• Anxiety and mood
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.48-55
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• 2023

Objective : This study aims to investigate the concept of mental health literacy, its evolution, and its significance in modern healthcare practices. Methods : This paper reviews the evolution of mental health literacy, examining pertinent studies both within the country and internationally. It also addresses the limitations and challenges associated with mental health diagnoses. Results : Findings from various studies indicate that public awareness and recognition of mental health issues are generally inadequate. Identified causes of mental health conditions by study participants point to personal and societal influences, while biological factors are frequently neglected. In South Korea, there is a notable preference for non-professional support over psychiatric interventions. Conclusion : This study highlights the growing importance of mental health literacy in today's society, emphasizing the need for accurate understanding of mental health issues and effective treatment approaches. Similar to physical health literacy, mental health literacy should be considered a basic human right. This perspective marks a shift from a knowledge monopoly held by experts to the inclusion and active involvement of 'people with lived experience' in the mental health service system.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.236-243
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• 2014

Objectives: Despite the recent emphasis on a patient-centered chronic care model, few studies have investigated its use in older adults in South Korea. We explored how older Korean adults perceive and cope with their chronic illness. Methods: We conducted focus group interviews in Seoul, Korea in January 2010. Focus groups were formed by disease type (hypertension and type 2 diabetes) and gender using purposive sampling. Inclusion criteria were patients aged 60 and over who had been diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension and received care at a community health center for at least six months prior to participation. Interview data were analyzed through descriptive content analysis. Results: Among personal factors, most participants felt overwhelmed when they received their diagnosis. However, with time and control of their acute symptoms using medication, their worry diminished and participants tended to denying being identified as a patient or sick person. Among socio-familial factors, participants reported experiencing stigma with their chronic illness and feeling it was a symbol of weakness. Instead of modifying their lifestyles, which might interfere with their social relationships, they resorted to only following their medicine regime prescribed by their doctor. Participants also reported feeling that their doctor only prescribed medications and acted in an authoritative and threatening manner to induce and reinforce participants' compliance with treatment. Conclusions: For successful patient-centered management of chronic illnesses, supportive environments that include family, friends, and healthcare providers should be established.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2018

Objectives: To identify the associations of characteristics of the neighborhood environment with substance abuse among clients receiving treatment for drug abuse in Thailand. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted of 1128 drug addicts from 28 neighborhoods who were receiving treatment at all 7 compulsory drug detention centers in Thailand. A trained interviewer conducted structured interviews with the subjects about substance use and the perceived neighborhood environment in their community. A multilevel logistic regression model was applied to estimate the effects of the neighborhood environment on substance use. Results: The majority of participants, 53.8% only used methamphetamine pills, 31.3% used other illicit drugs as well as methamphetamine pills, and 14.9% used an illicit drug other than methamphetamine. Three neighborhood characteristics were associated with substance use. A 1-unit increase in the perceived neighborhood cohesion score was associated with a 15% reduction in methamphetamine pill use and an 11% reduction of the use of both methamphetamine pills and another illicit drug. Conversely, a 1-unit increase in perceived neighborhood crime predicted 19 and 14% increases in the use of methamphetamine pills and the use of both methamphetamine pills and another illicit drug, respectively. In addition, a 1-unit increase in the scores for stigma surrounding addiction corresponded to a 25% increase of the use of methamphetamine pills and a 12% increase in the use of both methamphetamine pills and another illicit drug. Conclusions: Substance use among drug addicts was influenced by characteristics of the neighborhood environment. Therefore, prevention and intervention strategies should be designed based on a consideration of the impact of neighborhood context on substance use behaviors.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.209-231
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• 2012

Recently, the many anti- stigma program use the 'mental illness is an illness like any other biogenetic illness' approach. This is based on Weiner's attribution affection theory. However, mental illness is difficult to be applied with attribution affection premise because attributing no blame for mental problem(biogenetic cause) leads to fear and dangerousness. We proposed a modified attribution affection model that explains the relations between biogenetic causal belief and social distance. Our model assumed that attributing personal responsibility for each mental problem leads to anger and social distance. And attributing no blame for mental problem(biogenetic causal belief) reinforces perception of dangerousness and social distance. This study presented typical vignettes of schizophrenia, depression and alcoholism according to the diagnosis criteria of DSM-IV to 768 university students randomly. Path analysis was used to test modified attribution affection model. The major findings are, First our original model modified partially for fit index. So final model assumed that i) The more respondents believed personal responsibility, the more anger, the more anger reaction corresponded closely with more social distance. ii) biogenetic causal beliefs leads to a worsening of dangerousness and perception of dangerousness leads to a increasing of social distance. Second, multi-group analysis was conducted to verify how a modified attribution affection model would be applicable to three groups. The result is that there is no difference among three groups. Finding from this research suggest to change anti-stigma program that use medical model.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.3639-3644
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• 2015

Oral, cervical and breast cancers, which are either preventable and/or amenable to early detection and treatment, are the leading causes of cancer-related morbidity and mortality in India. In this paper, we describe implementation science research priorities to catalyze the prevention and control of these cancers in India. Research priorities were organized using a framework based on the implementation science literature and the World Health Organization's definition of health systems. They addressed both community-level as well as health systems-level issues. Community-level or "pull" priorities included the need to identify effective strategies to raise public awareness and understanding of cancer prevention, monitor knowledge levels, and address fear and stigma. Health systems-level or "push" and "infrastructure" priorities included dissemination of evidence-based practices, testing of point-of-care technologies for screening and diagnosis, identification of appropriate service delivery and financing models, and assessment of strategies to enhance the health workforce. Given the extent of available evidence, it is critical that cancer prevention and treatment efforts in India are accelerated. Implementation science research can generate critical insights and evidence to inform this acceleration.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.173-184
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• 2023

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has been challenging the healthcare service, i.e., the vitalization of the point of care accompanying self-testing in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDs). This study aims to suggest priority criteria to classify self-testing IVDs using the analytic hierarchy process technique. Methods: Two dimensions of the characteristics embedded in the IVDs and the diseases to be diagnosed with self-testing IVDs were parallelly considered and independently investigated. In addition, three expert panels consisting of laboratory medical doctors (n=11), clinicians (n=10), and citizens (n=11) who have an interest in the selection of self-testing IVDs were asked to answer to questionnaires. Priorities were derived and compared among each expert panel. Results: First of all, ease of specimen collection (0.241), urgency of the situation (0.224), and simplicity of device operation (0.214) were found to be the most important criteria in light of the functional characteristics of self-testing IVDs. Medical doctors valued the ease of specimen collection, but the citizen's panel valued self-management of the disease more. Second, considering the characteristics of the diseases, the priority criteria were shown in the order of prevalence of diseases (0.421), fatality of disease (0.378), and disease with stigma (0.201). Third, medical doctors responded that self-testing IVDs were more than twice as suitable for non-communicable diseases as compared to communicable diseases (0.688 vs. 0.312), but the citizen's group responded that self-testing IVDs were slightly more suitable for infectious diseases (0.511 vs. 0.489). Conclusion: Our findings suggested that self-testing IVDs could be primarily classified as the items for diagnosis of non-communicable diseases for the purpose of self-management with easy specimen collection and simple operation of devices, taking into account the urgency of the situation as well as prevalence and fatality of the disease.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.57-76
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• 2017

Since the 1990s, Korea has been developing various policies and materials for the improvement of basic learning abilities. In this study, the cases of policies for underachievers in Korea and the US were compared and analyzed the programs for mathematics underachievers in elementary school with Chuncheon office of education and Seattle public schools. All of them started from the point of relief of underachievers, but they differed in the process of operating them specifically. This study suggests the followings. First, active utilization of vacation programs to solve problems such as low-income meal service, prevention of stigma effects, securing teacher's instruction time, teacher-instructor cooperation. Second, the necessity of detailed activity-centered textbooks that underachievers can explore with interest in mathematics learning and easy to use by teachers. Third, specific cooperation for inducing interest of their own children's learning and forming close ties between parents and teachers. Fourth, program analysis by a professional evaluation group to improve the quality of underachiever program.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.89-109
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• 2016

The purposes of this study were to analyze and understand the life of mothers rearing children with Down syndrome and to present basic data for overcoming the difficulties of those families. For these purposes, this study made use of the phenomenological analysis and approach with a qualitative research method. The subjects of this study are 4 mothers rearing children with Down syndrome who are beyond school age. The results were as follows. First, the reason why mothers with Down syndrome children went through psychological shock and horror was the social stigma due to the unusual appearance of children with Down syndrome. Second, the isolation with in the public education system was disclosed as a factor causing much sorrow and pain. Through this, we can recognize the importance of ensuring the equal right to receive education of children with Down syndrome. Third, the period which the mother experienced most shock and confusion was right after finding out about the disability that her child has. So, we can identify the importance of early intervention providing psychotherapy and rearing service to the parents. Fourth, the crucial factor that relieved pain and pressure from mothers was social support including family. Therefore, the social support system for mothers with Down syndrome children has to be developed and strengthened. Fifth, the crucial factor that made mother grow up during rearing experience was the reestablishment of cognition about the desired role of mothers. Through this, we can identify the importance of the mental transition process to independent thinking.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.37-45
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to analyze the cognizance of North Korean refugee by applying Q methodology, as well as to provide preliminary data for improving North Korean refugee's image. The study process let P sample, the study participants, use Q-sorting methodology to sort Q sample, which is composed of statements. 18 participants sorted 32 statements and 3 types of North Korean refugee cognizance were produced as a result. Those types are 1(N=8), 2(N=6), and 3(N=4), which are type favorable, type whereas negative stereotypical, and type neutralist. Favorable types agreed to ensure North Korean refugee groups' rights as a general protection, whereas negative stereotypical types had strong discrimination and prejudice towards North Korean refugee groups due to lack of related knowledge. Furthermore, neutralist types showed an objection to negative stereotypes against North Korean refugee, but they did not entirely agree to North Korean refugee either. It is necessary to develop a detailed strategy to improve the social image of North Korean refugee.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.459-467
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• 2014

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to suggest the strategies for improvement of home-delivered meal services for the elderly, to identify reasons for recipients to get started with the services and to evaluate the attitude, acceptability and adaptation of recipients to the services from the perspective of life context. Methods: The data was collected through face-to-face in-depth interviews with eighteen low-income elderly recipients of home-delivered meals and analyzed using a qualitative research method. Results: The results were deduced as four themes which comprised of long-term vulnerable socioeconomic contexts resulted in entry to the services, conflicting acceptability to the services, passive adaptation to taking the services, and positive practices to cope with supplement free meals or other services. The service participation was initiated because of a combination of prolonged, vulnerable socioeconomic contexts, including poverty and unexpected life events such as diseases, disability, living alone, aging and unemployment. With regard to taking the services, conflicting acceptability was observed: positive aspects including saving living cost and good quality of meals, and negative aspects including lack of a tailored service and feeling of stigma. Although the recipients needed an individualized service, they did not express their needs and demands for the services and they accepted the unavailability as an accustomed, prolonged vulnerable socioeconomic context. With regard to lack of tailored services, either self-solution such as modification of eating patterns or community-based network and services were used. Conclusions: We suggest that a system to concretely identify recipients' attitude, acceptability and adaptation for home-delivered meal services should be developed in the establishment of a tailored nutrition support system for the low-income elderly.