• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.77-85
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• 2023

Suicide is the leading cause of death among Korean adolescents. There is a growing interest in the role of loneliness as a risk factor for suicide ideation and depressive symptoms. However, little is known in the Korean context. This study analyzed a total of 109,796 respondents from the Korea Youth Health Behavior Survey in 2020 and 2021. Multiple logistic regression models were implemented to test the association between loneliness and either of suicidal ideation and depressive mood. Covariates included demographic characteristics, school enrolled, household income, living arrangement, self-rated health, and the number of times treated for violence. Adjusted odd ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed. 12.0% of adolescents reported to have felt lonely frequently and 3.0% always. 11.8% and 26.0% had suicidal ideation and depressive mood, respectively. The prevalence of suicidal ideation was higher in the always-lonely adolescents (52.6%) than in the frequently-lonely adolescents (35.1%). The always-lonely adolescents were nearly 30 times more likely to have suicidal ideation (OR=30.7; 95% CI, 27.1 - 34.8) and to feel depressed (OR=32.5; 95% CI, 29.2 - 36.4) than adolescents who felt never lonely. In conclusion, Loneliness was a major risk factor for suicidal ideation and depressive mood among Korean adolescents. Monitoring and addressing the condition of loneliness may help reduce suicidal ideation and depressive mood.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.126-132
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• 1999

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to investigate 1) the incidence of insomnia, 2) the clinical characteristics of the insomniacs, 3) the correlation of severity of insomnia with somatic complaints and psychological distresses, and 4) the beliefs and attitudes about sleep in patients with chronic renal failure on hemodialysis. Methods: The author evaluated 153 patients, receiving hemodialysis therapy at the four outpatients hemodialysis units in Pusan, Korea. The patients had completed a self-administered questionnaire package, which consisted of basic demographic findings, questions characterizing insomnia, Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), Spielburger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI), and visual analogue scales measuring quantitatively the severity of the self-perceived psychological and somatic symptoms. And several laboratory data were collected. Diagnosis of insomnia was made in the base of insomnia criteria of DSM-IV and international classification of sleep disorders. Subjects were dichotomized into those who reported any characteristics of insomnia or those who had no insomnia during the preceding two weeks. Results: Insomnia was found in 100(65.4%) of 153 patients. No statistical differences were found between the patients with and without insomnia in terms of age, gender, education, marital status, mean duration of hemodialysis and all considered laboratory findings except serum albumin. The patients with insomnia had significantly higher BDI score and predialysis systolic blood pressure, and lower serum albumin as compared to non-insomnia group. Significant differences were found between two groups in terms of self-perceived distress such as sadness, anxiety, worry, pruritus, and dysfunction of daily life. The data showed statistically significant correlation between insomnia severity and some variables such as physical dysfunction, pruritus, bone pain, sadness, anxiety, worry, dysfunction of daily life and excessive daytime sleepiness. The patients with insomnia had significantly several dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep than those without insomnia. Conclusion: These results indicate that insomnia is very common in hemodialysis patients and likely contribute to the impaired quality of life experienced by many these patients. The author suggests that physical and psychological distresses would be reduced and the quality of life could be improved if their sleep disturbances are properly ameliorated in patients on hemodialysis.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.372-389
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• 1995

The frequency with which administration of chemotherapy for gynecological cancer treatment is used has increased along with the use of surgery and radiotherapy Among the various side effects of chemotherapy, stomatitis causes a problem of function and sensation in the oral cavity. This oral discomfort can be categorized into two components ; perceived oral symptoms and observed oral symptoms. If the oral problem continues, it may cause infection, bleeding and nutritional deficiencies. As a result of this condition, compliance with the treatment process can be affected as well as the prognosis for the cancer patients. But as the oral discorrfort usually appears after chemotherapy, it is often not reported to the health care personnel as a patient problem. Without problem identification of the oral discomfort and ability to assess the problem, effective intervention cannot be planned. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the pattern and the degree of oral discomfort due to cancer chemotherapy and thus to provide data for identification of the patient problem and for nursing assessment. The design of this study was a longitudinal de-scriptive study The subjects were in - patients who received chemotherapy under the diagnosis of gynecological cancer between Mar. 15, 1994 and May 15, 1994 at a general hospital in Seoul, Korea. The number of subjects was 64 and they were divided into two groups, one of 41 (A : 5FU & Neoplatin), the other of 23(B : Neoplatin, Cytoxan, Adriamycin), according to the treatment regimen. The data were collected for 24 days using self-re-port instruments. The instruments were the 「Perceived Oral Symptom Assessment Tool」 and 「Observed Oral Symptom Assessment Tool」 developed by this researcher. Data were analyzed using the SPSS-PC program, ANOVA, t-test, paired t-test and the Pearson Correlation Coefficient were applied. The results of this study are as follows : 1. In A regimen the peak time for perceived oral symptom scores was the fifth day after chemotherapy, and the tenth day for observed oral symptom scores. Both of the problems started on first day of chemotherapy and were not resolved completely until the 24th day after treatment. 2. In B regimen, the peak time for perceived oral symptom scores was on the seventh day after chemotherapy, and the eighth day for observed oral symptom scores. It was noted that perceived oral symptom scores were higher than observed oral symptom scores consistently for 24 days. Both also started on first day of chemotherapy, and were not resolved completely until the 24th day after chemotherapy. 3. There were no differences statistically in perceived oral symptom scores between A and B regimen. The loss of appetite and xerostomia caused the most severe discomfort in both of these two groups. 4. The were no differences statistically in observed oral symptom scores between the A and B regi moil. In the A regimen, the highest observed symptom scores were the lips, gingiva, tongue and buccal membrane in that order. But in the B regimen, the highest observed symptom scores were tongue, lips, buccal membrane and gingiva in that order. 5. In A regimen, the patients who had gingival edema and dentures had significantly higher perceived oral symptom scores. And those who had gingival edema and bleeding, foul odor and aphthous stomatitis had significantly higher observed oral symptom scores. 6. In B regimen, the patients who had the experience of stomatitis in the last course of chemotherapy had significantly higher perceived oral symptom scores. Those who had gingival edema had significantly higher observed oral symptom scores. 7. In the A regimen there was no correlation between lab values for lymphocytes and albumin with perceived oral symptom scores and observed oral symptom scores. In the B regimen, there was a significant negative correlation between lymphocytes and albumin with the observed oral symptom scores, but not between perceived oral symptom scores and lymphocytes and albumin values. In conclusion, the nurse should expect that the patient undergoing chemotherapy will complain severely about subjective discomfort and before objective physical change is observed. Also the patients who have chronic oral problems such as dentures, gingival edema and bleeding, foul odor, aphthous stomatitis will complain of severe oral discomfort due to chemotherapy.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.47-56
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• 2015

Objectives:The aim of this study is to investigate any differences between non-medical and medical college students for : 1) a level and the nature of perceived stress, 2) a level of life satisfaction, and 3) the related factors affecting to life satisfaction. Methods:We measured self-reported questionnaires of stress, satisfaction with life, health behavior including happiness, alcohol use, nicotine dependency and depressive symptoms in 1,714(863 non-medical and 851 medical) college students. Results:Non-medical college students had significantly higher total stress scores than medical college students(${\chi}^2$=7.66, p<.001). In non-medical college students, employment problem score was significantly higher than medical college students(t=4.07, p<.001). In medical college students, the scores of academic achievement (t=-3.81, p<.001), change of social life(t=-2.03, p<.05), death(t=-2.05, p<.05) or sickness(t=-2.60, p<.05) of friends were significantly higher than non-medical college students. And non-medical college students showed significantly lower life satisfaction scores than medical college students(${\chi}^2$=-19.05, p<.001). We also found that life satisfaction were significantly related to happiness in non-medical college students(${\beta}$=.410, $R^2$=.325, p<.001) and depressive symptoms in medical college students(${\beta}$=-.435, $R^2$=.326, p<.001) by stepwise multiple regression analysis. Conclusions:In this study, a level and the nature of perceived stress, a level of life satisfaction, and the related factors affecting to life satisfaction showed definitely differences between non-medical and medical college students. We suggest with our findings that specified mental health promotion program need for the college student's mental health management.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2019

Objectives: Insomnia is not only the most common sleep-related disorder, but also is one of the most important. Knowledge of the comorbidities of insomnia is essential for proper treatment including pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods to prevent disease chronification. This study aimed to determine sleep clinic patients' knowledge of insomnia. Methods: This study recruited 44 patients (24 males and 20 females; mean age $54.11{\pm}16.30years$) from the sleep clinic at National Center for Mental Health. All subjects were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire about their reasons for visiting a sleep clinic and about their knowledge of treatment and comorbidities of insomnia. Results: The reasons for visiting the sleep clinic were insomnia symptoms of daytime sleepiness, irregular sleeping time, nightmares, snoring, and sleep apnea, in that order. Of the responders, 72.7% had a comorbidity of insomnia, and 22.7% showed high-risk alcohol use. In addition, 70.5% of responders chose pharmacological treatment of insomnia as the first option and reported collection of information about treatment of insomnia mainly from the internet and medical staff. More than half (52.3%) of the respondents reported that they had never heard about non-pharmacological treatments of insomnia such as cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT-I) or light therapy. The response rate about comorbidities of varied, with 75% of responders reporting knowledge of the relation between insomnia and depression, but only 38.6% stating awareness of the relation between insomnia and alcohol use disorder. Of the total responders, 68.2% were worried about hypnotics for insomnia treatment, and 70% were concerned about drug dependence. Conclusion: This study showed that patients at a sleep clinic had limited knowledge about insomnia. It is necessary to develop standardized insomnia treatment guidelines and educational handbooks for those suffering from insomnia. In addition, evaluation of alcohol use disorders is essential in the initial assessment of sleep disorders.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.518-527
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• 2013

In 2011, South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare started a national tooth brushing room program without a pilot project. This study aimed to assess the effect of the implementation of this program in Gangneung, Korea. One-year outcomes of oral health behavior and self-reported oral symptoms in the study group after installation of the tooth brushing room were evaluated and compared with those of the control group using chi-square test. The prevalence rate of good self-rated oral health in grade 1-3 students increased from 35.7% immediately after installation to 48.9% after 6 months (p=0.031) compared to 37.3% in the control group (p=0.051). Immediately after installation of the tooth brushing room, 53.5% of grade 1-3 students in the study group brushed their teeth every day, but after 6 months, only 35.5% of students brushed daily (p<0.001) compared to 28.6% in the control group (p=0.007). The prevalence rate of bad breath in grade 1-3 students was 26.2% for the study group immediately after installation compared to 25.5% in the control group (p=0.065), but it declined 16.5% after 6 months (p=0.055). The prevalence rate of bad breath in grade 4~6 students was 14.7% for the study group after 6 months compared to 25.3% in the control group (p=0.016). We recommend the creation of a healthy school environment through a school-based tooth brushing program under the active supervision of classroom teachers and the continuous monitoring of program processes in order to promote children's oral health.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.129-135
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• 2017

Objectives : Little is known about the influence of urinary incontinence and depression on individual's QOL(Quality of life). We aimed to clarify how the interaction between urinary incontinence and depression influences one's QOL. Methods : A total of 1262 patients were enrolled in this study from April, 2011 to July, 2011. We estimated the severity of depressive symptoms and QOL, using SGDS-K, EQ-5D. We also investigated the morbidity of urinary incontinence for each patient in person or by questionnaire. Comparisons of QOL between groups with or without depression, with or without urinary incontinence were established using t-test, ANOVA and Scheffe's post hoc analysis. The interaction between urinary incontinence and depression was analyzed by each domain of QOL, using multiple regression analysis. Results : Patients with depression and urinary incontinence showed significantly higher EQ-5D scores on every domain of QOL than other patients, which means significantly lower QOL. Patients with depression, no urinary incontinence reported lower QOL, especially in the domain of 'usual activity', 'anxiety' and 'visual analogue scale(VAS)', whereas those with urinary incontinence, no depression showed lower QOL in 'motility', 'usual activities' and 'pain' domain. Statistically significant interaction effects of two diseases were observed in the domain of 'VAS', 'self care' and 'anxiety'. Conclusions : Comorbidity of urinary incontinence and depression showed significantly lower QOL of patients, compared with urinary incontinence or depression respectively, which implies additive interaction effects of the two diseases. Optimal diagnosis and treatment of depression should be emphasized for patients with urinary incontinence.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.83-91
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• 2018

Objectives This study aims to build the baseline data for promoting school health care program by identifying satisfaction level and improvement point through the satisfaction survey after Korean medicine doctor's student health and wellness program in 2016. Methods An association of Korean medicine doctor in Seongnam city conducted Korean medicine doctor's student health and wellness program for 12 middle schools, 6 high schools and 1 special-need school in Seongnam city in 2016. The participating Korean medicine doctor visited each school for 8 times and conducted health consultations, health education classes and Korean medicine treatment for the school students and the school employees. Teachers and administrators from the participating schools answered the self-reported satisfaction questionnaires and the results were analyzed by SPSS 22.0. Results 35 people responded the program satisfaction questionnaires, the overall satisfaction average was $9.40{\pm}0.88$ (out of 10). In the course of the program, satisfaction average regarding the student's health check-ups was $9.05{\pm}0.88$, satisfaction average regarding the informatory brochures for the parents was $9.08{\pm}1.09$, satisfaction average regarding the participation enrollment process was $9.06{\pm}1.16$, and the satisfaction average regarding the questionnaire statistics and the result reports was $8.86{\pm}1.93$. The satisfaction average of the program was as follows: health consultation ($9.20{\pm}1.08$), treatment ($9.31{\pm}0.90$), and health education classes ($8.78{\pm}1.68$). Some of the good things about program were 'Telling students about their physical condition' (57.1%), 'Curing the sick student quickly' (48.6%), 'Providing students with useful information about the health' (48.6%), 'Teaching students how to manage their health and how to manage symptoms' (42.9%). Average satisfaction about sustainability and needs of the program was $9.15{\pm}0.91$, and the participant teachers wanted to learn more about how to manage internet addiction (22.9%), stress (45.7%), atopy (28.6%), neck pain (42.9%), allergic rhinitis (37.1%), and low back pain (34.3%) from the future wellness programs. Conclusions Student health care is one of the most important issue in national health policies. We have designed a bridge model that a local community, school, and doctors can work together to develop. After the implementation of the program, the results of the satisfaction survey showed a very high satisfaction level. This study can be the basis for further improvement of the bridge program as well as the expansion of the program in other settings.