Assessment of psychosocial and psychiatric needs is an increasingly important component of cancer care. Clinical experience with patients indicate that distress, anxiety and depression are prevalent from early stages of the illness. Strategies to enhance psychosocial care are presented and these include early identification through screening, training for healthcare staff working with cancer patients and support not only for patients but their caregivers as well.
Anxiety ; diagnosis ; Anxiety Disorders ; Caregivers ; Depression ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; psychology

Anxiety is one of the basic human emotions. From the evolutionary psychology point of view, it is a necessary factor for survival and prosperity of human beings that had been developed throughout time with the history of human survival and development. Anxiety plays the role of protecting one from social or physical threats. In reality, lacking of anxiety showed lots of examples of maladjustments. But the result of over-adjustment, which is overanxious disorder, is definitely disturbing one's survival and growth, and it can lead to anxiety disorder that needs to be treated. Anxiety from the evolutionary psychology point of view, started as a primary adjustment form and it evolves into various types of anxiety disorders that relates to the modern society's characters. Therefore, having the grasp of evolutionary psychology, which can be the base of treating anxiety and anxiety disorders, is very important. So from now on, studies for this aspect would need to be done as integrated and multidisciplinary studies not only by psychiatrists, but by including epidemiologists, psychologists, ecologists, biologists, and neuropsychologists. In this article, the author tried to review and explore the idea of anxiety and anxiety disorders from the evolutionary psychology point of view.
Anxiety Disorders* ; Anxiety* ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Psychiatry ; Psychology

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to test the construct validity of the Type D personality scale (DS14). METHODS: The DS14 and other personality scales, which have good construct validity (MMPI-2), TCI-RS, MBTI, NEO-PI-R) were administered to 151 college students. Correlation and regression analyses were performed to evaluate the validity of the DS14. RESULTS: There were significant positive correlations between the DS14 total score and scores on the F, D, Pa, Pt, Sc, Si and 'negative emotionality' scales (MMPI-2), the 'harm avoidance' scale (TCI), the 'neuroticism' scale (NEO-PI-R), and the 'introversion' scale (MBIT). Additionally, there were significant negative correlations between the DS14 total score and extroversion, agreeableness, openness to experience, cooperativeness, and reward dependence scales. Stepwise regression analysis also showed coherent RESULTS: negative emotionality, introversion, RCd and RC2 (MMPI-2), harm avoidance (TCI), neuroticism (NEO-PI-R), introversion, thinking (MBIT) scales were selected as significant explanatory variables. CONCLUSION: Individuals with a Type-D personality, as assessed by the DS14, seem to have a tendency to experience negative emotions such as depression and anxiety. As a construct, Type-D personality also seems to be closely related to neuroticism and introversion. These results indicate that the DS14 has sound construct validity as a screening tool for measuring stress-vulnerability traits, that is to say, type-D personality.
Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders ; Depression ; Extraversion (Psychology) ; Humans ; Introversion (Psychology) ; Mass Screening ; Reward ; Thinking ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVES: This study was done to investigate the relationship between test anxiety and individual, socioenvironmental factors in adolescents. Also, this study assessed whether two components, worry and emotionality, of test anxiety were distinctly distinguished or not, and whether test anxiety was specific state anxiety limited to test situation or a part of general trait anxiety. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 880 middle and high school students in Seoul. To evaluate test anxiety level, we used Spielberg's Test Anxiety Inventory. For the evaluation of individual psychological factors, Rosenberg's self-esteem scale, Maudsley's Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, Lee's the Korean version of Fear-Anxiety Survey Schedule for Children, and Ellis' Demand for Approval scale were applied. RESULTS: The results were as follows. 1) Test anxiety level was higher in girls, first grade middle school students, offspring's of high school graduate mother, and high economic class but there was no significant difference in school characteristics and residence location. 2) Test anxiety was correlated negatively with self-esteem, I.Q. and correlated positively with obsessive-compulsiveness, demand for approveness, especially general fear-anxiety(r=0.47). So although test anxiety occurs in test situation, test anxiety is a part of general trait anxiety affected by individual psychologic factors. 3) The better school achievement subjects showed the lower worry component of test anxiety. 4) Two components, worry and emotionality, of test anxiety were not distinctly distinguished in this study. CONCLUSION: In summary, first, Worry and Emotionality of test anxiety were not markedly different from according to adolescent's psychological factor, sociodemographic factor but performance achievement was significantly correlated with Worry of test anxiety. Second, although test anxiety was occurred in specific situations as test, test anxiety was affected individual psychological factor so defined by a series of anxiety disorder. Third, only Worry of test anxiety was correlated with performance achievement and Wory and Emotionality were correlated with psychological factor. Forth, mother's education level was significantly correlated with test anxiety, this means that mother has the wish to compensate the her inferiority through her offspring and mother strongly affect to adolescent's psychological state.
Adolescent* ; Anxiety Disorders ; Anxiety* ; Appointments and Schedules ; Child ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Mothers ; Psychology ; Seoul

BACKGROUND: Discrimination is a long-standing social problem, and interest in the health effects of discrimination has been increasing. Unfortunately, Korean workers experience various types and combinations of discrimination. This study aimed to examine the association between perceived discrimination and depression/anxiety disorders among Korean workers. METHODS: Data from 33,530 paid workers were extracted from the third Korean Working Conditions Survey. The data included general characteristics, occupational characteristics, perceived discrimination, and depression/anxiety disorders. To examine the relationship between perceived discrimination and depression/anxiety disorders, multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate depression/anxiety disorders as the dependent variable and perceived discrimination as the independent variable, after adjusting for relevant general and occupational characteristics. RESULTS: After adjusting for the relevant general and occupational characteristics, we observed that male and female workers who had experienced perceived discrimination exhibited a significantly higher likelihood of having depression/anxiety disorders. The odds ratios among male and female workers were 3.25 (95 % confidence interval: 2.45–4.32) and 4.56 (95 % confidence interval: 3.45–6.03), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived discrimination was significantly related to depression or anxiety disorders among Korean workers. The risk of depression or anxiety was higher among female workers, compared to male workers.
Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders ; Depression ; Discrimination (Psychology)* ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Odds Ratio ; Social Problems

This study investigated the relationship of personality, depression, somatization, anxiety with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (LUTS/BPH). The LUTS/BPH patients were evaluated with the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), 44-item Big Five Inventory (BFI), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the PHQ-15, and 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). The LUTS/BPH symptoms were more severe in patients with depression (p=0.046) and somatization (p=0.024), respectively. Neurotic patients were associated with greater levels of depression, anxiety and somatisation (p=0.0059, p=0.004 and p=0.0095, respectively). Patients with high extraversion showed significantly low depression (p=0.00481) and anxiety (p=0.035) than those with low extraversion. Our exploratory results suggest patients with LUTS/BPH may need careful evaluation of psychiatric problem including depression, anxiety and somatization. Additional studies with adequate power and improved designs are necessary to support the present exploratory findings.
Anxiety Disorders ; Anxiety* ; Depression* ; Extraversion (Psychology) ; Humans ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms* ; Prostate ; Prostatic Hyperplasia*

Pathological anxiety is among the most difficult neuropsychiatric diseases to treat pharmacologically, and it represents a major societal problem. Studies have implicated structural changes within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and functional changes in the communication of the PFC with distal brain structures in anxiety disorders. Treatments that affect the activity of the PFC, including cognitive therapies and transcranial magnetic stimulation, reverse anxiety- and fear-associated circuit abnormalities through mechanisms that remain largely unclear. While the subjective experience of a rodent cannot be precisely determined, rodent models hold great promise in dissecting well-conserved circuits. Newly developed genetic and viral tools and optogenetic and chemogenetic techniques have revealed the intricacies of neural circuits underlying anxiety and fear by allowing direct examination of hypotheses drawn from existing psychological concepts. This review focuses on studies that have used these circuit-based approaches to gain a more detailed, more comprehensive, and more integrated view on how the PFC governs anxiety and fear and orchestrates adaptive defensive behaviors to hopefully provide a roadmap for the future development of therapies for pathological anxiety.
Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders/therapy* ; Fear/psychology* ; Humans ; Neural Pathways ; Prefrontal Cortex

Worry is a generalized psychological phenomenon seen among most people. When worry is excessive and nearly uncontrollable, people usually suffer psychological pain. The Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children (PSWQ-C) was developed to measure worry objectively. It comprises 14 items for measuring excessive, generalized, and uncontrollable worry in children. This study, conducted with a large group of elementary children (3rd through 6th graders, ages 8-12 yr; N=973), investigated the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children (PSWQ-CK). The PSWQ-CK showed high reliability by test-retest and also excellent internal consistency results. To examine the validity of the PSWQ-CK, we calculated its correlation with the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). The PSWQ-CK had a higher correlation with the worry/oversensitivity factor than with other subscales of the RCMAS, and it showed no correlation with the lie factor. When 3 reversed PSWQ-CK items were eliminated, the instrument showed higher internal consistency. However, this did not improve its correlation with other anxiety-measuring tools. In conclusion, the PSWQ-CK's reliability and validity were satisfactory, and it is a useful tool for objectively measuring the worry of Korean children of this age group.
Anxiety/*diagnosis/psychology ; Anxiety Disorders/*diagnosis/psychology ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Psychometrics ; *Questionnaires ; Reference Values ; Republic of Korea ; Translating

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have suggested that some personality characteristics are associated with the onset, prognosis and social function in schizophrenia patients. However few is known about the personality and affective characteristic of genetic high risk group (GHR) for schizophrenia. This study aimed to investigate the personality and the affective characteristic of GHR group for schizophrenia. METHODS: Participants were 54 healthy controls (HC), 26 subjects with GHR for schizophrenia and 28 subjects with first episode psychosis (FEP). We performed three self-report questionnaires; NEO-Personality Inventory-Revised, State and Anger Expression Inventory and Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule. RESULTS: The GHR group showed higher score in agreeableness item than the HC (p=0.028). In extraversion item, the FEP group showed significantly lower scores than the HC (p=0.001). The GHR group showed lower scores in neuroticism item compared with FEP group in trend level. The FEP group showed higher trait-anger, lower positive affect and higher negative affect compared with the others. CONCLUSION: The GHR group seem to share certain vulnerable personality and affective characteristics for schizophrenia with the FEP group. On the other hands, the GHR group appeared to be more agreeable than the other groups, which might act as the compensation for other impaired functions.
Anger ; Anxiety Disorders ; Compensation and Redress ; Extraversion (Psychology) ; Hand ; Humans ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Prognosis ; Psychotic Disorders ; Schizophrenia

The author studied the mental status of 497 patients admitted in non-psychiatric wards and 42 patients diagnosed as mental disorders by DSM-III-R criteria and admitted in three general hospitals located in Pusan city, using NADS and PSCS. The assessment were obtained from October, 1991 to March, 1992 and the results as follows: The mean±SD of Anxiety-Depression scores were 34.4±10.4 in non-psychiatric patients and 50.0±18.3 in psychiatric patients. The psychiatric group had significantly higher scores than non-psychiatric group. The mean±SD of Psychosis scores were 3.9±4.4 in non-psychiatric patients and 20.3±9.8 in psychiatric patients. The psychiatric group had significantly higher scores than non-psychiatric group. In the psychosocial factors, dissatisfaction in family atmosphere and acquaintanceship with parents (P<0.001, relatively), pessimistic in future, present and past self-images (P<0.001, relatively), and yes in previous psychiatric treatment of admission (p<0.01, relatively) had common significant relationships to Anxiety-Depression and Psychosis scores. There were correlationships between NADS scores and PSCS scores (γ=0.74), past and present self-images (γ=0.45), present and future self images (γ=0.45), past and future self-images (γ=0.34) and family atmosphere and acquaintanceship with parents (γ=0.49) The regression analysis revealed that present self-image, acquaintanceship with parents, future self-image, past self-image, and family atmosphere, in order of significance were to be descriptive or predicable variances for Anxiety-Depression status. The discriminant analysis according to Anxiety-Depression scores showed that the cases of incorrect classification were 22 for non-psychiatric patient group and 2 for psychiatric patient group.
Anxiety ; Atmosphere ; Busan ; Classification ; Depression ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Mental Disorders ; NAD ; Parents ; Psychology ; Psychotic Disorders