PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to investigate the psychological factors such as eating psychopathology, depression, obsessive-compulsion, sleep problem, and stressors that affect the alcohol problems in patients with eating disorders. METHODS: Patients with eating disorders (n=347) who visited "M" clinic for eating disorder were participated in the study. Data were collected from February 2008 to May 2010 using Eating Disorder Inventory-2, Beck Depression Inventory, Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory, and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Korean. RESULTS: Of the participants, 17.3% had an alcohol problem, 9.2% of them were diagnosed with alcohol dependency. Age, history of mental disorder in family, stress for love relationship, difficulties falling asleep, and 'impulse regulation' (one of eating psychopathologies) were significant associated factors of alcohol problem, but depression and obsessive-compulsion were not significant. CONCLUSION: Future interventions for patients with eating disorders should focus on assessing alcohol problems. Assessment should be non-judgmental, especially for those patients with high levels of impulse dysregulation, difficulties falling asleep, and stress in love relationship in order to prevent their early drop-out for the treatment. Alternative treatment for sleep problem and stress management also may be helpful for the patients with alcohol problem and eating disorders.
Depression ; Eating ; Feeding and Eating Disorders* ; Humans ; Love ; Mental Disorders ; Psychology ; Psychopathology

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of eating disorders and the dietary, and psychological factors that influence eating disorders in high school girls. Data was collected from 4 vocational and 4 general girls' high schools in Incheon. Among the total of 595 questionnaires collected, 581 were analyzed. For data analyses, frequency, percentage, average, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Duncan's Post-Hoc and regression were conducted using SPSS WIN ver 10.0 program. As a result, 25 out of 581 students (4.3%) are judged to have eating disorders. The mean BMI of the subjects is 20.2, but the BMI students think of as ideal is 17.6. Since the frequencies of diet trial, taking diet pills, and skipping dinner are higher, the average score of Eating Attitudes Test for Korean Adolescents (EAT-26KA) is higher, they are more likely to have eating disorders. The lower the degree of body satisfaction and self esteem are, the higher the average score of EAT-26KA is. It tells that the possibility of developing eating disorders is closely related to BMI and psychological factors specially body satisfaction.
Adolescent ; Analysis of Variance ; Diet ; Feeding and Eating Disorders* ; Eating* ; Female* ; Humans ; Incheon ; Meals ; Prevalence ; Psychology ; Self Concept ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2) in Korean patients with eating disorders and healthy controls, and to investigate cultural differences of EDI-2 between a Korean group and a North American standardization sample. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Korean version of the EDI-2 was prepared after comprehensive clinical assessment of Korean patients with eating disorders (n=327) as well as female undergraduates (n=176). Results were compared between eating disorder subgroups (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and eating disorders not otherwise specified) and those of a North American standardization sample and healthy controls. RESULTS: The results showed that the Korean EDI-2 had adequate internal consistency (0.77-0.93) and discriminated well between patients with eating disorders and healthy controls on all subscales. Significant differences in EDI-2 subscale scores between the eating disorder groups and the healthy control group were observed; however, there was no discernible difference among the eating disorder subgroups. When compared with a North American standardization sample, the Korean control group showed significantly higher scores for drive for thinness and asceticism. When patient groups were compared, the Korean group showed significantly lower scores for perfectionism. CONCLUSION: As expected, the results accurately reflected psychometric properties of the Korean version of EDI-2 for eating disorder patients in Korea. These findings also suggest that common characteristics for the eating disorder exist as a whole rather than with significant difference between each subgroup. In addition, significant differences between the Korean and the North American groups for both patients and controls also demonstrated specific cultural differences.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; *Cross-Cultural Comparison ; Eating Disorders/*psychology ; Female ; Humans ; *Psychometrics ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between eating disorders, physical symptoms, depression and health locus of control. METHOD: The research design was a descriptive study done by using a constructive self-report questionnaire. A total of 464 elementary school girls were measured. The instrument was a constructive questionnaire that consisted 136 items. The subjects were divided into 4 groups according to the Body Mass Index (BMI). Data analysis was done by SPSS/WIN Programs using frequency, percentage, mean, SD, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression. RESULT: The score of eating disorders differed significantly by BMI : the score was highest in the group of obese students(F=4.208, P=.015). Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the most powerful predictor of eating disorders was BMI. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that Korean elementary school girls need more education and counseling on diet. Also, we should take systematic efforts to reestablish the social standard of beauty to promote normal growth development.
*Attitude to Health ; Child ; Depression/*complications ; Eating Disorders/complications/*psychology ; Female ; Humans ; *Internal-External Control

The occurrence of eating disorders in Chinese adolescents is increasing. However the cause, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of this disorder are rarely reported by pediatricians. This paper investigated the cause and treatment of six cases of eating disorders in adolescent patients. The medical data of six cases of eating disorders in the Shanghai Children's Medical Center from January 2003 to September 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were 5 girls and 1 boy, whose onset ages ranged from 12.4 to 15.8 years. They were initially referred to the clinic between 12.9 to 16.7 years, with a course of disease varying from three to twelve months. The patients' body mass index (BMI) varied from 9.07 to 17.0. Four out of the six patients were hospitalized because of low temperature, low blood pressure, bradycardia, dehydration and multiple systems damages. The other two were treated in the out-patient clinic. Based on the medical history and physical examination as well as laboratory findings, five of them were diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and the other one were bulimia nervosa. All of the patients were under the care of a team consisting of pediatricians, dietitians, psychiatrists and nurses. When the patients whose vital signs were unstable, medical treatment focused on life sustention and they were kept on beds compulsively and given nutrition transfusion. Meanwhile cognition and behavior therapy was administered to help the patients find out the internal and environmental factors related to the development of this disorder, establish a new conception of healthy weight, and correct their abnormal eating behaviors. The patients who had a severe distortion of body image and a big resistance to the treatment were additionally administered with psychiatry drugs. After treatment, three patients set up a healthy eating behavior, their body weights gradually recovered and they had no relapse during a 1-year follow-up. The other three patients retained some abnormal eating behaviors and their body weights were always below normal. It was found that eating disorders in adolescents may be triggered by some environmental factors, such as comments on body shape from their peers, fashion influence, academic pressures, and problems in communication. Since the patients' abnormal eating behaviors were masked or neglected by parents at the early stage of the disease and the clinical presentations were related to multiple systems, it is difficult to make an early diagnosis and treatment. It is important to improve the pediatricians' knowledge of eating disorders of adolescents and perform cooperation between a multidisciplinary team for the early diagnosis and treatment of this disorder.
Adolescent ; Child ; Feeding and Eating Disorders ; etiology ; psychology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to investigate psychological factors such as eating psychopathology, depression, and obsessive-compulsion that might influence self-harm behavior in patients with eating disorders. METHODS: Patients with eating disorders (n=135) who visited "M" clinic for eating disorders participated in the study. Data were collected from March to August 2007 using the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, Beck Depression Inventory, Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory, and Self-Harm Inventory (SHI). RESULTS: The participants scored high on self-harm as well as on depression and obsessive-compulsion. On the SHI, a high frequency of self harm behavior such as 'torturing self with self-defeating thoughts', 'abused alcohol', 'hit self', and 'suicide attempt' were found for the participants. There were significant correlations between most eating psychopathology variables, depression, obsessive-compulsion, and self-harm behavior. 'Interoceptive awareness' (eating psychopathology), depression, and 'checking' (obsessive-compulsion) were significant predictors of self-harm behavior. CONCLUSION: Future interventions for patients with eating disorders should focus on assessing the possibility of self-harm and suicidal attempts, especially in those patients with high levels of eating psychopathology, depression, or obsessive-compulsion. Early intervention for depression and obsessive-compulsion could contribute to preventing self-harm and suicide in patients with eating disorders.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Demography ; Depression/complications/diagnosis/*psychology ; Eating Disorders/complications/diagnosis/*psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/complications/diagnosis/*psychology ; Questionnaires ; Suicide, Attempted/psychology

OBJECTIVES: The epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) brought psychological stress to the public, especially to patients. This study aims to investigate the mental health of patients with COVID-19 in Changsha. METHODS: We took cross-section investigation for the mental health of 112 patients with COVID-19 via questionnaires. Mann-Whitney test, Chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test were performed to compare general and clinical data between the slight-ordinary patients and severe patients. Single sample -tests were used to compare the difference between the factor scores of the Symptom Check-List 90 (SCL-90) in COVID-19 patients with the norm of 2015 and factor scores of SCL-90 in patients with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). RESULTS: The obsessive-compulsive, depression, sleep and eating disorders had the highest frequency among the positive symptoms of SCL-90 in patients with COVID-19 in Changsha. The factor scores of somatization, depression, anxiety, phobia anxiety, sleep and eating disorders in patients with COVID-19 were higher than those of the norm (≤0.001 or <0.05). Slight-ordinary patients with COVID-19 in Changsha showed lower factor scores of somatization, depression, anxiety, and hostility compared with the patients with SARS (<0.001 or <0.05). There was no difference in factor scores of SCL-90 between the patients with severe COVID-19 and those with SARS(>0.05). CONCLUSIONS The levels of somatization, depression, anxiety, phobia anxiety, sleep and eating disorders in patients with COVID-19 in Changsha are higher than those of the norm. However, the mental health of slight-ordinary patients with COVID-19 is better than that of patients with SARS. It needs to provide targeting psychological interventions depending on the severity of patients.
Anxiety ; Betacoronavirus ; China ; Coronavirus Infections ; psychology ; Depression ; Feeding and Eating Disorders ; Health Status ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; psychology ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Surveys and Questionnaires

In this article, we critically reviewed various literatures on stress and adjustment in medical schools as a preliminary work for the future empirical study. We adopted Biopsychosocial Model as the frame of reference, which considers not only the relationship between stressor and psychological distress, but also their interaction with moderating variables such as psychosocial resources and vulnerabilities. According to the model, three important aspects of medical school stress were reviewed: 1) the types of medical school stresses, 2) the adverse effects of stressors on the adjustment such as depression, anxiety, physical symptoms, drug abuse, eating problem, attrition, change of attitude and personality, etc, 3) the moderating effects of various vulnerabilities and resources including Type A behavior pattern, masculinity/femininity, locus of control, optimism, anger expression, coping style, social support, and study skills on the suppression or development of psychological distress. Investigating the moderating variables in particular may have great clinical implications since these variables are closely related to the psychological factors concerning successful adjustment in medical school. Conclusions drawn from this review suggests several directions of future research. First, a comprehensive study which covers the whole process of medical school stress is recommended. Longitudinal design will be more suitable for dealing with the developmental features of medical education. Finally, the severity of medical school stress must be compared with the stress of general colleges and other professional graduate schools. This article is expected to provide some theoretical basis for future studies regarding the successful adjustment in the medical school, the development of preventive intervention programs and the reform of medical education systems.
Anger ; Anxiety ; Depression ; Eating ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Internal-External Control ; Psychology ; Schools, Medical ; Substance-Related Disorders ; Test Taking Skills

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between eating disorders and parent-adolescent communication in middle school students. METHOD: There were 267 adolescents taken as participants from two middle schools in rural areas. Data were collected from June to July 2005, using the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 questionnaire (23 items) and Parent-Adolescent Communication Inventory (10 items for open family communication, 10 items for problem in family communication). The SPSS Win version 12.0 was used for descriptive analysis, t-test, and partial correlation coefficient. RESULT: The mean score on the eating disorder was 2.74 (range: 1-6). Meanwhile, the mean scores on the parentadolescent communication was 3.37 (range: 1-5). There were significant differences in eating disorders according to gender, age, negative perception of the participant's body weight, family's perception of obesity, diet experiences, and BMI. Eating disorders showed a significant negative correlation with parent-adolescent communication. CONCLUSION: In this study, there was a significant negative correlation between eating disorders and parent-adolescent communication. In order to prevent an eating disorder, education and training to enhance communication skills should be provided to adolescents and their parents as well.
Adolescent ; *Adolescent Psychology ; Attitude to Health ; Body Mass Index ; Child ; *Communication ; Eating Disorders/*psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Nutritional Status ; Parent-Child Relations ; Personal Satisfaction ; Questionnaires ; Rural Population

PURPOSE: This study was designed to assess the prevalence and correlates of disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors in South Korean students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a cross-sectional survey, 2,226 fourth and seventh grade students filled out questionnaires on eating attitudes and behaviors (Eating Attitude Test -26, EAT-26), coping strategies, fear of being overweight, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem. RESULTS: Disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors were found in 7 percent of students. In the multivariate analyses, disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors were associated with the passive coping strategies, fear of being overweight, total behavioral difficulties, fourth grade, and high socioeconomic status (SES). Differences in the associations were found between boys and girls. There were significant associations between elevated EAT-26 scores and passive coping strategies, desired underweight body mass index (BMI), and low SES in boys; and between elevated EAT-26 scores and passive coping strategies, fear of being overweight, behavioral problems, being in the fourth grade, and high and low SES in girls. CONCLUSION: In South Korean children, disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors were associated with various psychological and sociocultural factors; some gender-related differences are also evident.
Adolescent ; Body Mass Index ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Eating Disorders/epidemiology/*psychology ; Feeding Behavior/*psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Social Class