• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.68-74
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• 2009

Objectives : Illness behavior is defined as the persistence of an adaptive/maladaptive mode of perceiving, evaluating and responding to health status and symptoms according to the status. In a cognitive aspect, somatizing symptoms are regarded as being originated from distortions, including magnification and/or amplification, of perceiving, evaluating and responding to symptoms such as bodily sensations. That is somatization may be explained by maladaptive illness behavior. In this study, we tried to investigate differences of illness behavior in depressive patient according to the presence of somatization. Methods : We divided 45 patients who were diagnosed as depression with ICD-10 diagnostic criteria into two groups(somatizing and non-somatizing group) according to the somatization subscale of Korean Depression Scale and compared two groups in the differences of illness behavior using the Illness Behavior Questionnaire. Results : Somatizing group showed significantly higher scores than non-somatizing group on the disease affirmation subscale($6.79{\pm}2.08$ vs. 4.76, p=0.003) and the denial subscale($3.25{\pm}1.22$ vs. $2.10{\pm}1.41$, p=0.006). There were no significant differences between two groups on the general hypochondriasis subscale and the affective unstability subscale. In a logistic regression analysis, somatizing group also showed higher odds ratio (OR) scores on the disease affirmation subscale(OR=1.418, p=0.089) and the denial subscale(OR=1.880, p=0.083). Conclusion : The disease affirmation and denial may be a discriminative mechanism of somatization in depressive patients. These subscales of Illness Behavior Questionnare could be useful markers, and psychiatric illnesses with somatizing and depressive symptoms may be differentially diagnosed and be predicted through these subscales.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.10-22
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• 2010

Purpose: Through a thorough examination of the CCSC (Community Comprehensive Support Center) system in Japan, this study suggests a scheme to provide community-based preventive health care services for the elderly in Korea. Methods: The study inquired into the applicability of the Japanese model by reviewing the data related to the CCSC project, aided by both in-depth interviews with staff in the field and consultations with specialists. Results: Rearrangement of the Visiting Health Management Project system is needed to manage the collective or individual visiting care management for frailty prevention of the elderly in communities. The delegated service system for preventive care in the community, including direct management by one of the public health centers, also needs to be reviewed and the application of stricter standards for the selection of the agency or corporation to run the delegated service is necessary. Long-Term Care Insurance, along with national and local grants, is to be considered as a financial resource for the community-based preventive health care model for the elderly. By making active use of education rooms at district offices, senior citizen centers in neighborhoods for the elderly with easy access can be created. The project needs to raise active supports from communities, develop programs which can be absorbed into particular local cultures, and promote the understanding of the preventive project in local communities. The preventive program should focus on first solving the problems of depression, seclusion, and lack of mobility of the elderly. Second, the program should instruct physical self-management for exercise-nutrition-dental maintenance, and third, the program should strengthen the cognitive abilities of the elderly. In addition, it is necessary to systematize and implement counter-plans of the family and community to protect the elderly who has mental and cognitive problems. Finally, by establishing a network of public health welfare resources based upon research on a community level, assessment and planning for the health of the elderly should be one with their family, and comprehensive consultation and recommendations should be provided to the family. Conclusion: Taking into consideration the experience Japan has had with respect to a similar project, it is appropriate to develop and implement a service system which would combine the Visiting Health Management Project system which has already been established and a preventive health care model for the elderly on a community level.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2014

Objectives : Homocysteine has been associated with cognitive impairment and various psychiatric symptoms. This study was designed to examine the relationship exists between plasma homocysteine concentration and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia(BPSD). Methods : 41 subjects with dementia of Alzheimer's type were included in this study. We carried out history taking, physical examination, and cognitive assessment for the diagnosis of dementia of Alzheimer's type based on DSM-IV. We scored the Mini Mental State Examination(MMSE), Global Deterioration Scale(GDS), Clinical Dementia Rating(CDR), and the Korean Neuropsychiatric Inventory(K-NPI). We also measured levels of homocysteine, folate, and vitamin $B_{12}$ in the plasma. Results : We found statistically significant positive correlations between homocysteine concentration with NPI total score, and with scores of several sub-domains such as delusion, agitation/aggression, depression/dysphoria, and elation/euphoria. No significant correlation existed between homocysteine levels and scores of MMSE, GDS, and CDR. Conclusions : This study shows that plasma homocysteine levels are associated with BPSD. Further research is necessary to identify pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying these relationships.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.130-147
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• 2001

This study is about major symptoms of elderly and medical services for elderly in long-tenn care facilities. The subject of this study was 298 patients over 00 years old staying in two geriatric hospitals and two nursing homes. The symptoms and medical services were level of patient classification from RUG(Resource Utilization Group)-III which is applied for both Medicare and Medicaid for skilled nursing facilities reimbursement system in US and designed for measuring patient characteristics and medical staff time. This classification is explained by each patient resource(staff time) utilization level which is called CMI(Case-Mix Index). In this study, the symptoms and services were compared by facility type and they were categorized by level and compared by CMI. Major findings are as follows; 1. There were more elderly who have cognitive function problems in nursing homes than patients in geriatric hospitals. There were more patients with behavioral problems in geriatric hospitals than residents in nursing homes. These results were both statistically significant. 2. The patients in geriatric hospitals received significantly more nursing rehabilitation services, rehabilitation services and extensive services than residents in nursing homes. Other hands, special care services were provided significantly more to residents in nursing homes than elderly in geriatric hospitals. 3. ADL and depression variables had higher CMI when the symptoms were heavier condition. The CMI were not matched with levels of cognitive function problems and behavioral problems. 4. The CMI matched well significantly with levels of nursing rehabilitation services, special care services, and clinically complex services provided for the patient in geriatric hospitals and only nursing rehabilitation services in nursing homes. The CMI for rehabilitation services level and extensive services had regular trends. From the result of this study, the resource utilization level and services provided for elderly in each long-term care facilities were figured out. For the further study, it needs to have more concern about RUG-ill which classification variables were just analyzed.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.293-302
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• 2019

This study systematically analyzed computer-based driving intervention programs for seniors, to provide the academic background for driving intervention for seniors. Articles published from January 2009 till December 2018 were researched and analyzed. 'PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct' were used to search articles published overseas, and 'RISS, KERIS, and KISS' searched for articles published in Korea. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, totally 359 papers were retrieved, and 10 articles were finally analyzed; 8 articles (80%) were evidence level I, and 2 articles (20%) were evidence level III. Amongst the computer-based interventions, driving simulators (70%) were the most common, followed by two video image training (20%) and one Nintendo Wii program (10%). In most studies, driving simulators trained the cognitive and visual abilities of seniors and enhanced their abilities to cope with risk situations under various simulated circumstances. Other interventions were also reported to have a positive effect. For evaluating elderly drivers, the driving performance evaluation using a driving simulator was the most common; in addition, evaluations of attention, space-time ability, cognitive function, risk perception, depression and anxiety were also commonly used. We believe that it is appropriate to employ computer-based driving intervention programs for seniors to train and evaluate various domains. We expect that these interventions can be used as an effective tool for safe driving.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.536-545
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• 2021

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of agarwood (Thymelaeaceae) inhalation using an electric incense burner on stress and brain waves. Sixteen participants were included in the study during the period from September 2019 to April 2020. Participant recruitment was undertaken by the 'H' center. This paper focused on stress reduction and compared the differences in stress and brain waves before and after agarwood inhalation using an electric incense burner. Electroencephalography was measured by a 19 Channel, Brainmaster Discovery, and analyzed using a NeuroGuide, LORETA (Brain Mapping). The analysis of technical statistics was carried out using SPSS/WIN 21.0 and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The study observed that the stress response index was reduced by a significance level of 0.01 in patients with anxiety, depression, and somatization disorders after agarwood inhalation. Secondly, alpha waves were increased by a significance level of 0.05, in 18 out of 19 regions measured, except FP 1. The difference after agarwood inhalation was the most significant in the region that affects emotion. Thirdly, a LORETA analysis found that alpha waves were increased in the brain region (BA 40) predominantly responsible for memory and emotion. This result clarifies that agarwood inhalation using an electric incense burner reduced stress and had a positive effect on brain waves and hence, has potential as an alternative therapy.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.97-103
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• 2021

Perilla frutescens (P. frutescens) is an important herb used for many purposes such as medicinal, aromatic, and functional food in Asian countries and has beneficial effects such as antioxidant activity, anti-inflammation activity, anti-depression activity, and anxiolytic activity. However, there have been no studies on the protective effect of P. frutescens extract (PFE) on amnesia in vivo. The present study aimed to investigate whether PFE protects memory deficit using a scopolamine-induced mice model and elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved. The protective effect of PFE against scopolamine-induced memory deficits was investigated using Y-maze, passive avoidance, and Morris water maze tests. Furthermore, the potential mechanisms of PFE in improving memory capabilities related to the cholinergic system and antioxidant activity were examined. PFE significantly increased spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze test, step-through latency in the passive avoidance test, and swimming time in the target quadrant in the probe test when compared to the scopolamine-treated group. Likewise, PFE significantly decreased escapes latency in the Morris water maze test. PFE could not regulate cholinergic function in acetylcholine level and acetylcholine esterase activity. However, PFE increased DPPH radical scavenging activity dose-dependently and total polyphenol content was 127.7±1.2 ㎍ GAE/mg. The results showed that the PFE could be a preventive and/or therapeutic candidate for memory and cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.1
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• pp.93-104
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• 2023

Life expectancy is increasing due to the aging of the population, which is in turn exacerbating problems such as the prevalence of various geriatric diseases. This study was established to provide basic data for the expansion of forest healing activities for the elderly by systematically analyzing the literature on how such activities affect this age group. For the collection of studies, the Korean databases RISS, KISS, Korea Med, and Science On were used, while PubMed, Cochrane Central, MDPI, and Google Scholar were used to identify reports published elsewhere. To assess the quality of the methodology used in the collected studies, the risk of bias was analyzed using Cochrane's RoB2 and RoBANS. Among 1,856 reports initially identified, 21 were finally selected for analysis in this study, which were limited to research papers on forest healing activities for the elderly published between 2000 and January 2022. In this review, the subjects were those aged 60 or older, with a total of 750 participants, ranging from at least 7 to a maximum of 88 per study. The analysis showed that the most frequently performed tests in each category were on depression as a psychological indicator in 7 studies, MMSE(Mini Mental State Examination) as a cognitive indicator in 2 studies, on blood pressure as a physiological indicator in 4 studies, on melatonin as a biochemical indicator in 2 studies, and on body fat and muscle strength as physical indicators in 3 studies. Of the 21 studies, 19 used two or more test items, with psychological indicators being most commonly measured. For the future application of forest healing activities for the elderly, various forest healing programs to prevent cognitive function decline should be developed and distributed, and follow-up studies should be continuously presented to provide the basis for forest healing activities.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.147-163
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• 2004

The present research investigated and compared stress coping strategies of North Korean refugees with those of South Koreans in the purpose to predict and prepare psychological conflicts expected to occur during the Korean reunification. Adapted from Han, Hur, Chae, and Kim(2001), North Korean refugees recorded their coping strategies that they would employ in stressful situations varying in term of three aspects of stress causes - 2(locus: internal/external) × 2(stability: temporal/enduring) × 2(context: individual/interpersonal) - and the responses were classified in terms of three dimensions(active/passive, approach/avoidance, cognitive/affective/behavioral). In the temporal stress situations, adaptive North Korean refugees preferred active over passive, approaching over avoiding, and behavioral over cognitive/affective stress coping strategies more than maladaptive North Korean refugees did. Also, in the stressful situations caused by external causes, they were more likely to take active rather than passive, approaching rather than avoiding copying. Although active copying strategies were preferred to passive ones by adaptive North Korean refugees in individual stressful situations, approaching copying strategies were preferred to avoiding ones by them in interpersonal stressful situations. These findings were found to be different from the pattern of South Korean's stress coping strategies in the same situations. In conclusion, the differences were discussed in the view of psychological integration during Korean reunification.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.685-698
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• 2023

This study aimed to identify binge-eating behavior and food addiction in Korean population and to determine their associations with obesity, eating behaviors, mental health and cognitive characteristics. We collected clinical questionnaire scores related to eating problems (e.g. binge eating, food addiction, food cravings), mental health (e.g. depression), and cognitive functions (e.g. impulsivity, emotion regulation) in 257 Korean adults in the normal and the obese weight ranges. Binge-eating and food addiction were most frequent in obese women (binge-eating: 46.6%, food addiction: 29.3%) when we divided the participants into 4 groups depending on gender and obesity status. The independence test using the data with propensity score matching confirmed that binge-eating and food addiction were more prevalent in obese individuals. Finally, we constructed the logistic regression models using forward selection method to evaluate the influence of various clinical questionnaire scores on binge-eating and food addiction respectively. Binge-eating was significantly associated with the clinical scales of eating disorders, food craving, state anxiety, and emotion regulation (cognitive reappraisal) as well as food addiction. Food addiction demonstrated the significant effect of food craving, binge-eating, the interaction of obesity and age, and years of education. In conclusion, we found that binge-eating and food addiction are much more frequent in females and obese individuals. Both binge-eating and food addiction commonly involved eating problems (e.g. food craving), but there was difference in mental health and cognitive risk factors. Therefore, it is required to distinguish food addiction from binge-eating and investigate intrinsic and environmental risk factors for each pathology.