OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine psychosocial factors influencing suicidal ideation of community dwelling elderly, using the senior community center in Jeonnam Province.METHODS: A total of 2,202 subjects (369 males, 1,833 females) were recruited. We evaluated sociodemographic factors, using a self-reporting questionnaire. Subjects completed the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form Korean Version (SGDS), Multi-dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Korean version of the General Health Questionale-12 (GHQ-12) and Satisfaction with Life scale (SWLS), to assess psychosocial factors affecting suicidal ideation.RESULTS: Among 2,202 subjects, 179 (8.1%) reported recent suicidal ideation. Self-perceptive health status (p < 0.001) and physical disease (p=0.002) revealed differences between two groups. The scores of four scales in the suicidal group were significantly different from the control group: SGDS (p < 0.001) and GHQ-12 (p < 0.001) were higher, while MSPSS (p < 0.001) and SWLS (p < 0.001) were lower, in the suicidal ideation group than the control group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that physical disease (OR 2.575, 95%CI 1.022–6.492), SGDS (OR 1.181, 95%CI 1.120–1.246) and GHQ-12 (OR 1.192, 95%CI 1.108–1.283), were significantly associated with suicidal ideation.CONCLUSION: Findings support that physical disease, depression, and general mental health may correlate to suicidal ideation in the elderly.
Aged ; Depression ; Humans ; Independent Living ; Jeollanam-do ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Mental Health ; Psychology ; Suicidal Ideation ; Suicide ; Weights and Measures

Background: Depression is increasing among college students in general. Moreover, almost one-third of college students have been reported to suffer from depression. Thus, this study aimed to assess differences in stress coping strategies and resilience between depressed and normal-mood groups among college students. Methods: A total of 3,306 college students participated in this study. The students responded to a questionnaire that included questions of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale, stress coping scale (SCS), and brief resilience scale. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of variables on depression. Results: Using the CES-D (cutoff score ≥21), 423 (12.8%) college students were classified as depressed. Adjusting for individual demographic factors, the SCS results of the students with depression showed significantly higher scores in emotion-focused coping (p<0.001), wishful thinking (p<0.001), and lower problem-focused coping (p<0.001) than the normal-mood group. Moreover, they presented lower resilience scores. Students who had emotion-focused coping (odds ratio [OR], 1.11; p<0.001) and lower resilience scores (OR, 0.76; p<0.001) were associated with higher CES-D scores. Conclusion The study findings revealed significant differences between the depressed and normal-mood groups in terms of stress coping skills and resilience, suggesting the need for promoting stress coping strategies and resilience to lower depression-related problems among college students.

Background: Alcohol drinking among college students is socially permissible in Korea. However, this population’s tendency to consume alcohol excessively results in many alcohol-related problems, including psychiatric problems.This study aimed to identify the sociodemographic characteristics and psychiatric comorbidities associated with hazardous alcohol drinking among college students. Methods: In total, 2,571 college students participated in the study. Data were collected using the Korean version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-K), the Mood Disorder Questionnaire, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, a modified Korean version of the 16-item Prodromal Questionnaire, the Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Scale-Version 1.1, and a stress-coping scale. Logistic regression analysis was performed on variables significantly correlated with hazardous alcohol drinking. Results: In total, 633 students were grouped into the hazardous alcohol drinking group (AUDIT-K, ≥12). The associ-ated variables were age (odds ratio [OR], 0.95; p<0.05), smoking (OR, 4.00; p<0.001), bipolar disorder (OR, 2.45; p<0.05), depressive disorder (OR, 1.35; p<0.05), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; OR, 1.44; p<0.05), and problem-focused stress coping (OR, 0.97; p<0.05). Conclusion In this study, hazardous alcohol drinking was associated with smoking, mood disorders, and ADHD. We suggest that alcohol use among college students be carefully monitored and managed in terms of its psychiatric comorbidities.

Background: This study, examines the applicability of the Lifestyle Evaluation Tool for Patients with Metabolic Syndrome (LET-PMS) questionnaire, originally developed for general population, on psychiatric patients with metabolic syndrome. Methods: The study included 320 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (N=190), bipolar spectrum disorder (N=65), and depressive disorder (N=65). They were provided assignments using 36 items from the LETPMS questionnaire and various established scales. The evaluation encompassed psychometric properties of reliability, exploratory factor, and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: We refined the LET-PMS questionnaire by eliminating six items through a reliability test. The resultant questionnaire exhibited six factors. The overall Cronbach’s alpha value was 0.896, with factor-specific reliability coefficients ranging from 0.730 to 0.859. Based on confirmatory factor analysis of the adapted LET-PMS, the root mean square error of approximation was 0.069 (0.05-1.1). Goodness-of-fit and comparative fit indexes were 0.815 and 0.821, respectively. All 30 items met the criteria for suitable configuration. Conclusion The LET-PMS questionnaire demonstrated robust internal consistency and sound structural validity, making it suitable for psychiatric patients with metabolic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to screen Korean college students for correlates, and comorbidities associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).METHODS: A total of 2,593 college students participated in the study. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected and self-report scales, such as the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale-Version 1.1, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Korean version of the Mood Disorder, a modified Korean version of the 16-item Prodromal Questionnaire, and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test were included. Students with and without ADHD were compared using univariable analyses, and the association of ADHD with other psychiatric comorbidities was predicted using multivariable analyses.RESULTS: Of the total participants, 4.7% were diagnosed with ADHD. Multivariable analysis revealed that ADHD in college students was significantly associated with depression, psychotic-like experience, alcohol abuse, and female sex after adjustment. We found that ADHD in young college students was associated with several psychiatric comorbidities.CONCLUSION: These results suggest the need for early detection of ADHD in young adults and highlight the importance of implementing early psychiatric intervention for problems such as depression, psychotic-like experience, and alcohol abuse in adults with ADHD.
Adult ; Alcoholism ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; Comorbidity ; Depression ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Mood Disorders ; Prevalence ; Weights and Measures ; Young Adult

Background: In this study, the relationship between depression and stress-coping strategies among public enterprise workers whose workplaces were relocated to a newly-built innovation city was investigated. Methods: This study included a total of 922 public enterprise workers living in Naju Innovation City. Along with their sociodemographic data, each subject was assessed concerning depression, occupational stress, and stress-coping strategies using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale(CES-D), Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS), and stress-coping scale (SCS), respectively. Logistic regression was performed to investigate the impact of the relevant factors on depressive symptoms. Results: The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 14%. Some sociodemographic variables, the total scores of the KOSS, and four subscales of the SCS revealed significant differences between the depressed and normal groups. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the KOSS (odds ratio [OR], 1.17; p<0.001) and SCS, such as problem-solving-focused (OR, 0.75; p<0.001), emotion-focused (OR, 1.15; p<0.05), and wishful-thinking-focused (OR, 1.10; p<0.05), were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion The results indicated that depressive symptoms were highly prevalent among workers whose workplaces were relocated. In addition, these symptoms were found to be related with occupational stress and stress-coping strategies. Our findings also suggest that promoting healthy stress-coping strategies and reducing occupational stress may help in preventing the occurrence of depression and managing depressed workers.

Background: This study aimed to examine the influence of the coronavirus disease pandemic 2019 (COVID-19) by comparing the incidences of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicidal attempts before and after the outbreak of the pandemic among community-dwelling older adults. Methods: In total, 9,784 older adults were recruited from 22 counties in Jeollanam-do between 2019 and 2022. Selfreported questionnaires, including sociodemographic factors, suicidal ideation, suicidal attempt, and Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form Korean version, were used. Results: The proportion of the depression high-risk group tended to increase since the COVID-19 outbreak, increasing to 16.3%, 23.1%, and 25.7% in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively; however, decreased to 21.8% in 2022. The incidence of suicidal ideation showed a similar pattern. The incidence of suicidal attempts showed a different pattern, rising to 1.3% and 2.6% in 2019 and 2020, respectively and then falling to 1.1% and 0.8% in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Conclusion This study examined community-dwelling older adults and their mental states during the COVID-19 pandemic, and found that the risk of depression among older adults increased 1.708-fold in 2020, 1.877-fold in 2021, and 1.599-fold in 2022 compared to that in 2019, the year before the pandemic. Similarly, the risk of suicidal ideation increased by 1.582-fold in 2020, 1.913-fold in 2021, and 1.623-fold in 2022 compared with 2019 data. As the pandemic extended, mental health states improved; however, not to prepandemic levels. Suggesting that older people need continued support to alleviate the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: This study explores the impact of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the mental health of healthcare workers in COVID-19 Screening Centers, focusing on anxiety and depression and their psychophysiological findings. Methods: The research involved 610 healthcare workers in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do, South Korea, from March to November 2022. Self-reported questionnaires and psychophysiological measurements using Neuronicle FX2 (Omnifitmindcare ® ) were employed. Results: Among 610 participants (107 males, 503 females), the high-risk anxiety group (60 individuals, 15 males and 45 females) and high-risk depression group (79 individuals, 19 males and 60 females) showed elevated physical symptoms compared to the normal group. The high-risk anxiety group exhibited lower mean r-r intervals, higher heart rate per minute, greater stress index, and lower vigor index. For electroencephalogram (EEG) measures, the high-risk anxiety group showed higher brain activity, lower alpha asymmetry, reduced total theta power, and higher beta/theta (left, right, total) ratios. The high-risk depression group showed significantly lower alpha asymmetry in EEG. Conclusion This study explored anxiety and depression prevalence among healthcare workers in the Gwangju-Jeonnam region at COVID-19 testing centers. Correlations between mental states and physical symptoms were observed, emphasizing the potential of EEG and heart rate variability as physiological indicators in psychiatric evaluations during the pandemic.

Objective: The Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) is a relatively specific test for bipolar disorders designed to assess the main functioning problems experienced by patients. This brief instrument includes 24 items assessing impairment or disability in 6 domains of functioning: autonomy, occupational functioning, cognitive functioning, financial issues, interpersonal relationships, and leisure time. It has already been translated into standardized versions in several languages. The aim of this study is to measure the validity and reliability of the Korean version of FAST (K-FAST). Methods: A total of 209 bipolar disorder patients were recruited from 14 centers in Korea. K-FAST, Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument Brief Form (WHOQOL-BREF) were administered, and psychometric analysis of the K-FAST was conducted. Results: The internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) of the K-FAST was 0.95. Test-retest reliability analysis showed a strong correlation between the two measures assessed at a 1-week interval (ICC = 0.97; p ＜ 0.001). The K-FAST exhibited significant correlations with GAF (r = −0.771), WHOQOL-BREF (r = −0.326), YMRS (r = 0.509) and BDRS (r = 0.598). A strong negative correlation with GAF pointed to a reasonable degree of concurrent validity. Although the exploratory factor analysis showed four factors, the confirmatory factor analysis of questionnaires had a good fit for a six factors model (CFI = 0.925; TLI = 0.912; RMSEA = 0.078). Conclusion The K-FAST has good psychometric properties, good internal consistency, and can be applicable and acceptable to the Korean context.