• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2014

Metabolic syndrome such as, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia etc are well known lifestyle diseases which threaten a health state. The purpose of this study is to evaluate antioxidant status and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in various stressful conditions. A group of persons (n=28) were enrolled in this study and stress status was evaluated using questionnaire of psychological well-being index (PWI-SF) and hematologic analysis of free oxygen radical defense (FORD), free oxygen radical test (FORT), lipid profiles and serum cortisol level. Analysis was done according to stress index, BMI status and overtime working. Blood samples from diabetics were used for control. Results are as in followings: Higher PWI-SF group showed higher FORT. Obese persons with BMI > $25kg/m^2$ showed statistically lower FORD (p<0.05) and higher FORT level (p<0.01). When compare with diabetics, an overweight group had similar levels in FORD and FORT while a normal body weight group showed quite different with diabetics in FORD (p<0.001). Higher ROS group has higher triglyceride, CRP and insulin levels but lower in FORD and HDL-cholesterol levels. Overtime working at night showed no meaningful result against our expectations. These results suggested that obesity showed most unfavorable correlations in an antioxidant status in various situations.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.374-380
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• 2012

Objectives: Stress is considered a causal factor in many diseases, allergic disease being one of them. The prevalence of allergic disease is increasing in Korea, but the relationship between allergic symptoms and stress is not empirically well known. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between allergy-related symptoms and stress in children and adolescents. Methods: We investigated 698 children and adolescents living in Gwangyang Bay, Korea, using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood and the Psychosocial Well-being Index, these subjects were surveyed on allergy-related symptoms and psychosocial stressors in their lives, respectively. We used a multivariate logistic analysis for odds ratios for the complaint rate of allergic symptoms, after adjusting for age, gender, household income, body mass index, and residence. Results: After adjustments, lifetime rhinitis (odds ratio [OR], 1.024), rhinoconjunctivitis (OR, 1.090), diagnosis of itchy eczema (OR, 1.040), treatment of itchy eczema (OR, 1.049), 12-month allergic conjunctivitis (OR, 1.026), diagnosis of allergic conjunctivitis (OR, 1.031), and treatment of allergic conjunctivitis (OR, 1.034) were found to be significantly associated with stress. Conclusions: Our results support the notion that there is a relationship between stress and allergic symptoms in children and adolescents. Further research into any causal relationship between stress and allergies, as well as preventative public health plans for decreasing stress in children and adolescents are needed.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.615-621
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• 2014

VTS operators may suffer from acute, chronic, or traumatic stress caused by their workload and working environments associated with task or combination of task. This study intended to measure the level of VTS operator' stress and find out factors influencing it by understanding their characteristics during carrying out their task. For this purpose, analyzed the data collected through conducting survey on VTS operators as the Korea Occupational Stress(KOSS) and Psychological Well-being Index(PWI). As a result, VTS operators are experiencing higher level of psychological stress than the national average. And the factors to cause VTS operators' occupational stress can be summarized as follows; working environment factors, shift work especially night duty, workload, etc. This study provides the fundamental information for understanding human factors of VTS operator' occupational stress.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.223-230
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• 2019

Purpose : Wellness tourism is defined as travel for the purpose of promoting health and well-being through physical, psychological, or spiritual activities. The development and verification of a comprehensive wellness program for health care for workers is needed. The purpose of this study is to investigate the wellness and skin health effects of skin health programs in order to develop high-value health care services. Methods : The subjects were 15 middle-aged women who understood the research and volunteered and participated in the two-day skin health wellness program. Participants were measured to determine their wellness index and skin health twice: before and after participating in the program. Wellness index measures include comprehensive wellness, physical wellness, mental wellness, emotional wellness, social/cultural wellness, financial wellness, and environmental wellness. Skin health measurement items consisted of skin oil, skin water, skin pore, skin elasticity, skin wrinkle, and skin pigment. The skin wellness program included aerobic exercise, endurance exercise, functional food, cosmetics, herbal tea, massages, spa treatments, meditation, and marine leisure sports. The t-test analysis was used to compare the difference between wellness index and skin health measurement items before and after the program. Results : Among the wellness index items, the comprehensive wellness index (p<.05), mental wellness index (p<.05) and environmental wellness index (p<.05) showed statistically significant differences. Among skin health items, skin oil (p<.05), skin elasticity (p<.01) and skin wrinkle (p<.01) all showed statistically significant differences. There was no statistically significant difference in physical wellness, emotional wellness, social/cultural wellness, financial wellness, skin water, skin pore and skin pigment. Conclusion : This study confirmed that the two-day complex wellness program is an effective program for some items of wellness index and skin health.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.434-442
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• 2016

This study examined differences in the preference of the fest therapy program regarding stress level. Using convenience sampling method, the surveys on the preferred type of forest healing program and social and psychological stress scales was carried out for adult male and female. As a basis of Psycho social Stress Scale (PWI-SF: Psychosocial Well-being Index Short Form), the adult 620 people were classified such as healthy group, potential stress group, high-risk stress group. The data were analyzed by use of SPSS 21.0 program. To see the difference in preferences for forest therapy program between the three groups according to stress levels, it was analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Depending on the stress levels, there were differences in the preferences of forest healing program such as breathing, breathing exercises, walking in the forest, listening to the sound of water flowing, viewing the forest, counseling, consultation and expert coaching, stress-related lectures, communication-related lectures, forest bathing wind bathing sun bathing. High-risk stress group preferred cognitive based program such as counseling, consultation and expert coaching, stress-related lectures, communication-related lectures. Healthy group appeared to prefer highly emotional approach of the program to take advantage of the five senses such as breathing, breathing exercises, walking in the forest, listening to the sound of water flowing, viewing the forest, forest bathing, wind bathing, sun bathing. Noticeable preference difference was not observed in the potential stress group. It is hoped this study will serve as a basis for the development of forest healing program regarding stress level.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.221-227
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• 2012

In this work, we investigate the correlation between health condition and voice to study the validity and value of voice diagnosis. For this purpose, we collected voices, Health index questionnaires (Short form 36, Psychological Well Being Index) and Sasang Constitution informations on 197 males at the age of twenties. Pitch, jitter, shimmer variables were analyzed by ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient. There were no significant correlations between pitch, jitter, shimmer and health questionnaire score in total group regardless of Sasang Constitution. However, We found tendency of correlation between shimmer variables and health questionnaire scores in Taeeumin and Soyangin. In Soeumin and Soyangin, zitter and pitch variables were found to be slightly correlated with health questionnaire scores. Our study suggests the possibility that voice might be related with both health condition and Sasang Constitution. Our finding may motivate research activities towards diverse clinical applications of voice diagnosis and studies of voice characteristics in the Sasang constitution.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.35-48
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• 2009

Purpose: Firefighters were subjected to be exposed to 24-hour shiftwork and high level of job stress, but there is little study of fire fighters about between Job Stress and Psychological stress in Korea. This study was performed to evaluate job stress of fire fighters grouped by different job types and analyze the health effect of job stress by using a PWI-SF(Psycho-social Well-being Index, Short Form). Methods : This study was to measure the degree of job stress and socio-psychological stress of firefighters working at 119 safety center and analyze the relationship between job stress and mental health, through self-administered questionnaire survey on 918 fire fighters working at fire department located in Korea, during October in 2008. Question items of the questionnaire consist of general characteristics, job stress, and socio-psychological stress. Job Stress Measurement Scale for Koreans was used to measure job stress, while PWI-SF used for socio-psychological stress. Collected data was analyzed through frequency analysis, ${\chi}^2$ test, one-way ANOVA, correlation analysis, multi-regression analysis using a statistic program, SPSS/10.0 Ver for Windows, and statistical significance level was 0.05. Result : Accordingly, this paper is written for the purpose of scrutinizing the reason of 119 rescuers' job stress and Socio-Psychological stress. This thesis tries to analyze a problem and provide contents through many variables concerned and theoretical investigation with the actual research of questionnaire. The results of the study are summarized as follows : Fire fighters feel relatively high stressful in their performance. Job stress, organizational commitment and burnout did not have been influence upon by individual cases such as economic condition, regular exercise etc. Finally, as a result of step by step regression analysis, the variable that can explain Socio-Psychological stress the best was negative emotion scale(NE). Conclusions : It is necessary to conduct repeated studies in the future, since the study implied that there was a contrary relationship between job stress and socio-psychological stress. In order to reduce job stress and maintain better mental health, it is more important than anything else to help firefighters have willingness and efforts to sustain a healthy life, so the development of various programs and education to raise their awareness should be implemented.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 2019

Objective : The objective of this study is to determine the effects of fear of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) on socio-psychological health during an outbreak of MERS and the post-traumatic stress as a mediator on the relationship between stress and socio-psychological health. Methods : Visual Analog Scale, Impact of Event Scale -Revised, Psychosocial well-being index short form was implemented for 150 medical persons who worked at the hospital in which exposure to MERS cases had been confirmed and 96 ordinary people. A Pearson correlation coefficient and a hierarchical multiple regression was carried out to confirm the effect of fear of MERS and the mediating effect of post-traumatic stress between fear and socio-psychological health. Results : The higher the fear, the lower the socio-psychological health in both healthcare workers and the public (r=0.32, p<0.01) and the higher post-traumatic stress (r=0.32, p<0.01). But, the research results showed that only healthcare workers had a partially mediating effect of post-traumatic stress in the relationship between fear and socio-psychological health (${\beta}=0.45$, t=6.33 p<0.001), (${\beta}$ value : 0.39>0.26). Conclusion : This study demonstrated that the post-traumatic stress can indirectly lead to a negative effect on the socio-psychological health of healthcare workers when under the fear of MERS and shows adverse effects on psycho-social wellbeing. This suggests that clinical intervention and psycho-social approach aiming at reducing post-traumatic stress is important to maintain mental health during crisis development.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.557-564
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• 2018

Along with the aging society, the prevalence of dementia is also increasing. Dementia causes short-term memory loss as well as difficulties of performing daily activities and gradually causes suffering of the patients and their family. In spite of various programs for prevention of dementia of older people are being implemented, there is a lack of developing natural-based program for physical and mental health promotion. Therefore, it is necessary to develop programs for the elderly living alone who are more vulnerable to dementia because of their social and economic isolation. The purpose of this study was to develop a natural-based program and investigate the effects of 10 weeks forest therapy program for dementia prevention to improve the psychological and physical health of the elderly living alone. The experimental subjects were 30 elderly (aged 65 or older) and 31 elderly participated in control group. The Stress response, depressive symptoms, weight, body mass index (BMI), fat mass and muscle mass were measured for pre and post test. The results showed that the experimental group showed subjective stress relief (t=5.249, p=.000), improvement in symptoms of depression (t=4.152, p=.000), and decreases in weight (t=2.686, p=.012), BMI (t=2.629, p=.014) and fat mass (t=2.918, p=.007) after the forest therapy program. The experimental group showed lower stress reactions(t=-7.185, p=.000) and less depressive symptoms (t=-5.303, p=.000) than control group after participating the program. These results suggest that periodic forest exposure can help having less stressful and depressive status than non-forest exposure and the forest therapy program can reduce participants' psychological and physical risk factors of dementia.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-26
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to develop the Korean Wisdom Scale and examine the validity of the scale. The Korean Wisdom Scale was developed and identified its validity by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis. The Korean Wisdom Scale consists of five factors, which are 'Outlook and Insight', 'Adjustment of Emotion', 'Perspective Taking', 'Integration of Experience', 'Concern and Comprehension'. Those five factors indicated the reasonable fit index by confirmatory factor analysis. In addition, this scale identified a significant positive relation with psychological well-being such as satisfaction and meaning of life, satisfaction of relationship. On the other hand, it indicated a negative relation with psychological symptoms such as neurosis and clinging. Also, the scale was differentiated from Adult Self-transcendence Inventory. Therefore, the results indicated that this scale has a reliable criterion-related validity. Finally, implication and limitation of this study were discussed in relation with future studies.