• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.97-106
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was done to develop and test a structural model for caregiving experience including caregiving satisfaction and caregiving strain in families providing care for family members with a mental disorder. Methods: The Stress-appraisal-coping model was used as the conceptual framework and the structural equation model to confirm the path that explains what and how variables affect caregiving experience in these families. In this hypothesis model, exogenous variables were optimism, severity of illness and uncertainty. The endogenous variables were self efficacy, social support, caregiving satisfaction and caregiving strain. Data were collected using structured questionnaires. Results: Optimism and caregiving self-efficacy had significant direct and indirect effects on caregiving satisfaction. Optimism, severity of illness and uncertainty had significant direct and indirect effects on caregiving strain. The modified path model explained effects of optimism on caregiving self-efficacy with social support in the path structure as a mediator. Also, there were direct and indirect effects of optimism and uncertainty on caregiving satisfaction with social support and caregiving self-efficacy in the path structure as a mediators. Conclusion: Results suggest the need to improve caregiving self-efficacy of these families, establish support systems such as a mental health professional support programs for caregiving self-efficacy. Optimism, severity of illness and uncertainty perceived by families need to be considered in the development of support programs in order to increase their effectiveness.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.327-334
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• 2015

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate Korean workers' work ability and to identify its contributing factors. Background: In order for Korea to overcome the phenomena of becoming an aged society, older adults must participate in the workforce to balance out the population; workers' work ability must also be maintained. In addition, influential factors in employees' capabilities and degrees of importance thereof should be identified in advance to maintain work ability. Method: The Work Ability Index (WAI) questionnaire was completed by 5,708 Korean workers. Survey questionnaire consisted items of current work ability, physical and mental demands of the job, numbers of diseases, work impairment due to diseases, sick leaves, work ability in 2 years and mental resources. Results: Results indicated that work ability and length of service increased with age. It was also found that employees in administrative positions had greater work ability than site workers, workers directly managed by a supervisor had greater work ability than workers in cooperative firms, and workers who performed intellectual tasks had greater work ability than workers who performed physical labor. Job stress was additionally observed to contribute towards overall work ability. And musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) were found to negatively affect work ability. Conclusion: The strongest determining factors in the work ability of Korean workers were stress level and mental state. Therefore, when the WAI is used to assess Korean workers, the weighting of WAI items pertaining to physical and mental abilities should be adjusted accordingly to account for these factors. Application: The result is expected to suggest that workers maintain work ability in an aged society.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.189-197
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• 2020

Objectives: Our aim was to answer the following questions: (1) Can mental health variance be partitioned to individual and higher levels (e.g., neighborhood and district); (2) How much (as a percentage) do individual-level determinants explain the variability of mental health at the individual-level; and (3) How much do determinants at the neighborhood- or district-level explain the variability of mental health at the neighborhood- or district-level? Methods: We used raw data from the second round of the Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool in Tehran (in 2012-2013, n=34 700 samples nested in 368 neighborhoods nested in 22 districts) and the results of the official report of Tehran's Center of Studies and Planning (in 2012-2013, n=22 districts). Multilevel linear regression models were used to answer the study questions. Results: Approximately 40% of Tehran residents provided responses suggestive of having mental health disorders (30-52%). According to estimates of residual variance, 7% of mental health variance was determined to be at the neighborhood-level and 93% at the individual-level. Approximately 21% of mental health variance at the individual-level and 49% of the remaining mental health variance at the neighborhood-level were determined by determinants at the individual-level and neighborhood-level, respectively. Conclusions: If we want to make the most effective decisions about the determinants of mental health, in addition to considering the therapeutic perspective, we should have a systemic or contextual view of the determinants of mental health.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.80-91
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• 2022

Objective : Hospital workers' mental health has deteriorated because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of hospital workers and its determinants. Methods : Two surveys were conducted among employees working in a hospital that received COVID-19 patients from the early phase of the pandemic in South Korea. Data on demographics, perceived threat, workplace evaluation, resilience, and mental health status were collected using the Korean General Health Questionnaire-20 in the initial phase (February 2020) and during the third wave of COVID-19 (December 2020) for 467 and 545 workers, respectively. The mental health of hospital workers in the two phases was compared, and the risk and protective factors during the third wave were investigated. Results : The proportion of patients in the psychiatric high-risk group increased from 2.8% in the initial phase to 11.4% during the third wave. The perceived threat, workplace evaluation, and resilience of respondents deteriorated. Risk factors for mental health during the third wave included the perceived threat items of job stress, loss of control, and considering resignation. Protective factors included presence of children, workplace satisfaction, and hardiness in resilience. Conclusion : Hospital workers' mental health deteriorated as the pandemic progressed. General stress and tension such as job stress, loss of control, considering resignation rather than COVID-19-specific stress had negative effects on mental health of hospital workers. Therefore, care for work stress itself can be helpful to maintain the mental health of hospital workers. Also, governance to improve workplace satisfaction or hardiness in resilience can be a potential protective factor for hospital workers' mental health during the prolonged pandemic.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.37-50
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• 2001

Objects : This study is to be applied effectively to the acupuncture treatment for VDT syndrome. Methods : I referred to occidental and oriental medical records. Results and Conclusion : VDT syndrom is the concept focalizing work environment and labor load, and named all that symptoms according to excessive VDT works. The disorders of VDT syndrome is divided into 2 groups with muscaloskeletal disorders and non-musculoskeletal disorders, and non-musculoskeletal disorders is secondly divided into 3 groups with visual disorders, stress disorders and others. The risk factor of VDT syndrome is divided 4 groups with repetitive acts, consistent works, uncomfortable work postures, unprofitable light environments, jobs needs for excessive power and mental or physical fatigues. In oriental medicine area, I apply VDT syndrome to Kyunbitong(jianbeitong, 肩臂痛) to base on similarities of the risk factors and disorders between VDT syndrome and Kyunbitong(jianbeitong, 肩臂痛), that is painful illness on shoulders, arms, hands and fingers. And, Kyunbitong(jianbeitong, 肩臂痛) is divided 3 groups into Susamuhm(shousanyin, 手三陰), Susamyang(shousanyang, 手三陽) and Joktaeyang(zutaiyang, 足太陽) on the ground of meridian. Disorders related to Kyunbitong(jianbeitong, 肩臂痛) is grounded on kyungmaek(Jingmai, 經脈) disorder called sidongbyung(shidongbing, 是動病) and sosaengbyung(suoshengbing, 所生病) and Kyungkeun(Jingjin,經筋) disorder related to Kyunbitong(jianbeitong, 肩臂痛). As a result of this study, there is many similarities between VDT syndrome and Kyunbitong (jianbeitong, 肩臂痛). On acupuncture treatment, VDT syndrome can be applied to Kyunbitong(jianbeitong, 肩臂痛)'s on the basis of meridians, because of similarities of risk factors and disorders between VDT syndrome and Kyunbitong(jienbeitong, 肩臂痛).

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.23-33
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• 2023

Purpose: The incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are increasing along with an increasing number of patients with comorbid conditions like psychiatric and behavioral disorders, which are independent predictors of quality of life. Methods: Non-overlapping years (2003-2016) of National Inpatient Sample and Kids Inpatient Database were analyzed to include all IBD-related hospitalizations of patients less than 21 years of age. Patients were analyzed for a concomitant diagnosis of psychiatric/ behavioral disorders and were compared with IBD patients without psychiatric/behavioral disorder diagnoses for outcome variables: IBD severity, length of stay and inflation-adjusted hospitalization charges. Results: Total of 161,294 IBD-related hospitalizations were analyzed and the overall prevalence rate of any psychiatric and behavioral disorders was 15.7%. Prevalence rate increased from 11.3% (2003) to 20.6% (2016), p<0.001. Depression, substance use, and anxiety were the predominant psychiatric disorders. Regression analysis showed patients with severe IBD (odds ratio [OR], 1.57; confidence interval [CI], 1.47-1.67; p<0.001) and intermediate IBD (OR, 1.14; CI, 1.10-1.28, p<0.001) had increased risk of associated psychiatric and behavioral disorders than patients with a low severity IBD. Multivariate analysis showed that psychiatric and behavioral disorders had 1.17 (CI, 1.07-1.28; p<0.001) mean additional days of hospitalization and incurred additional $8473 (CI, 7,520-9,425; p<0.001) of mean hospitalization charges, independent of IBD severity. Conclusion: Prevalence of psychiatric and behavioral disorders in hospitalized pediatric IBD patients has been significantly increasing over the last two decades, and these disorders were independently associated with prolonged hospital stay, and higher total hospitalization charges.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.244-255
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• 2020

Purpose: As the daily life experiences of community-dwelling people with mental disabilities are closely correlated to mental health recovery, this study aimed to analyze their daily life experiences in depth to determine their significance. Method: Participants included eight community-dwelling people with mental disabilities. A total of 12 in-depth interviews were conducted once or twice per participant. The collected data were analyzed using the phenomenological analysis method described by Giorgi. Results: The daily life experiences of community-dwelling people with mental disabilities were categorized into the following four components: "encountering shocking reality in the outside world", "life tied down by the mental illness", "happiness and gratefulness encountered in daily life", and "wishing for a change and self-sustaining life". Conclusion: This study found that the recovery and welfare of community-dwelling people with mental disabilities were promoted and that these patients made necessary efforts to become a member of the local community. These findings could be used as a reference for establishing social welfare policies which enable people with mental disabilities to participate as functioning members of the community that facilitate the prevention of relapse, to promote their integration into the community. Furthermore, the present results will contribute to the development of nursing intervention programs to promote recovery and prevent relapse, to ultimately establish a mental health management system.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.85-111
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• 2016

This study aims to analyse major changes of Mental Health Promotion and Welfare Service Support Act(MHPWSSA) and critically discuss these changes based on the major discourses on Mental Health Act revision. For this purposes this study reviewed literatures and government reports to understand human rights discourses, welfare discourses, and prevention discourses. Secondly, the major changes of MHPWSSA were analysed and discussed based on those discourses. This study found that MHPWSSA defined the concept of people with mental disorders narrowly, tightened the involuntary admission procedures, introduced welfare service support provisions and mental health promotion provisions. But this study shows that the new legislation may well be criticised due to neglect of the concept of disability and people with psychiatric disability, involuntary admission without mental capacity assessment, neglect of the basic values and principles of self determination and independent living common in welfare of the persons with disability. And the new legislation may be criticised due to overuse of the concept of mental health promotion as encompassing promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.169-178
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• 2015

This study implemented a health support network project to improve the quality of life of women with musculoskeletal disorders. These activities were intended to analyze the effects of the impact on the quality of life of women with musculoskeletal diseases, continuing to base their future needs for materials and practice so as to provide a method for this purpose. On August 19, 2013 through December, a survey of 320 people living in Seoul included 31 women with symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders. Another, 16 weeks led to a total of 127 people with housewives screened as a subjects for social support networks projects. After the research, the health support network project was implemented, and most musculoskeletal pain was reduced, depression levels were reduced, and a quality improvement was noted in health-related life activities. In particular, mental- health-related quality of life was found to increased. As incidental factors that may cause musculoskeletal disorders, marital status, living with family, low income, and a high depression index were related to low health-related quality of life. Future studies can support continued health at the local business community level rather than with smaller samples. This work can also be supported by follow-up studies to evaluate the effectiveness of program.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.261-268
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• 2024

Owing to a lack of appropriate biomarkers for accurate diagnosis and treatment, psychiatric disorders cause significant distress and functional impairment, leading to social and economic losses. Biomarkers are essential for diagnosing, predicting, treating, and monitoring various diseases. However, their absence in psychiatry is linked to the complex structure of the brain and the lack of direct monitoring modalities. This review examines the potential of electroencephalography (EEG) as a neurophysiological tool for identifying psychiatric biomarkers. EEG noninvasively measures brain electrophysiological activity and is used to diagnose neurological disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder (BD), and schizophrenia, and identify psychiatric biomarkers. Despite extensive research, EEG-based biomarkers have not been clinically utilized owing to measurement and analysis constraints. EEG studies have revealed spectral and complexity measures for depression, brainwave abnormalities in BD, and power spectral abnormalities in schizophrenia. However, no EEG-based biomarkers are currently used clinically for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. The advantages of EEG include real-time data acquisition, noninvasiveness, cost-effectiveness, and high temporal resolution. Challenges such as low spatial resolution, susceptibility to interference, and complexity of data interpretation limit its clinical application. Integrating EEG with other neuroimaging techniques, advanced signal processing, and standardized protocols is essential to overcome these limitations. Artificial intelligence may enhance EEG analysis and biomarker discovery, potentially transforming psychiatric care by providing early diagnosis, personalized treatment, and improved disease progression monitoring.