To study whether it is helped or not to medical diagnosis for children with normal and abnormal chromosomes from mental retardations, author performed and analyzed patterns of fingerprints, palmar prints creases on 99 mentally retarded children with normal chromosome and 16 mentally retarded children with Down syndrome and compared with healthy control group. In patterns of fingerprint, high frequency of ulnar loop showed significantly on fifth finger in mentally retarded children, while dominant whorl showed on first and fourth fingers in control group. High frequency of finger ridge count was appeared in Down syndrome, mentally retarded with normal chromosome (MRNC) and control group in order. Total ridge count TRC) was significantly decreased in Down syndrome, MRNC compared with control group. Total triradius count was significantly decreased in Down syndrome, however, no discrimination between control group and MRNC was found. a -b ridge count was not different among the groups. atd angle was wider in Down syndrome than in control group and MRNC. Interdigital pattern was high on ulnar loop of I3 in Down syndrome, in contrast, on ulnar loop of I4 in control group. In conclusion, detailed analysis of dermatoglyphics is able to contribute to study medical diagnosis on children with mentally retarded through above data.
Child ; Dermatoglyphics* ; Diagnosis ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Down Syndrome ; Fingers ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability* ; Mentally Disabled Persons

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the degree of job stress for workers with mentally disabled and factors influencing their job stress. METHODS: The participants in this study were employees with mental disabilities employed in job programs sponsored by community mental health centers and social rehabilitation centers. For this study, researchers conducted a survey with structured questionnaires with 221 employees. Data were analyzed using t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis with SPSS/WIN 14.0. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in job stress according to general characters. However, there were significant differences in job stress according to type of employment and monthly-income. Multi-regression analysis showed that type of employment and social support affected job stress. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study indicate that following should be emphasized: conditions of employment such as type of employment and social support should be improved to decrease job stress and help the employee to remain in the job.
Community Mental Health Centers ; Employment ; Humans ; Mentally Disabled Persons* ; Power (Psychology) ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Rehabilitation Centers

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) has often been cited as the basis for the abolition of involuntary hospitalization for persons with mental illness. Although the UNCRPD itself does not refer explicitly to the abolition of involuntary hospitalization, the General Comment prohibited all compulsory admission without adequate explanation. While the disability status alone may not justify the denial of legal capacity, the existence of impaired decision-making ability can raise issues regarding whether involuntary admission can be justified in the best interest of persons with mental illness. The General Comment, however, argues that involuntary admission does not comply with the CRPD which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities. This statement defies logic since the issue is whether the existence of impaired decision-making ability may be an exceptional case. It is also against the principles of beneficence to withhold treatment for persons with mental illness just for self-determination when poor outcomes are anticipated if left untreated. The concept of supported decision making suggested by the General Comment is also ambiguous, and not clearly distinguishable from substitute decision making. Another reason for the prohibition of involuntary admission relates to doubt concerning the accuracy of assessment of mental capacity, which implies adequate assessment may justify involuntary admission. In practice, it is not always complicated to assess mental capacity in order to make treatment-related decisions. The third reason concerns the argument that psychiatric treatments lack empirical evidence concerning effectiveness. Scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of psychiatric treatment is abundant. The rights of persons with mental illness are important ethical issues. However, it is doubtful whether the blanket prohibition of compulsory admission is appropriate and ethical. Critical review of the UNCRPD and the General Comment is urgent for timely treatment and for the well-being of persons with mental illness.
Beneficence ; Decision Making ; Denial (Psychology) ; Disabled Persons* ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Ethics ; Evaluation Studies as Topic* ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Logic ; United Nations*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the methods to assess the function disorder of patients with mild psychiatric impairment due to road traffic accidents. METHODS: In contrast to that of the patient with physical impairment, the function disorder of the patient with mild psychiatric impairment was assessed by the standard assessment instruments, such as the Barthel index of ADL (BI), Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ), Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS), Activity of Daily Living Scale (ADL), Physical Self-maintenance Scale (PSMS), and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL). RESULTS: Except BI, the each total score of FAQ, SDSS, ADL, PSMS, and IADL correlated well with the rank of psychiatric impairment. The difference of each total score of rating scales among different physical impairment rank was not statistically significant. At the impairment rank of level 10, the difference of each total score of FAQ and ADL was not significant between the two groups; each total score of BI, SDSS, and IADL in psychiatric impairment was higher than that of physical impairment, while the total score of PSMS in psychiatric impairment was lower than that of physical impairment. At the level 9, except PSMS, the each total score of BI, FAQ, SDSS, IADL and ADL in psychiatric impairment was higher than that of physical impairment. At the level 8, except BI and PSMS, the each total score of FAQ, SDSS, IADL and ADL in psychiatric impairment was higher than that of physical impairment. CONCLUSION The different criteria for assessment of mild psychiatric and physical impairment may exist, and appropriate indexes for assessment between physical and psychiatric impairment need to be further elucidated.
Accidents, Traffic ; Activities of Daily Living ; Cognition Disorders/etiology* ; Disabled Persons/psychology* ; Humans ; Mental Disorders/etiology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo study the marriage status, labour ability, income and other living condition of people affected by leprosy, and to provide information on prevention, cure and salvation programs from the government.

METHODSBased on the standardized national criteria and method, all registered people affected by leprosy in the whole province were asked to fill in a nationally standardized Form.

RESULTSOut of the 13,034 cases, 91.19% were farmers and only 13.01% of the teenagers were at school. On 12,816 patients at age for marriage, there were more unmarried males than females, more living in the leprosy villages than those living outside of the leprosy village (P < 0.01). Disability rate in leprosy villages was seen more than outside of the leprosy village. Per capita average annual income for the people affected by leprosy was only half of the average individual income in the whole province and 1/4 of the individual income in the nation.

CONCLUSIONThe living condition of those leprosy-affected people, particularly living in leprosy villages, called for special attention and the government should take comprehensive prevention to publicize the knowledge on leprosy to reduce fear and discrimination against them.

Activities of Daily Living ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Disabled Persons ; psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Income ; Leprosy ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Quality of Life

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological characteristics of mothers of children with disabilities. This study was performed under the hypotheses that, at the initial diagnosis of the children's disabilities, (1) the mothers suffered from serious psychological distress; (2) the more severe the child's disability was, the more serious the mother's psychological distress was; and that (3) the mother's psychological distress might be resolved within 8 weeks of rehabilitational interventions. The results were as follows: 1) mothers of children with disabilities showed significant (p<0.05) somatization, depression, anxiety, hostility, and phobic anxiety more so than the control group; 2) there was no significant difference in T scores of 9 dimensions of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revision (SCL-90-R) of the mothers at the initial diagnosis of children's disabilities according to severity of child's disability; 3) there was no significant difference in T scores of 9 dimensions of SCL-90-R in mothers of children with disabilities between at initial evaluation and after 8 weeks of rehabilitational interventions. In conclusion, : 1) mothers of children with disabilities suffered from serious psychological distress at the initial diagnosis of their child's disability; 2) the severity of the child's disability had little influence on the degree of the mother's initial psychological distress; 3) this distress did not resolve with only 8 weeks of rehabilitational interventions. Therefore, effective rehabilitational programs should provide sufficient opportunities for repeated follow-up interviews which offer not only adequate information on the children's disabilities but also psychological support for the mothers.
Adult ; Affective Symptoms/etiology/psychology ; *Child ; Child, Preschool ; Developmental Disabilities/diagnosis/rehabilitation ; *Disabled Persons/rehabilitation ; Female ; Human ; Infant ; Male ; Mothers/*psychology ; Time Factors

PURPOSE: This study investigated the effects of psychosocial rehabilitation programs provided by a psychosocial rehabilitation center on the levels of self-efficacy for mentally disabled persons. We followed the study subjects for 2 yr in order to examine whether the psychosocial rehabilitation programs had a positive impact on their levels of self-efficacy. METHODS: There were 18 subjects in the experimental group and they received all the psychosocial rehabilitation services available at the psychosocial rehabilitation center for 2 yr. In the comparison group, there were 17 participants who voluntarily refused to participate in the psychosocial rehabilitation programs. RESULTS: The results indicated that the psychosocial rehabilitation programs were effective in increasing the levels of the self-efficacy total score and specific self-efficacy score. CONCLUSION: The overall study results indicated that psychosocial rehabilitation programs provided by a psychosocial rehabilitation center had a positive impact on increasing the levels of self-efficacy for mentally disabled persons.
Adult ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Mental Health Services/utilization ; Mentally Disabled Persons/*psychology/rehabilitation ; Middle Aged ; Psychotherapy ; *Self Efficacy

At the end of 2009, the number of registered disabled was 2,430,000 in South Korea. Of them, 90% originated from acquired causes such as diseases or accidents. Although disabilities are everyday problems that can be met by anybody, disabilities had been a problem that people tried to conceal. However, social recognition of the disabled has been developing with changes in the social environment. The government of the Republic of Korea has upgraded the policy on disabilities from benefaction to social security. The Korean government tries to support a variety of welfare systems for the disabled. Specifically, jobs for the disabled are going to increase from 3,400 positions in 2010 to 10,300 in 2011. The pension system for the disabled, introduced in July 2010, will be continuously supplemented. If a personal care assistance system for the disabled is introduced beginning in October 2011, the number of supporting personnel who will visit and provide nursing services to the disabled will increase from 30,000 at present to 50,000 at the end of 2011. Besides the above welfare system for the disabled, people should participate in the prohibition of discrimination against the disabled and the improvement of social recognition to the disabled. After that, social participation by the disabled will be expanded so that an integrated society based on the rights of the disabled can be realized in Korea.
Disabled Persons ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Human Rights ; Humans ; Korea ; Long-Term Care ; Nursing Services ; Pensions ; Republic of Korea ; Social Environment ; Social Participation ; Social Security

700 mentally handicapped child and children with learning disorders were investigated to find out the causes or clinical diagnosis at department of Pediatrics, Yousei Medical School. The abilities of individual child was evaluated for their further education and training. And following results were obtaine. 1. The clinical diagnosis or the cause was not able to make in 233 cases, 33.3%, out of 700. 2. The rest, 64.7%, represented various clinical diagnosis, the most common casuses were cerebral paly, microcephaly, 42.7%, 19.9% respectively. 3. Other various causes vere as follow. Mentally handicapped children related to epilepsy was 107%, children with chromosomal anomalies 4.7%, with CNS anomalies 2.1%, with vascular diseases 5.4%, endocrine disorder 2.6%, muscle disorder 3%, phagomatosis 2.7%, metabolic disorder 1%, encephalopathy and poisoning related disorder was 1% respectively. The CNS infection was 2.6%, syndromes with funny looking face without chromosomal anomalies 1.6%, Psychiatric disorder 0.7%. Developmental disorder was quite common causes of learning disorder which represented 22.2%. Among 700, children with mutism was 1.6% and blind child was 1.4%. 4. Their abilities was evaluated by Griffiths Developmental Scale and WISK testes for further education and training. 89.6% requires physiotherapy or occupational therapy, 95% required speech therapy. 5. Exact evaluation and assessment for mentally handicapped children should be based on well qualified specialistes of various fields working as a team with mutural understanding and exchanging their knowledges. Organization of assessment unit for mentally handicapped children as well as learning disorders is required for efficient assessment and training of staffes. 6. Participation of clinical psychologist and teachers during the process of assessment would great helpful not only to assessing but also teaching these children. We do know that speech therpist and occupational therapist is lack in number. And organization training project of these therapist should established soon as possible.
Child* ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Epilepsy ; Humans ; Learning Disorders ; Learning* ; Mentally Disabled Persons* ; Microcephaly ; Muscular Diseases ; Mutism ; Occupational Therapy ; Pediatrics ; Poisoning ; Psychology ; Schools, Medical ; Specialization ; Speech Therapy ; Testis ; Vascular Diseases

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine the predictors of employment intention for mentally disabled persons. METHODS: Mentally disabled persons who had participated in rehabilitation programs in one of 16 mental health centers and 9 community rehabilitation centers located in Seoul and Kyunggi province were recruited for this study. A random sampling method was used and 414 respondents were used for final analysis. Data was analyzed by Pearson's correlation, and stepwise multiple regression using the SPSS Win 14.0. RESULTS: The predictors influencing employment intention of the mentally disabled person were observed as employment desire (beta=.48), guardian's expectation (beta=.26), professional's support (beta=.23), financial management (beta=.10), eating habits (beta=.07), and quality of life (beta=-.01). Six factors explained 61.1% of employment intention of mentally disabled persons. CONCLUSION: The employment intention of a mentally disabled person was influenced by employment desire, diet self-efficacy, guardian's expectation, professional's support, quality of life, financial management and eating habits.
Adult ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; *Employment ; Female ; Humans ; Intention ; Male ; Mentally Disabled Persons/*psychology/rehabilitation ; Middle Aged ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; Self Concept ; Social Support