• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.40-48
• /
• 2004

Objective:Event-related potentials(ERPs) are electrical changes recorded at the surface of the scalp in response to stimulus presentation, and their latency and amplitude change according to cognitive processes. Through past studies of the auditory ERP in schizophrenia, the P300 has been reported to be statistically smaller and delayed in schizophrenia than comparison groups. However, studies of the visual ERP have not been systematically examined. The present study was designed to investigate the visual P300 in patients with schizophrenia and normal controls and to compare the pattern of P300 between them. Methods:The subjects were composed of patients(N=22) with schizophrenia by DSM-IV and normal controls(N=22). The visual ERPs were measured by the visual continuous performance test. P300 amplitude and latency measured on 5 scalp electrodes(Fz, Cz, Pz, $T_7$, $T_8$) were compared between patients and controls. Results:The P300 latencies measured on Fz, Cz, Pz, and $T_7$ electrodes were significantly longer in patients than controls(p<0.05). The P300 amplitudes in patients were smaller than controls. However, the difference between them was not statistically significant. Conclusion:Analysis of the visual ERPs showed that the P300 latency is significantly delayed and the P300 amplitude is slightly smaller in patients than controls. These results are similar to established studies of the auditory P300 in schizophrenia.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.88-107
• /
• 2000

The Alcoholics Anonymous(AA) program has been known to be effective in many countries in helping alcoholics to stop drinking and to change their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. In this study, we examined AA activities among Korean AA members and measured the self-evaluated physical, social, and mental changes following the entry into the AA program. Out of identified 300 AA members who were attending 18 different AA group meetings at the time of the survey, 207 completed the self-administered questionnaire(response rate of 69.0%). T-test and ANOVA were used to compare the scores of physica(4-items), social(4-items), and menta(10-items) changes according to the level of AA activities. The proportion of the respondents who practiced the 11th step (meditation) or the 12th step (take alcoholics to a meeting after carrying messages) on the regular basis was 66.6% and 37.2%, respectively. The average time spent in meditation per week was $4.8{\pm}5.47$ hours. The length of participation in AA meetings has significantly positive impact on the average score of changes in all the 3 health states; physical(p<.01), social(p<.05), and mental states(p<.01). Also, practicing the 11th step was significantly associated with improvement of social(p<.01) and mental(p<.05), while practicing the 12th step improved only mental states(p<.01). Our findings demonstrated that not only the length of participation in AA meetings but also the practice of regular meditation(11th step) and taking alcoholics to an AA meeting after carrying messages(12th step) are very important for AA members, and lead to great positive changes in physical, social, and mental states following entry into the AA program.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.788-805
• /
• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to verify the impact of Habitat for Humanity Korea's disaster risk reduction intervention on the mental health and satisfaction with life among residents of southern Bangladesh who had constantly suffered from disaster stress due to perennial flooding. Method: The target group was 138 residents who were pre-surveyed in August 2020 and post-surveyed in November 2021. The interventions consisted of individual incremental housing, public facilities for evacuation, and disaster response training for capacity development. The data were analysed using paired sample t-tests for pre-post changes and one-way analysis of variance to identify differences between treatment groups. Result: The results showed significant improvements in residents' depression, anxiety, somatisation and satisfaction with life after the intervention, with significant differences in mental health levels between the intervention treatments. Specifically, relatively higher disaster mitigation effects were found for individual infrastructure improvements and employment facilities compared to disaster response drills. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the positive role of Habitat for Humanity Korea's disaster risk reduction interventions on the mental health recovery of disaster victims and suggest practical approaches that can be applied in disaster risk areas.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.71-82
• /
• 2018

Stress involves changes in behavior, autonomic function and the secretion of hormones. Autonomic nervous system (ANS) contributes to physiological adaptive process in short durations. In particular, heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is commonly used as a quantitative marker depicting the ANS activity related to mental stress. The aim of this study is to investigate correlations between psychological responses to stress and HRV indices induced by the cognitive stressor. Thirty-three participants rated their mental and physical symptoms occurred during the past two weeks on Stress Response Inventory (SRI), which is composed of seven stress factors that may influence the status of mental stress levels. Then, they underwent the psychophysiological procedures, which are collected electrocardiogram (ECG) signals during a cognitive stress task. HRV indices, the standard deviation of R-R interval (SDNN), root mean square of successive R-R interval difference (RMSSD) and low frequency (LF)/high frequency (HF) ratio were extracted from ECG signals. Physiological responses were calculated stress responses by subtracting mean of the baseline from the mean of recovery. Stress factors such as tension, aggression, depression, fatigue, and frustration were positively correlated to HRV indices. In particular, aggression had significant positive correlations to SDNN, RMSSD and LF/HF ratio. Increased aggressive responses to stress correlated with the increases of all HRV indices. This means the increased autonomic coactivation. Additionally, tension, depression, fatigue, and frustration were positively associated with RMSSD reflecting increases in parasympathetic activation. The autonomic coactivation may represent an integrated response to specific cognitive reactions such as the orienting response.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.219-228
• /
• 1982

This study aimed at assessing the industrial workers' mental health status and identifing the relationship between mental health status and socio-demographic variables. We administered psychiatric self report rating scale (SCL-90)to 622 manual workers and 191 office workers in a textile .industry. The study began on 1 November, 1981 and lasted for 30 days The results were as follow: 1. Scores of symptom dimension were higher in female rather than male, younger than older, lower income group than higher one, lower educated group than higher one, manual workers than office workers and unmarried group than married one respectively. 2. The result of dimension scores of total samples showed that the score of Obsessive-compulsive scale was highest. The rest symptom dimension showed the order as follows: Interpersonal sensitivity, Depression, Hostility, Anxiety, Paranoid ideation, Somatization, Psychoticism and Phobic anxiety. 3. In order to identify the partial contribution of each socio-demographic variables on the mental health, multiple regression method was applied, and the result was as follows. 1) Sex was the most important one to explain the Somatization, Phobic-anxiety and Psychoticism scales among the 7 variables in the multiple regression equation. 2) Economic status was the most important variable to explein the Obsessive-compulsive, Depression and Hostility scales. 3) Marital status was the most important variable to explain the Interpersonal-sensitivity and Paranoid ideation scales.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.5-14
• /
• 2011

Neuroimaging in psychiatry encompasses the powerful tools available for the in vivo study of brain structure and function. MRI including the volumetry, voxel-base morphometry(VBM) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) are useful for assessing brain structure, whereas function MRI, positron emission tomography(PET) and magnetoencephalography(MEG) are well established for probing brain function. These tools are well tolerated by the vast majority of psychiatric patients because they provide a powerful but noninvasive means to directly evaluate the brain. Although neuroimaging technology is currently used only to rule in or rule out general medical conditions as opposed to diagnosing primary mental disorders, it may be used to confirm or make psychiatric diagnoses in the future. In addition, neuroimaging may be valuable for predicting the natural course of psychiatric illness as well as treatment response.

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.31-44
• /
• 2021

The net function of the domestic medical insurance system is highly regarded, but due to the problem of incomplete coverage, the public wants to secure coverage through private medical insurance subscription. As a result, the subscription rate of private medical insurance has recently increased, and the billing rate has also increased. As the number of people seeking private medical insurance increased, workers at private medical insurance companies are experiencing increased job stress and side effects, especially for insurance reviewers who are in charge of paying insurance, such as communicating with customers who claimed insurance and contributing to the company's profit. In response, this study analyzed the effects of job stress on mental health of insurance reviewers and conducted a descriptive survey study to reduce job stress of insurance reviewers and promote mental health. The analysis shows that job stress for insurance reviewers has a significant impact on mental health (+). In detail, job stress has a significant impact on all four factors: social performance and self-confidence, depression, sleeping disturbance and anxiety, and general well-being and vitality. This study showed that job stress in insurance reviewers has a significant (+) impact on mental health. Job stress can cause side effects in organizational aspects, such as reducing enthusiasm for job performance and increasing turnover and resignation rates, but it can also worsen individual physical health and cause diseases such as depression and anxiety, causing mental health to be impoverished. Therefore, in order to prevent this, appropriate work stress prevention methods and countermeasures should be provided to help reduce work stress and improve mental health.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.433-439
• /
• 2003

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among subjective symptoms, depression, and stress coping behavior of university students. Method: The survey was carried out on a convenience sample of 298 university students. The questionnaire consisted of each scale for symptoms, depression, and stress coping behaviors. Data analysis procedure included the factor analysis for stress coping behaviors, and the correlation analysis describing a relationship among symptoms, depression, and stress coping behaviors. Result: There were significant correlations between depression and the three types of symptoms: general, psychological, and somatic symptom. Subjects using the negative-emotional-response coping and the self-control coping showed a more severe depression, and those using the problem-solvingㆍreappraisal coping and the positive-emotional-response coping showed a milder depression. Subjects using the negative-emotional-response coping complained of all 3 types of symptoms severely, and those using the positive-emotional-response coping complained of general symptoms mildly. Of five stress coping methods, the negative-emotional-response and the positive-emotional-response coping methods were related to both symptoms and depression significantly. Conclusion: This study suggests that the emotional-oriented coping method has more important role for university student’s depression and their subjective symptoms than the problem-oriented coping or social supports seeking coping. Further study needs to be conducted to help students effective coping mechanism for good mental health. Also it is necessary for university students to recognize that their symptoms are associated with depression.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.353-362
• /
• 2012

Objective: The aim of this study is developing the navigation radar display of navy ship with ecological interface design (EID) framework. Background: Navy ship radar operator must perform navigation support tasks by monitoring the complex and diverse information presented on the radar display. Current radar display is limited in effective navigation aid and response to an unusual state immediately. It is necessary to develop an effective radar display. Method: Ten navy radar operators performed a series of trials in a low-fidelity radar simulation in which they attempted to solve the problems of current navigation situation. Results: The result demonstrated that the ecological interface's performance was better than the existing radar display on performance time and subjective mental workload. Conclusion: This study expand EID study field to navy ship radar display and confirm ecological display is better than existing radar display in performance time, subjective mental work load. Application: The result of this study may help to improve navy ship navigation radar display currently in use.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Emotion and Sensibility Conference
• /
• 2001.05a
• /
• pp.121-124
• /
• 2001

Using ordors with the different concentration of essential oils, e studied the effect of a pleasant olfactory stimulation on physiological responses. we examined psychological response, mental task and changes in cardiac, immunity and EEG in responses to 150times solution (feel easily) and 500times solution (feel with difficulty) which of essential oil (called PCK) were diluted in propylene glycol, and neutral (water). The 150times solution that was felt pleasant produced significant differences (p<0.05) in relative power change of beta activity in the left frontal region (Fp1, F3, F7) of the brain, and heart rate (HR) deceleration after mental task. these results are consistent with substantial research that has documented cardiac and EEG responses to pleasant stimuli. What is more, 150times solution increased the concentration of s-IgA know as an index of immunity.