• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.582-593
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of a self-management program on patients with thyroid cancer, particularly during the time of waiting for surgery after cancer diagnosis. Psychological distress, biological responses of immune cell counts, and quality of life were the variables of this study. Methods: One group pre-post test design was used with the nature of a pilot study. Ten newly diagnosed thyroid cancer patients were recruited through physicians' referrals. After drop out of 4 participants, final data were collected from six participants. Small group technique, a one and half hour-session per week for one month (total 4 sessions, 6 hours) was used. Relaxation techniques, meditation training, and strategies to reduce distress were provided by researchers. Standardized questionnaires and an established bio-assay were used for collection of data. Results: Participants showed significant lowering of psychological distress (p<.05) and improvement in global quality of life (p<.05). Biological responses of immune cell counts did not show statistical significance. Conclusion: The self-management program may reduce psychological distress and improve quality of life of patients with thyroid cancer between the time of diagnosis and surgery. The self-management program would be a valuable approach for patients with an unexpected cancer diagnosis to prepare for their disease experience in a community setting.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.117-149
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• 2011

This study examined the relationship between discrimination experienced by children of multicultural families and their psychological distress. As new minorities growing up with bicultural identities in Korean society, children from multicultural families are often exposed to racial discrimination and such experience often acts as a stressor in their everyday life. In order to examine the effect of discrimination on their psychological distress as well as the role of social support, a survey was conducted in 25 elementary schools in Daejeon city and Chungnam and Chungbuk province. Results indicated that children's experiences of discrimination significantly affected their psychological distress level that the more they were exposed to discrimination, the higher levels of depression and anxiety they experienced. Among social support domains, only peer support was found to be significantly related to both the experience of discrimination and their depression and anxiety levels. Supporting the social support deterioration model, the findings showed that more experiences of discrimination led to reduced peer support which in turn, increased the likelihood of being depressed and anxious. Peer support was also significant in partially mediating the discrimination-psychological distress relationship. Implications for social work practice with children from multicultural families are provided.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.641-646
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• 2015

Breast cancer (BC) is potentially a traumatic stressor which may be associated with negative outcomes, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or positive changes, such as post-traumatic growth (PTG). This study aims to identify the core issues of BC related PTSD, PTG and psychological distress by interrogating the literature in BC survivors. We have also highlighted issues related to the assessment, diagnosis and clinical management of PTSD and PTG. The authors systematically reviewed studies published from 1985 to 2014 pertaining to PTSD, psychological distress and PTG in BC survivors with particular attention paid to incidence rates and causative factors. Multiple studies intimated that women with BC have evidence of PTSD at the initial stages of diagnosis, whereas PTG develops once patients undergo treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment of PTSD/PTG is paramount from literature review but the previously mentioned relationship between PTSD and PTG in BC patients could not be verified. It is evident from the literature that a small percentage of BC patients experience PTSD, while the majority experience PTG after BC diagnosis and treatment. Future research should include prospective studies focusing on high-risk patients, causative factors and the development of psychological interventions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.309-314
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• 2012

Objective: To investigate the psychological characteristics of hepatic malignancy patients before interventional procedures and assess associations with related factors. Methods: Two hundred and thirteen patients requiring interventional procedure for hepatic malignancy were asked to complete a survey of health knowledge and psychological symptom on health knowledge questionnaire and SCL-90 before interventional procedure. Logistic regression analysis was employed to determine the association of various demographic, clinical and health knowledge factors with the presence of psychological symptoms in patients. Results: Eight psychological symptom scores, i.e. somatization, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobia, paranoid ideations and psychotic states, were significantly higher than the normal range (P< 0.001). Of 213 cases in the study, 49 families (23.00%) concealed the diagnoses of hepatic carcinoma from patients; 135 patients (63.38%) described the prognosis of the disease correctly. It was demonstrated that the correlations between psychological symptoms and related factors, i.e. age, gender, education, interventional procedure times and health knowledge, were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: Psychological distress is severe in hepatic malignancy patients before interventional procedures. Age, gender, education, interventional procedure times and health knowledge are associated with psychological symptoms which are significant different from the normal range in Chinese.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.97-116
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• 1994

The purpose of the stud is to present an model of the distress process for dual-earner couples. For the data set 340 husbands and wives in dual-earner families living in Pusan were chosen. The questionnaire was composed of Family Stressor Scale Family Resources Scale, Distress Scale. The data were analyzed with the SPSS statistical pacakage using t-test the one-rather than husband. And cothestion, adaptability and the level of stress recognition are important factors affecting the level of physical and psychological distress directly.

• 한국임상약학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.12a
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• pp.199-200
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• 2007

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.155-162
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• 2015

Purpose: The association between pain and sleep is described as a vicious cycle and psychological distress is well known as comorbid condition in the patients with pain and sleep problems. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of self-reported sleep disturbance and its relationship to clinical and psychological profiles in temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients. Methods: The sample consisted of 123 TMD patients (90 women and 33 men), with a mean age of $39.9{\pm}15.4years$. Self-report measures of sleep quality, pain and psychological profile were conducted via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Brief Pain Inventory and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revision at the initial visit. The primary diagnosis of TMD were categorized as TMD with internal derangement without pain, TMD with joint pain, TMD with muscle pain and TMD with joint-muscle combined pain. The chi-square test, independent t-test, oneway ANOVA and multiple linear regression analysis were used for statistics. Results: The patients was grouped as good sleepers (n=32, scores of 5 and lower) and poor sleepers (n=91, scores of 6 and higher) according to the recommended cutoff point of the global PSQI score (>5). TMD patients with pain showed poor sleep quality than TMD patients with internal derangement without pain. Poor sleepers had high pain interference and elevated psychological distress. Among them, pain interference and depression were significant predictors to sleep quality. Conclusions: The results suggest that sleep disturbance is a prevalent complaint in TMD patients, and sleep problems in TMD patients are associated with pain and psychological distress.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.100-111
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• 2022

Purpose: Based on the theory of unpleasant symptoms (TOUS), this study aimed to examine the direct effect of antecedent factors on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its indirect effect via symptoms in Korean women during the late menopausal transition (MT) and early postmenopause. Methods: This cross-sectional survey employed a descriptive correlational research design. The respondents were 152 middle-aged women 40 to 60 years with an intermenstrual interval of 60 days or more (late MT) or less than 5 years from the last menstrual period (early postmenopause). The respondents were recruited through convenience sampling in Busan, Korea, from December 1, 2020, to January 31, 2021. Based on the TOUS, self-report data were collected on perceived health status, psychological distress, social support, menopausal symptoms, and HRQoL. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statics, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and the Hayes' PROCESS macro. Results: TOUS was supported on this sample (n=152) of Korean women during the late MT and early postmenopause. Perceived health status, psychological distress, and social support had significant direct relationships with HRQoL. Menopausal symptoms had significant indirect relationships between antecedent factors (perceived health status, psychological distress, and social support) and partially mediated HRQoL. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that menopausal symptoms play an important role as an intervening factor of HRQoL in women during the late MT and early postmenopause. Therefore, women need an integrated program that manages antecedent factors and menopausal symptoms to improve HRQoL in these menopausal stages.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.223-252
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• 2023

The aim of this study is to examine the longitudinal mediation effect of coping strategies(emotion-focused, problem-focused, and maladaptive) on the relationship between perceived stress during the COVID-19 andemic and psychological distress(negative affect, depression, anxiety, and anger). ). Also, This study sought to find generational differences between coping strategies used during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were 941 adult aged between twenties and seventies. The final participants were recruited on two separated longitudinal time points, Time 1 and Time 2. The result were as follows: Only Maladaptive coping strategy(Time 2) had a mediating effect on the relationship between COVID-19 stress(Time 1) and psychological distress(Time 2). . The result of the generation-based multi-group analysis did not yield significant differences in the use of coping strategies. This study is meaningful that it longitudinally examined the psychological distress of adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications, limitations and directions for future research are presented.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.55-62
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• 2016

Background: This study aims to: (1) examine rates of obesity and physical health complaints among 911 telecommunicators; and (2) document the role of emotion dysregulation, psychological inflexibility, duty-related distress and dissociation, and psychopathology in predicting obesity and physical health complaints in this population. Methods: The sample consisted of 911 telecommunicators from across the country (N = 758). Participants completed an online survey assessing their mental and physical health functioning. Results: A total of 82.5% of the sample reported a body mass index that fell within the overweight or obese category and an average of 17 physical health complaints within the past month. Peritraumatic reactions (distress and dissociation), emotion dysregulation, and psychological inflexibility had effects on physical health largely through psychopathology (alcohol abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression). Conclusion: Development of adapted prevention and intervention efforts with this population is needed.