQ) in both groups before and after the intervention. Results : In the intervention group, the K-BDI (p=.068), K-BAI (p=.068), and K-MDQ (p=.066) scores tended to show a decline, the K-PSI-SF scores for stress related to child learning showed a significant decline, and the K-PSOC scores for sense of parenting competence showed significant improvement. However, no significant changes were observed in the control group. Conclusion : Use of a multidisciplinary approach improved maternal mental health, parenting stress, and sense of competence. Comparison of these results with those of normal control will be necessary in a future study.