• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.22 no.6 s.72
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• pp.13-26
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of personal, familial, educational, internet factor on adolescent's self-esteem according to the age and gender. The participants were 2,229 male and female students attending to middle and high schools. The results of this study were as follows: First, the self-esteem score of middle school students was higher than the score of high school students. Second, there were differences between females and males in several aspects. In order to explore and identify patterns of these differences, hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted with separate groups (male middle school students, female middle school students, male high school students, and female high school students). Third, female middle school students' self esteem was affected by familial and educational factors. Male middle school students' self esteem was affected by familial factor, particularly by parental marital conflict. In the case of female high school students, self esteem was associated with economic variables (spending money and subjective economic level). Male high school students' self esteem was affected b? the level of use of the internet.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.358-367
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• 1998

The study purpose was to investigate psychosocial factors related to smoking among adolescent boys. The Theory of Planned Behavior provide the basis for the study. Twenty-five attitudinal beliefs, 9 normative beliefs and 20control beliefs were identified through questionnaire development. The data were analyzed using t-test and χ2-test. Thirty-three percent of 300 students were smokers. Most of the beliefs examined were significantly different between smokers(n=92) and nonsmokers(n=92). With respect to attitudinal beliefs, smokers responded less negatively on the items of bad health effects of smoking such as sore throat, headache, chest pain, risk of cancer and bad blood circulation(p<0.001), and decreased physical strength(p<0.05). Smokers believed less negatively on the items that smoking leads to bothering others, bad breath, yellow teeth and making them spend money(p<0.001). In contrast, smokers felt more positively on smoking as a means of stress management, relaxing, helping digestion(P<0.001). Smokers felt less pressure for not smoking from significant others. Especially mother, siblings, friends, girl friends, seniors of school were important sources of influence regarding subject's smoking. Smokers felt less confident in controlling the urge to smoke in several situations including; when they were with friends or asked to smoke by friends; after the meal, or drinking; when they were bored or stressed, upset, and when they felt unstable(p<0.001). Smokers also scored lower on specific skills to quit or control the urge to smoke as well as overall perceived control, compared to nonsmokers(p<0.001). These results suggest that interventions for adolescents incorporate diverse strategies to increase the perceived control over smoking in specific situations as well as overall perceived control, to help them realize and modify attitudinal beliefs, and to elicit support from significant others for not smoking. (Korean J Community Nutrition 3(3) : 358∼367,1998)

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.832-839
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• 1997

The purpose of this study is to survey the prevalence of obesity assessed on the basis of height and weight among students in primary and secondary schools in the metropolitan area of Seoul, Korea during the period of 1979 to 1996. The major findings are as follows ; 1) The fiftieth percentile values of BMI have increased more in mid-ranged age group than upper(16-17 years old) and lower(6-7 years old) ranged age groups. 2) The prevalence of obesity by standard weight of height was higher among male students than female students and students in the primary schools showed higher weight increase than adolescent age(12-17 years old) group. As a whole, the prevalence of obesity over last 18 years has increased 4.6 times in males and 3.2 times in females. 3) Judged on the basis of the BMI 90th, 95th percentile values of 1979 , the prevalence of obesity among male students showed higher increases than among female students. Higher increase was also observed among primary school students than among middle and high school students. Increase of weight was higher for the $\geq$95th percentile group than the 90-95th percentile group. 4) Judged on the basis of the BMI, 90th, 95 th percentile values of NHANES-I, the $\geq$95th percentile group showed higher increase in the prevalence of obesity than the 90-95th percentile group. According to the 1996 data, severe obesity group ($\geq$95th percentile) was about two times of NHANES-I in male primary school students, while the number for female middle and high school students was about 1/5 of NHANES-I.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.153-160
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• 2010

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prenatal, perinatal, and infancy history of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared to unaffected siblings (SIB) and typically developing children (TC). Methods: Subjects with ASD, their SIB, and TC were recruited. All subjects were assessed using both the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (K-ADI-R) and the Korean version of Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (K-ADOS) and were subsequently identified as affected or unaffected. Prenatal, perinatal, and infancy history was obtained from the primary caregivers and each facet was compared in those with ASD, the SIB, and the TC groups using SPSS ver. 17.0 (p<.05). Results: 70 individuals with ASD (63 males, 87.94${\pm}$37.8months), 53 SIB (27 males, 85.4087.94${\pm}$48.06 months), and 32 TC (19 males, 104.1987.94${\pm}$23.409 months) were analyzed. The ASD group showed significantly higher rates of insufficient vaccination as they aged age ($x^2$=15.54, p=.000). Among the scheduled vaccinations, the DPT vaccination ($x^2$=10.08, p=.006) was insufficient in ASD groups. The ASD group also showed higher rates of sleep disturbances from infancy. Differences in maternal/paternal age at conception, gestational age, and growth parameters at birth were not significantly difference among the three groups. Conclusion: These results do not support the previous controversies regarding the relationship between prenatal/perinatal complications and ASD. However, these results indicate that perinatal and prenatal factors may contribute to the development of ASD.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.299-306
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• 2002

This study was undertaken to compare the obesity related dietary factors among rural middle school students living in the Daegu.Kyungbuk area. Anthropometric data showed that mean height and weight were 162.7$\pm$8.6cm and 53.9$\pm$9.8kg in 220 male students and 158.4$\pm$6.2cm and 51.0$\pm$7.6kg in 210 female student. Mean BMIs for boys and girls were 19.00$\pm$2.35 and 19.30$\pm$2.45, respectively. 71.36% of male students and 71.9% of female students were underweight by the BMI index. Students who skipped the breakfast were up to 66.8%. The reasons for skipping a meal for both sexes were significantly different. Compared to males, more female respondents felt guilty and depressed related to eating. Furthermore, females were more significantly concerned about body image, diet and body weight (p<0.001), and they were not satisfied with their weight. The sources of information on obesity and diet were radio and TV in males, while females gathered information from magazines and friends. The ideal body weight of male students was heavier than the actual body weight while female students desired a thinner body shape. In conclusion, a different approach for nutrition education based on sex should be developed, and implemented fur adolescents.

• 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 Social Welfare Studies
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.467-491
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to examine relationship between social strains such as status strains and relational strains and adolescent suicidality by gender. As method, a self-report survey was completed by students (n = 819) from 3 middle schools in Seodaemun area, Seoul, Korea. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with adolescent suicidality, t-test analyses were used to verify gender difference. Results show that male adolescents are more likely to experience abuse from their father, and school violence related to relational strains than female. Differences were found in strains for males and females contributing to suicidality; male are responsive to economic status, a dimension of status strain, whereas female are reactive to non-physical abuse from father, a type of relational strains. Non-physical school violence was appeared to be a significant factor influencing suicidality for both genders. Based on these findings, research draws implications for social work interventions. First, different approaches by gender are needed to prevent adolescent suicide in consideration of the tendency that men are status-oriented and women are relationship-oriented. Second, it is suggested to hire full-time school social worker to provide consistent social service for students. Third, intensive effort is necessary to reduce non-physical school violence.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.114-119
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• 2016

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the reference values and factors influencing blood lead levels among Korean adolescents. Methods: The study population consisted of 1,585 adolescents (801 males, 784 females; aged 10-19 years) who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010-2013. We analyzed blood lead concentrations in relation to demographic/lifestyle characteristics for all participants. "Reference values" of blood lead levels were calculated as the upper limit of the 95% confidence interval of the 95th percentile. Results: The average "reference value" for blood lead concentrations among Korean adolescents was $2.25{\mu}g/dL$ ($2.49{\mu}g/dL$ for males, $2.07{\mu}g/dL$ for females), and the geometric mean of the blood lead concentrations was $1.34{\mu}g/dL$. Males had higher blood lead concentrations than females (male, $1.48{\mu}g/dL$; female, $1.19{\mu}g/dL$; P<0.001). Elementary school students had higher blood lead concentrations than junior and senior high school students ($1.44{\mu}g/dL$ vs. $1.31{\mu}g/dL$, P<0.001). Participants living in detached houses had higher blood lead concentrations than those living in apartments (P<0.001) and current smokers had higher concentrations than nonsmokers or participants with secondhand smoke exposure (P<0.05). Additionally, participants with excessive alcohol consumption had higher levels than non-drinkers (P<0.001). Conclusion: This study provides national reference data on blood lead concentrations stratified by demographic and lifestyle factors among Korean adolescents. Further studies are needed to elucidate the relationship between increased lead exposure and demographic factors including type of housing.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.153-165
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• 2017

Objectives : Recent neuroimaging studies focus on dysfunctions in connectivity between cognitive circuits and emotional circuits: anterior cingulate cortex that connects dorsolateral orbitofrontal cortex and prefrontal cortex to limbic system. Previous studies on pediatric depression using DTI have reported decreased neural connectivity in several brain regions, including the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, superior longitudinal fasciculus. We compared the neural connectivity of psychotropic drug naïve adolescent patients with a first onset of major depressive episode with healthy controls using DTI. Methods : Adolescent psychotropic drug naïve patients(n=26, 10 men, 16 women; age range, 13-18 years) who visited the Korea University Guro Hospital and were diagnosed with first onset major depressive disorder were registered. Healthy controls(n=27, 5 males, 22 females; age range, 12-17 years) were recruited. Psychiatric interviews, complete psychometrics including IQ and HAM-D, MRI including diffusion weighted image acquisition were conducted prior to antidepressant administration to the patients. Fractional anisotropy(FA), radial, mean, and axial diffusivity were estimated using DTI. FMRIB Software Library-Tract Based Spatial Statistics was used for statistical analysis. Results : We did not observe any significant difference in whole brain analysis. However, ROI analysis on right superior longitudinal fasciculus resulted in 3 clusters with significant decrease of FA in patients group. Conclusions : The patients with adolescent major depressive disorder showed statistically significant FA decrease in the DTI-based structure compared with healthy control. Therefore we suppose DTI can be used as a bio-marker in psychotropic drug-naïve adolescent patients with first onset major depressive disorder.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2011

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to explore the influences of adolescents' smoking on the stress level according to gender. Methods: We used the data from the 2008 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between the period of Jan. and Dec. 2008. The target population of this study is 805 adolescents in the 12~19 years old. Results: 22.0% of male adolescents and 11.8% of female adolescents were current smokers. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that stress level was associated with self-reported health status, drinking, and smoking among males. Among females, stress level was associated with BMI. Conclusion: The results of this study would help to develop smoking prevention programs and health promotion strategies for adolescents.