• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.2-15
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• 2022

Objectives: Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tend to be noisy and violate rules with their disruptive behaviors, resulting in greater difficulties with off-task behaviors and being at risk for social refusal. The visual activity schedule (VAS) intervention program is a frequently used method to teach multiple skills involving on-task, use of schedules, transition behaviors, social initiation, independent play skills, classroom skills, and academic skills. The current systematic review aimed to examine the efficacy of using VAS intervention in reducing problem behaviors in children with ADHD between 5 and 12 years of age. Methods: Systematic searches were conducted using two electronic databases (PubMed and Scopus) to identify relevant studies published in English between 2010 and 2020. Four studies met the inclusion criteria: two studies examined the effect of schedule-based tasks and the use of an iPad on classroom skills, while the other two examined randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of psychosocial treatment for ADHD inattentive type and a cross-sectional study examined the impact of the group size on task behavior and work productivity in children with ADHD. Results: The findings indicate that the interventions used in all four studies could lead to increased satisfaction among participants and parents, as well as a reduction in problem behavior. In terms of the research indicators, the RCT had low quality, while the others were of high quality. Conclusion: A larger number of studies and the ADHD clinical population would help to increase the generalizability of future reviews of treatments in this context.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.238-247
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• 2023

Objectives: Low adherence to antiretroviral (ARV) therapy in pregnant women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) increases the risk of virus transmission from mother to newborn. Increasing mothers' knowledge and motivation to access treatment has been identified as a critical factor in prevention. Therefore, this research aimed to explore barriers and enablers in accessing HIV care and treatment services. Methods: This research was the first phase of a mixed-method analysis conducted in Kupang, a remote city in East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. Samples were taken by purposive sampling of 17 people interviewed, consisting of 6 mothers with HIV, 5 peer facilitators, and 6 health workers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and document review. Inductive thematic analysis was also performed. The existing data were grouped into several themes, then relationships and linkages were drawn from each group of informants. Results: Barriers to accessing care and treatment were lack of knowledge about the benefits of ARV; stigma from within and the surrounding environment; difficulty in accessing services due to distance, time, and cost; completeness of administration; drugs' side effects; and the quality of health workers and HIV services. Conclusions: There was a need for a structured and integrated model of peer support to improve ARV uptake and treatment in pregnant women with HIV. This research identified needs including mini-counseling sessions designed to address psychosocial barriers as an integrated approach to support antenatal care that can effectively assist HIV-positive pregnant women in improving treatment adherence.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.135-145
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• 2023

Antibiotics are frequently administered during pregnancy. Although necessary to address acute infections, their use facilitates antibiotic resistance. Other associations have also been found with the use of antibiotics, such as perturbations of gut bacteria, delays in microbial maturation, and increased risks of allergic and inflammatory diseases. Little is known about how the prenatal and perinatal administration of antibiotics to mothers affects the clinical outcomes of their offspring. A literature search was conducted of the Cochrane, Embase, and PubMed engines. The retrieved articles were reviewed by two authors and verified for relevance. The primary outcome was the effect of pre- and perinatal maternal antibiotic use on clinical outcomes. Thirty-one relevant studies were included in the meta-analysis. Various aspects are discussed, including infections, allergies, obesity, and psychosocial factors. In animal studies, antibiotic intake during pregnancy has been suggested to cause long-term alterations in immune regulation. In humans, associations have been found between antibiotic intake during pregnancy and different types of infections and an increased risk of pediatric infection-related hospitalization. A dose-dependent positive association between pre- and perinatal antibiotic use and asthma severity has been reported in animal and human studies, while positive associations with atopic dermatitis and eczema were reported by human studies. Multiple associations were identified between antibiotic intake and psychological problems in animal studies; however, relevant data from human studies are limited. However, one study reported a positive association with autism spectrum disorders. Multiple animal and human studies reported a positive association between pre- and perinatal antibiotic use by mothers and diseases in their offspring. Our findings have potentially significant clinical relevance, particularly considering the implications for health during infancy and later in life as well as the related economic burden.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.61-68
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• 2023

Objective : The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between psychosocial factors and the mask-wearing behavior after deregulation of COVID-19 quarantine guidelines among adults in Korea. Methods : We collected data (345 subjects) from online questionnaire survey. The questionnaire included the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Korean version of fear of COVID-19 Scale, the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-15, Korean versions of the Perceived Stress Scale, and measurement tools adapted from previous studies for COVID-19 risk perception, social stigma, and appearance interest of subjects. We analysed data using SPSS version 23.0 for descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis. Results : People with cohabitant or mask-wearing tendency before COVID-19 pandemic had a higher rate of mask-wearing than those who were not. Subjects reporting higher level of social stigma (OR=1.154, 95% CI 1.049-1.270) and COVID-19 anxiety (OR=1.072, 95% CI 1.007-1.141) were more likely to report maskwearing behavior. Conclusion : From the results, appropriate intervention to those who fear social stigma and are anxious to the infectious diseases will be needed. Additionally, providing policies and guidelines that consider cohabitants and offering continuous education with information of disease to the public are also expected to helpful for recovery of daily life from infectious diseases.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.8-17
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• 2024

Objectives: The effectiveness and efficiency of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in reducing the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among men who have sex with men (MSM) relies on how widely it is adopted and adhered to, particularly among high-risk groups of MSM. The meta-analysis aimed to collect and analyze existing evidence on various factors related to PrEP adherence in MSM, including demographic characteristics, sexual behaviors, substance use, and psychosocial factors. Methods: The meta-analysis followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The search included articles published between January 2018 and December 2022, obtained from the PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases. The studies that were included in the analysis reported the proportion of MSM who demonstrated adherence to PrEP and underwent quality appraisal using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Results: Of the 268 studies initially identified, only 12 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final meta-analysis. The findings indicated that education (odds ratio [OR], 1.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12 to 2.40), number of sexual partners (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.31), engaging in sexual activities with an human immunodeficiency virus-positive partner (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.16 to 2.26), substance use (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.70 to 0.99), and lower levels of depression (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.37 to 0.82) were associated with higher rates of PrEP adherence among MSM. Conclusions: Despite these findings, further research is necessary to investigate PrEP adherence more comprehensively. The findings of this meta-analysis can be utilized to inform interventions aimed at improving PrEP adherence among MSM and provide directions for future research in this area.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.130-147
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• 1990

This study intended to investigate the characteristics of adolescent drug user in Korea. A questionnaire on adolescent drug use was administered to 1st or 2nd grade 898 students (465 males, 433 females) from 9 senior high schools in Seoul area. The extent of current using six representative drugs such as cigarettes, alcohol, chemical substance inducing hallucination(e,g., thinner, bond etc.), psychostimulant, hypnotic and minor tranqulizer was self-reported. Also their psychological distress, self-concept and individual-related variables such as academic grade, deviant behavior, drug-using peers, the perceived availability of drugs, the degree of family discipline, and the perceived parents' attitude for drinking and smoking were surveyed. Subjects were grouped into six(male) or five(female) subgroups (nonuser, simple experiencer, one kind of drug user, two kinds of drugs user, three kinds of drugs user(male only), minor tranqulizer user) to their extent of drug use. Then ANOVA procedure performed for group comparison of their psychological distress, self-concept and individual-related variables. The results showed that the most popular drugs among adolescents in Korea were cigarettes and alcohol. Minor tranqulizer was used by about 2.8% of male and 7.41% of female subjects. In general abusers showed lower academic grade, more deviant experiences, having more drug-using peers, higher degree of psychological distress, and lower postitive self-concept than nonuser group. According to the results of discriminant analysis, hostility and deviant behavior were reliable predictive variables that distinguished abuser group from nonuser group among the associated variables in this study. These results suggest that some common factors affect drug use of Korean high school students : high school students who have many common risk factors could be abusers more easily. These findings supported risk factor theory that the extent of drug use of adolescents might be associated with general maladjustment in everyday life.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.122-131
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• 2013

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the point prevalence of anxiety, depression and the associated risk factors in hospitalized patients with cancer. Methods: A total of 114 patients with cancer who admitted to the Cancer Center in St. Mary's Hospital were enrolled for a day. The patients were asked to complete Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale(HADS). Sociodemographic and cancer related clinical variables were also evaluated. Results: The point prevalence of anxiety and depression was 10.5% and 34.2%, respectively, as assessed with HADS. Logistic regression models revealed that distant metastasis was significantly associated with anxiety in patients with cancer and previous chemotherapy and Low socioeconomic status were significantly associated with depression. Conclusions: Our results indicate that more than one third of patients with cancer suffer from either anxiety or depression. In addition, previous chemotherapy as well as low socioeconomic status and distant metastasis were associated risk factors of anxiety and depression, respectively. These findings suggest the need for screening and systematized psychosocial intervention for psychological distress in hospitalized patients with cancer.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.50
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• pp.173-207
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• 2002

The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of the youth's addiction to Internet and what behavior do they show depending on the extent of addiction, and further to analyze the reason of cyber sex addiction and the addiction level. The results are as following; First, 2% of the target students of the study was in severe internet addiction and 47% in the 'early addiction' which is in the risk of addiction. Second, the larger the youth's depression and impulsiveness was, the lower their self-esteem was, the poorer their parents' bringing-up attitude was, and the lower their satisfaction to school life was, the more deep they are addicted to internet. Third, the problem behavior due to Internet addiction were categorized into seven area of trouble; family, social, physical, psychological, public relation, cyber sex, and school life. It showed that 'heavily addicted group' had the most severe problems. Forth, as to the extent of cyber sex addiction, 0.7% of the youth was in severe 'heavy addiction' and about 7% was in the 'early addiction' which is in the range of addiction risk. Fifth, the higher the youth's personal depression and impulsiveness was, the lower their self-esteem was, the poorer their parents' couple relation and bringing-up attitude were, and the worse their relation with peers and teachers was, they got indulged into cyber addiction.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.163-173
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• 2013

Objectives: There has been an increase in the use of mind-body therapies to control cardiovascular risk factors recently. This trial was designed to determine whether the 'jeol'(Korean Buddhists' prostration) meditation program, as a new mind-body intervention, was effective in managing stress, depression and controlling cardiovascular risk factors in women working at a geriatric hospital. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine whether the 'jeol' meditation program could improve stress, anxiety, depression, and cardiovascular risk factors in women. We randomly assigned 57 participants to the intervention(29 participants) or control(28 participants) group. The subjects in the intervention group participated in a group Jeol meditation program once weekly, and practiced at home. The following variables were assessed: stress(Psychosocial Wellbeing Index), depression(Beck's Depression Inventory), body mass index(BMI), waist circumference, hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c), homeostasis model assessment(HOMA), low-density lipoprotein(LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein(HDL) cholesterol, and triglyceride were assessed. Results: After the 8-week program, 2 participants from the intervention group and 1 from the control group dropped out. The subjects in the intervention group exhibited decreased scores for stress(t=5.102, p<0.01), depression(t=5.259, p<0.01), BMI(t=2.942, p=0.007), and waist circumference(t=2.582, p=0.016); however these scores did not demonstrate a significant decrease in participants of the control group. The other variables showed no significant difference between the groups. Conclusion: The 'jeol' meditation program evidently reduced stress, anxiety, depression, body weight, and waist circumference in women, which suggests that this program could be employed as a mind-body therapies.