• 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 Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.390-398
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• 2013

Objective : We determined whether the relationship between the neuropsychological performance of patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their psychopathological characteristics measured by disability evaluation are interrelated. In addition, we assessed which psychopathological variable was most influential on neuropsychological performance via statistical clustering of the same characteristics of mild TBI. Methods : A total of 219 disability evaluation participants with mild brain injury were selected. All participants were classified into three groups, based on their psychopathological characteristics, via a two-step cluster analysis using validity and clinical scales from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and Symptom Checklist-90-revised (SCL-90-R). The Korean Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (K-WAIS), Korean Memory Assessment Scale (K-MAS) and the Korean Boston Naming Test (K-BNT) were used to evaluate the neurocognitive functions of mild TBI patients. Results : Over a quarter (26.9%) experienced severe psychopathological symptoms and 43.4% experienced mild or moderate psychopathological symptoms, and all of the mild TBI patients showed a significant relationship between neurocognitive functions and subjective and/or objective psychopathic symptoms, but the degree of this relationship was moderate. Variances of neurocognitive function were explained by neurotic and psychotic symptoms, but the role of these factors were different to each other and participants did not show intelligence and other cognitive domain decrement except for global memory abilities compared to the non-psychopathology group. Conclusion : Certain patients with mild TBI showed psychopathological symptoms, but these were not directly related to cognitive decrement. Psychopathology and cognitive decrement are discrete aspects in patients with mild TBI. Furthermore, the neurotic symptoms of mild TBI patients made positive complements to decrements or impairments of neurocognitive functions, but the psychotic symptoms had a negative effect on neurocognitive functions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6579-6584
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• 2013

Background: With effective early treatments, many breast cancer patients suffer from psychological distress due to adverse effects and lifelong physical disfigurement. Our study aimed to evaluate the psychopathological profile of breast cancer patients in comparison with healthy women and explored demographic correlates. Method: We consecutively enrolled breast cancer patients who came to the hospital for follow-up or rehabilitation care after primary treatment, and healthy female relatives or friends of inpatients in the Cancer Institute of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between August 30, 2010 and January 1, 2012. Psychopathological profile was assessed based on the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) for patients and controls. We compared demographics such as age, ethnicity, education, marriage, and occupation, and incorporated these data plus cancer status for the association with the general SCL-90-R index and scores for 9 major symptom dimensions in multiple regression analysis. Results: We surveyed a total of 291 female breast cancer patients and 531 healthy women. The average age was $55.1{\pm}6.40$ years for breast cancer patients and $43.1{\pm}12.8$ for healthy controls (P<0.01). The mean survival was 5.20 years for cancer patients (range, 0.60-9.90 years). There were statistically significant differences in education, marriage, and occupation between the two groups (P<0.01). General index ($1.45{\pm}0.45$ versus $1.32{\pm}0.37$) and 8 dimension scores (excluding anxiety) on SCL-90-R were significantly higher in patients (P<0.05). Multiple regression analysis showed that the breast cancer status was positively correlated with general SCL-90-R index and 6 dimension scores (excluding the anxiety, phobic anxiety and paranoid ideation dimensions) (P<0.05). Regression coefficients ranged from 0.10 (depression) to 0.19 (somatization). Higher interpersonal sensitivity was noticed in single women compared to married women. Conclusions: Chinese patients with breast cancer demonstrate greater psychopathology compared to healthy controls. The breast cancer status is an independent contributing factor to the general psychopathological profile. Breast cancer patients should be given particular counseling and care to alleviate their psychological distress.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.163-172
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• 2015

Objectives This study was aimed to examine the multidimensional relationship between auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) factors of psychopathology in the patients with schizophrenia. And we explored the differences between assessments to hallucination by the clinicians and patients. Methods 82 patients with schizophrenia who were assessed by the Hamilton Program for Schizophrenia Voices Questionnaire (HPSVQ), Psychotic Symptom Rating Scale-Auditory Hallucination (PSYRATS-AHS), and the PANSS were recruited. Hwang's five-factor model of PANSS, items and total scores of hallucination scales, Kim's and Haddock's factor models of hallucination were applied to examine the correlations between psychopathology and AVHs. AVH-positive patients was 50 in PANSS-HPSVQ group and 24 in PANSS-PSYRATS-AHS. These two groups were separately analyzed. Results Among the five factors of the PANSS, negative and depression/anxiety factors were correlated with the total scores of HPSVQ and PSYRATS-AHS, and positive and autistic preoccupation factors were correlated only with the total score of PSYRATS-AHS. The activation factor was correlated with none of the total scores of HPSVQ/PSYRATS-AHS. These correlation patterns of a total score of HPSVQ/PSYRATS-AHS were same in the emotional factor of HPSVQ and physical factor of PSYRATS-AHS respectively. In the items which showed significant correlations, correlation coefficients of PANSS-PSYRATS-AHS group ranged between 0.406-0.755 and those of PANSS-HPSVQ ranged between 0.283-0.420. Conclusions This study suggested that the psychopathological domains of schizophrenia were differentially correlated with AVHs and the assessment of AVHs by clinicians and patients showed substantial differences which should be integrated into the therapeutic interventions.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.70-79
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• 2003

Object : Currently, the alteration of cytokine system has been known to play an important role in regard to depressive symptom. We focused on the relationship between immunological parameters and clinical improvement in major depressive disorder. Method : Data were collected on 26 patients with major depressive disorder using a 8-week prospective follow-up design. After 8-week treatment period with fluoxetine, patients were classified into a response group and a non-response group according to their psychopathological outcome as evaluated by Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. The differences of the immunological parameters between pre-treatment phase and post-treatment phase were compared among patients. The difference of those was also compared within each phase among them. The relationship between socio-demographic variables, depression, cytokine, mononuclear cells was examined by correlation analysis. Multiple regression analyses were performed to explore the predictors of clinical improvement of major depressive disorder. Result : Pre-treatment levels of IL-$1{\beta}$ in the response group were significantly higher than those in the non-response group. Pre-treatment levels of IL-$1{\beta}$ of all patients and in the response group were positively correlated with pre-treatment monocyte counts. Patients with subsequent remission showed significantly lower IL-6 values at baseline than those with non-response. Post-treatment values of IL-6 did not differ significantly among the patients. The correlation test showed more frequent relations among cytokines and mononuclear cells in the response group than in the non-responder group. Especially, serum level of IL-6 in pre-treatment phase was only significantly correlated with HAMD score after 8-week treatement phase, while other cytokines and mononuclear cells were not. Pretreatment level of IL-6 was of paramount importance in predicting clinical improvement of depressive symptom. Conclusion : The immune system of major depressive disorder patients might dichotomize the patients into subsequent responders and non-responders. Immune system might be of great influence on the clinical improvement of major depressive disorder. The mode of interaction between depression and cellular immune function and the mediators responsible for the cytokine production need to be studied further.