• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.36-46
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• 2015

Objectives: To understand the risk factors of demographic data in geriatric depression scale, and suicidality among in elderly who live alone at one urban region. Methods:In 2009, 589 elderly who live alone(age${\geq}$65) were carried out a survey about several socio-demographic data, Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale(SGDS-K) and Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire (SIQ). Statistical analysis was performed for the collected data. Results: Mean age of elderly who live alone is 75.69(SD 6.17). 40.1% of participants uneducated, 31.4% graduate from elementary school, 12.9% graduate from high school, 11.7% graduate from middle school, 3.2% graduate from university. Religionless, having past history of depression or physical diseases, low subjective satisfaction of family situation, and not having any social group activity have significance to depressive symptoms of elderly who live alone. Having past history of depression, religionless, low subjective satisfaction of family situation have significance to suicidality. Especially, low subjective satisfaction of family situation and having past history of depression are powerful demographic factor both depressive symptoms and suicidality of elderly who live alone. Conclusions: When we take care elderly who live alone, we should consider many things, but especially the social support network such as family satisfaction and past history of depression for reducing or preventing their depression and suicide both elderly depression and suicide who live alone.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.231-244
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• 2020

Background: As the population is aging, chronic diseases and depression are becoming the main problems in a country's healthcare system. In this study, we aimed to explore the associations between chronic diseases and depression among the elderly in South Korea. Methods: We analyzed 9,975 (men, 4,147; women, 5,828) respondents obtained from the 2014 National Survey of Living Conditions and Welfare Needs of Korean Older Persons. Our dependent variable was either 1 or 0 according to whether a respondent had depression or not, where depression was defined when the Short Form of Geriatric Depression Scale score was 8 or more points. Variables of interest were 24 types of chronic diseases and covariates included various socio-demographic and health behavior characteristics. We performed Rao-Scott chi-square tests and hierarchal logistic regression analyses by gender, reflecting the characteristics of the survey. Results: A significant difference was found in the proportion of having depression between genders (men 18.9% vs. women 23.4%). According to fully adjusted, multivariable analyses, for elderly men, relative to those without any chronic disease, the odds ratio of depression was 1.56 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-2.22) in the stroke patients group and 1.82 (95% CI, 1.01-3.25) in the osteoporosis patients group. For elderly women, the odds ratio was 1.96 (95% CI, 1.28-3.00) in the fracture/dislocation and aftereffects patients group and 1.30 (95% CI, 1.03-1.64) in the group of patients with other diseases. Conclusion: Even after being adjusted for diverse characteristics, some chronic diseases were significantly associated with depression in the elderly and the association differed between genders. Therefore, public health and medical interventions are needed to manage such chronic diseases together with curing depression symptoms.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.575-586
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify factors affecting the constipation of the elderly at nursing homes. Method: A total of 184 elders at 7 nursing homes in P City participated. Information about constipation status (Constipation Assessment Scale). functional status (Katz' Activities of Daily Living). nutritional status (Mini-Nutritional Assessment). and depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form Korea version) were collected through interviews. Descriptive statistics. Chi-square test. and t-test were used to describe and compare the non constipation group and the constipation group. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors affecting constipation status. Results: The prevalence of constipation was 47.5% (Men 37%. women 51%). Elders suffering from a disease (P=.021) and having low sleep satisfaction (P= .000) were more likely to be constipated than those who did not. The factors affecting the constipation of the elderly at nursing homes were gender (OR=3.558), sleep satisfaction (OR=.580), and depressive symptoms (OR=1.132). Conclusion: According to the result, to reduce the constipation rate of old women at nursing homes, we have to develop guidelines that can solve problems related to constipation cause by sleep-satisfaction and depressive symptoms.

• Journal of Naturopathy
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.46-56
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• 2020

Purpose: This study proposes a concert oriented music therapy (COMT) program which takes into account the personal and social factors of depression, and its clinical effects were validated on elderly persons with visual impairments who were susceptible to depression. The experiment was conducted on 34 elderly persons with visual impairments, randomly allocated to either the experimental group (n = 15) or the control group (n = 19). The COMT program was applied 20 times in total to the experimental group for 110 minutes every other week, for a duration of 10 months. The depression level was evaluated using the Korean form of the Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS). The experimental results showed that the average KGDS score in the experimental group decreased by 4.1 points (19.4%), from 21.0 to 16.9, whereas it increased by 1.16 points (5.8%), from 19.95 to 21.11, in the control group. The reduction in the depression level was significant for the following 4 depression factors : decreased social interest (40%), negative thinking and the unhappiness feeling (20%), emotional discomfort (16.3%), and cognitive dysfunction (7.6%), whereas it was negligible in the factors of physical weakening and decreased vitality. The COMT program reduced the KGDS scores of the experimental group regardless of their experience in musical performance. In conclusion, the proposed COMT program proved to be efficacious in alleviating depression in elderly persons with visual impairments. In particular, it proved highly effective in helping with decreased social interest, namely, the social factor of depression which is not properly considered in existing music therapy methods.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.884-890
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• 2010

To examine the effects of horticultural occupational therapy (HOT) on the physical and psychological rehabilitation of stroke patients with paralysis on one side of the body, a horticultural therapy (HT) program was implemented along with occupational therapy (OT) in 20 patients with hemiplegia after stroke (treatment group). In the control group, another 20 patients with hemiplegia after stroke received OT but no HT. The HOT program consisted of various indoor horticultural activities that proceeded stepwise on a weekly basis over the course of four weeks. The selected horticultural occupations were organized into four-phases: motivation, adaptation, sociality, and interpersonal relationships and communication. The grooved pegboard test (GPT), geriatric depression scale (GDS), and functional independent measure (FIM) were tested to the patients in this study. Unlike control group, the treatment group showed statistically significant differences in GPT, GDS, and FIM ($p$<0.001). In addition, communication, social cognition, and self-care scores as FIM subordinate factors were improved significantly by HOT program which motivated patients to engage in rehabilitation therapy. This finding suggests that HOT has the potential to be used as an OT program for stroke patients with hemiplegia.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.449-457
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• 2016

This study aims to examine the effect of Convergence Tailed Occupational Therapy Activities Program (CTOTAP) which is customized to elderly people with mild cognitive impairment on their mental stability and social participation. A total of thirty elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment were randomly divided into a test group and a control group of 15 patients each, undergoing a total twelve sessions of the program (two sessions per week for six weeks) in three steps. In order to investigate the mental stability of the patients before and after the program, the Korean Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS) was used while the Frenchay Activity Index (FAI) was used to explore the social participation of the patients. According to the findings of this study, there appeared to be an increase in the mental stability, social participation of the test group after the program. In addition, after the program there were differences between the test group and the control group in all of the mental stability and social participation. Therefore, the study has shown that the CTOTAP with customization has positive impact on the mental stability and social participation of patients with mild cognitive impairment.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.425-434
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• 2019

This study was conducted to investigate psychological and physiological changes of elderly affected by agro-healing activities. To meet the purpose, we conducted an agro-healing program with 20 elderly participants (average age 77.6±5.84 men and women) and once a week in total seven sessions. The Korean version of the Brief Encounter Psychosocial Instrument (BEPSI-K), Korean version of the Short Form of Geriatric Depression Scale (SGDS-K), participants' satisfaction with the program, Salivettes system method, and blood pressure were measured to find out the effects of agro-healing activities. BEPSI-K decreased by 5% in the high stress group although it was not statistically significant. The result of program satisfaction showed that 75% of the participants are satisfied with these activities. We investigated how many and what kind of chronic diseases the participants have had before they joined the program. As a result, hypertension was most common(35.6%), followed by hyperlipidemia, diabetes, arthritis, lumbago, osteoporosis, and heart disease. Systolic blood pressure after the activities decreased significantly from 144.75mmHg (stage 1 hypertension), to 132.90mmHg(prehypertension stage). As a result of analyzing the correlations between general matters such as age, education level, average income of the participants, psychological scale and number of diseases, it was found that participants' satisfaction had a negative correlation with depression. In conclusion, agro-healing is very useful in relieving stress or lowering blood pressure for the elderly whose most common disease is hypertension. Agro-healing activities are proved to have positive uses in reducing the problems of the modern society with severe issues of the aging population.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.15-25
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• 2010

Objectives : The Big Five Inventory(BFI) and the Big Five Inventory-10(BFI-10) are widely used instruments for the evaluation of personality in various cultures, while they have not been formally validated in Korea. This study aimed to develop the Korean versions of BFI(BFI-K) and BFI 10(BFI-K-10) with a Korean elderly population. Methods : The study sample consisted of 1,038 community dwelling elders. BFI-K and BFI-K-10 were administered. For the reliability analyses, scores on Guttmans' split half and Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ were estimated. For the validity analyses, the Korean version of Geriatric Depression Scale(KGDS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI) were investigated. Results : The reliability of the BFI-K was good(Guttmans' split half=0.59-0.78, Cronbach's ${\alpha}$=0.52-0.75). Scores on the BFI-K-10 were significantly correlated with the scores on BFI-K. Scores on the BFI-K and the BFI-K-10 were significantly correlated with the scores on KGDS and STAI. Conclusion : Both BFI-K and BFI-K-10 might be reliable and valid instruments to evaluate the personality in Korean community elders. BFI-K-10 is short and easy to be administered, and therefore it would be very convenient to use.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.210-216
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the multimodal cognitive intervention focusing on instrumental daily life on the cognitive function, depression and quality of life of the elderly with high-risk of dementia. This study was conducted on 24 elderly people with high-risk of dementia who participated in cognitive rehabilitation program from March to June, 2018 in Chungbuk A region. The intervention was applied to cognitive training and creative activities related to instrumental daily life. MMSE-DS, Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire, Short Geriatric Depression Scale-Korean version and Geriatric quality of life - Dementia were performed before and after the intervention. We confirmed that the subjects showed significant improvement in Subjective Memory Complaints and Quality of Life, but showed no significant changes in cognitive function and depression after the intervention program. Through this study, it was confirmed that this program which can affect the real life of the elderly can be usefully applied in the community. In the future, it will be necessary to develop a program that utilizes more diverse instrumental activities of daily living.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.490-497
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• 2015

The aim of this study was to examine the quality of life (QOL) and its related factors in veterans with physical dysfunction. The survey data was collected from 412 patients with physical dysfunction managed at five veterans' hospitals in Seoul, Pusan, Daegu, Gwangju, and Daejeon city. The baseline for the quality of life was measured using the SF-36 (Short-Form 36), activities of daily living was measured using a Modified Barthel Index (MBI), pain level was determined using Quadruple Visual Analogue Scale (QVAS), and the depression level was assessed using Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale: Short-Form (SGDS-K). The SF-36 scores showed a significant correlation with age (r=-0.132), self-rated current health status (r=-0.545), active daily living (r=0.514), pain level (r=-0.243), and depression level (r=-0.565) (p<0.05). The most influential variables on the QOL were the depression level (B=-.969, p<0.001), QVAS (B=-0.163, p<0.001), and MBI (B=0.140, p<0.001). The results of this study showed that that depression, pain and activities of daily living are significant predictors of the QOL in veterans with a physical dysfunction. Therefore, healthcare providers need to consider these parameters for interventions to improve the QOL in veterans with a physical dysfunction.