• Human Ecology Research
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.201-211
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• 2019

This study examines the effects of chronic disease/disability and stress from health on depressive symptoms among one-person households living in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province in Korea. This study also investigates the moderating effect of social support on the relationship between 1)having a chronic disease/disability and depressive symptoms as well as 2)stress from health and depressive symptoms. This study used data from an online survey targeting one-person households living in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The final sample included 499 one-person households. Using a multiple regression analysis with SPSS 20.0, results showed that having a chronic disease/disability was associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms. In addition, stress from health was associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms. In regard to the roles of social support, economic support and emotional support had a direct negative effect on depressive symptoms. Emotional support had a moderating effect on the relationship between having a chronic disease/disability and depressive symptoms. In addition, emotional support also had a moderating effect on the relationship between stress from health and depressive symptoms. Based on these findings, this study suggests that policy makers should reduce the economic burden from a chronic disease/disability and help one-person households to strengthen their social support network.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.87-94
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• 2003

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors influencing Symptoms of Stress in patients with chronic illness. Method: Data were collected by questionnaires from 1,748 patients with chronic disease in General Hospital in Seoul. Chronic diseases of were cardiac disease including hypertension, peptic ulcer, pulmonary disease included COPD and asthma, DM, and chronic kidney disease. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression. Result: 1. The level of symptoms of stress was moderate(M=2.17). 2. The score of symptoms of stress showed significantly positive correlation with the score of mood state(r=.58, p=.00), perceived stress(r=.57, p=.00), and ways of coping(r=.33, p=.00). The symptoms of stress showed significantly negative correlation with the score of social support(r=-.37, p=.00) and self-esteem(r=-.19, p=.00). 3. The most powerful predictor of symptoms of stress was mood state and the variance explained was 34%. A combination of mood state, ways of coping, perceived stress, social support, and duration of illness account for 45% of the variance in symptoms of stress of the patients with chronic illness. Conclusion: This study suggest that mood state, ways of coping, perceived stress, and social support are significantly influencing factors on symptoms of stress of the patients with chronic illness.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.80-85
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• 2009

Objective: This study aimed to build an overview of randomized clinical controlled trials (RCTs) for chronic fatigue-related symptoms to extract the useful data for management of patients and development of therapeutics using Korean traditional medicine in the future. Methods: All RCT-derived papers for chronic fatigue-related symptoms were collected via PubMed Database. We surveyed elementary information of RCTs such as clinical question, study design, and its quality and results. Results: A total of fifty-three RCTs met these review criteria. Most of the RCTs were performed in Western countries, particularly the UK and USA. The major portion of RCTs focused on chronic fatigue syndrome using immune modulators, psychotherapeutic and anti-depressants. Five RCTs using complementary and alternative medicine, including herbal remedies, showed positive results. Conclusions: Fatigue-related symptoms are a main target of Oriental medicine. This study provides helpful information for planning clinical study of chronic fatigue-related symptoms using traditional Korean medicine.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.488-498
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• 2017

Purpose: The focus of the study was on the selection-optimization-compensation (SOC) strategy to predict successful aging mediated by dyspnea symptoms in older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The model was constructed based on the hypotheses that coping strategy and social support of the elders predict successful aging through the SOC strategies. Methods: Participants were 218 outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease recruited for the study. Data collection was done from March 25 to September 11, 2015, and analyzed using SPSSWIN 22.0 and AMOS 21.0. Results: The hypothetical model appeared to be fit to the data. Seven of eight hypotheses selected for hypothetical model were statistically significant. The SOC strategy has only significant indirect effects through dyspnea symptoms on successful aging. Coping strategy, social support, SOC strategies and dyspnea symptoms explained 62% of variance in successful aging. Conclusion: The SOC strategies with social support and dyspnea symptoms significantly explained successful aging among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Nursing strategies should be focused on social support and coping strategies to optimize SOC strategies so that older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are able to manage dyspnea symptoms and eventually achieve successful aging.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.287-294
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• 2023

Background: Fruit and vegetable market is an abundant source of bioaerosols. Exposure to organic and inorganic waste and long-term inhalation of bioaerosols during working hours leads to chronic respiratory symptoms. Hence, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms and related factors among fruit and vegetable workers compared with the control group in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods and materials: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from 2020 to 2021. Data were entered in EpiData 3.1 and exported to Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Logistic regressions were computed to depict the data and related factors. The culture method was done to count and compare bacterial and fungal concentrations between fruit and vegetable workers and office workers. Results: In this study, the prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms (PR = 2.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.772-4.66) was significantly higher among fruit and vegetable workers (46.7%) than controls (23.4%). Sex (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.12-3.98), educational status (AOR = 1.34, 95% CI = 0.78-2.32), working hours per day (AOR = 3.91, 95% CI = 1.586-9.65), and working department (AOR = 3.20, 95% CI = 0.90-11.40) were associated with chronic respiratory symptoms. Bacterial and fungal concentrations were significantly higher in the air of the vegetable market (276 colony-forming unit) than the air in the workplace of controls (7 colony-forming unit). Conclusion: The fruit and vegetable market workers (greengrocers) had a higher prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms relative to office workers. Respiratory protective devices should be given to deliver preventive measures.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.33-44
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• 2015

Objectives: This study examined the effects of optimism and repressive coping on psychopathological symptoms and health management behavior in college students with chronic physical diseases. Methods: We conducted a survey on optimism, repressive coping, psychopathological symptoms, and health management behavior to patients with a chronic physical disease. Results: The results showed that both of optimism and repressive coping were related to fewer psychopathological symptoms. In addition, the repressive coping were related to fewer risk taking behaviors. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it is possible that how to well protect their psychological physical health to patients with a chronic physical disease.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.354-361
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• 2021

This study explored whether the transition to living with a chronic disease changes the level of depression symptoms among middle-aged and older adults in South Korea. We hypothesize that the transition to living with chronic disease leads to a higher level of depressive symptoms. A nationally representative sample (N = 6,284) of adults 45 years and older from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA) was analyzed. Multi-regression modeling was used to examine the association between the diagnosis of chronic disease and the level of depressive symptoms in patients. The findings highlight the need for policy makers, clinicians, as well as patients and their caregivers to become more aware of mental health risks in patients diagnosed with chronic diseases, particularly first-time patients. This study contributes to encouraging greater psychosocial support, including monitoring the level of depressive symptoms of patients who develop chronic conditions and providing appropriate treatments for those at the highest risk.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.89-95
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• 2019

One benefit of education for self-management of chronic diseases is to increase the use of cognitive techniques for coping with symptoms. Unfortunately, that benefit can deteriorate over time, and that phenomenon, which is sometimes called "decay of impact", has been studied only rarely. This study was done to understand the decay of impact with regard to the use of cognitive techniques for coping with symptoms, and especially to understand how that decay might be predicted. Data were analyzed from 381 adults suffering from chronic medical conditions, all of whom were involved in education to improve their self-management of their chronic condition(s). During the first year after the educational program, coping was measured four times. Variables associated with the decay of impact were found using statistical modeling (logistic regression). Decay of impact was found in almost half of the participants. The analysis provided moderately good predictions regarding the decay of impact. Given this new information, interventions to further improve coping with symptoms can be appropriately targeted to the people for whom they will be most beneficial.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.261-266
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• 2021

This study aim to report 4 cases with chronic abdominal pain whose symptoms are alleviated by Sihogyeji-tanggagam with Korean medicine treatments. The patients were decided to administer Sihogyeji-tanggagam through abdominal examination. The patients were treated by Korean medicine, including acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicine (Sihogyeji-tanggagam). We used Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), Abdominal examination, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Subjective Unit of Clinical Symptoms to evaluate the progress of treatments. The improvement of clinical symptoms appeared to be effective with out any remarkable side effects. The abdominal pain of all patients stared to improve as soon as treatment begin, and disappeared in 1-2 weeks. We also confirmed that the abdominal symptoms improved together with the improvement of clinical symptoms. This study suggests that Sihogyeji-tanggagam is effective on reducing symptoms of chronic abdominal pain, but further studies should be followed.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.26-33
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• 2003

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among variables of somatic attribution, chronic pain, depression and chronic fatigue in the elderly. Methods: Empirical data for testing hypothetical models was collected from 311 people over 65 years old in a community settings in Seoul, Korea in June and July, 2000. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and correlational analysis using pc-SAS program. The Linear Structural Modeling(LISREL) 8.0 program was used to find the best fit model which explained causal relationship of variables. Result: According to Accepted model, the relation of variables is that the somatic attribution is the influencing variable to chronic pain and depression and chronic pain and depression is the influencing variable to chronic fatigue. Conclusion: The findings of this study give useful information to construct intervention program relating chronic pain, depression and chronic fatigue for the elderly.