No abstract available.
Qualitative Research

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to develop and validate a scale for measuring the negative effects of job stress on an individual, its family, and its community. METHODS: Based on open-ended questions, interviews, and expert comments, 73 preliminary scale items consisting of 12 factors were assembled. The initial survey was administered to 344 employees in order to conduct item analyses, reliability tests, and factor analyses of the stress assessment scale. The results of the factor analyses indicated that an 8 factor model comprising 43 items was most meaningful. For the final survey, data were obtained from 2732 employees. RESULTS: Factor analysis of the final survey data showed that the developed 8 factor model was appropriate for its intended use. Results of correlation analyses showed that the assessment scale was significantly related to stress response, thereby confirming convergent validity, and was related to various criteria including life satisfaction, hope, optimism, and subjective happiness, thereby confirming criterion-related validity. CONCLUSION: A scale useful in the assessment of negative effects on job stress on workers and on their community members including their families was developed and validated.
Happiness ; Hope ; Humans ; Optimism

Background: This study analyzed occupational diseases compensated through the government system in the Korean electronics industry and observed changes in the rationale for compensation. Methods: Data from the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (KWCWS) from 2012 to 2023 were analyzed to examine occupational disease issues in South Korea's semiconductor and display industries. Results: KWCWS received 174 occupational disease claims between 2012 and 2023, with 88 (50.6%) approved. The case of a 22-year-old semiconductor worker who died from leukemia has raised awareness and appears to be leading to more claims and higher approval rates. Cancer-related claims, particularly for breast and blood cancers, were the most common. Since 2018, the approval rate for occupational diseases has increased to 60%, which may have been influenced by the Supreme Court's Principle of Presumption of Occupational Diseases and the government’s reduction of the burden of proof. However, approval rates remain lower in small- and medium-sized enterprises (38.0%) compared to large corporations (55.6%), likely because of better documentation and unionization in the latter. The semiconductor industry had more claims and approvals than the LCD industry, primarily due to its longer operational history and greater chemical exposure. Conclusions In South Korea, the increasing approval rate of occupational diseases in the electronics industry from 2012 to 2023 appears to reflect changes in how causal relationships and occupational health policies have been implemented and this is likely due to stakeholder involvement and relevant legal decisions.

Background: This study analyzed occupational diseases compensated through the government system in the Korean electronics industry and observed changes in the rationale for compensation. Methods: Data from the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (KWCWS) from 2012 to 2023 were analyzed to examine occupational disease issues in South Korea's semiconductor and display industries. Results: KWCWS received 174 occupational disease claims between 2012 and 2023, with 88 (50.6%) approved. The case of a 22-year-old semiconductor worker who died from leukemia has raised awareness and appears to be leading to more claims and higher approval rates. Cancer-related claims, particularly for breast and blood cancers, were the most common. Since 2018, the approval rate for occupational diseases has increased to 60%, which may have been influenced by the Supreme Court's Principle of Presumption of Occupational Diseases and the government’s reduction of the burden of proof. However, approval rates remain lower in small- and medium-sized enterprises (38.0%) compared to large corporations (55.6%), likely because of better documentation and unionization in the latter. The semiconductor industry had more claims and approvals than the LCD industry, primarily due to its longer operational history and greater chemical exposure. Conclusions In South Korea, the increasing approval rate of occupational diseases in the electronics industry from 2012 to 2023 appears to reflect changes in how causal relationships and occupational health policies have been implemented and this is likely due to stakeholder involvement and relevant legal decisions.

Background: This study analyzed occupational diseases compensated through the government system in the Korean electronics industry and observed changes in the rationale for compensation. Methods: Data from the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (KWCWS) from 2012 to 2023 were analyzed to examine occupational disease issues in South Korea's semiconductor and display industries. Results: KWCWS received 174 occupational disease claims between 2012 and 2023, with 88 (50.6%) approved. The case of a 22-year-old semiconductor worker who died from leukemia has raised awareness and appears to be leading to more claims and higher approval rates. Cancer-related claims, particularly for breast and blood cancers, were the most common. Since 2018, the approval rate for occupational diseases has increased to 60%, which may have been influenced by the Supreme Court's Principle of Presumption of Occupational Diseases and the government’s reduction of the burden of proof. However, approval rates remain lower in small- and medium-sized enterprises (38.0%) compared to large corporations (55.6%), likely because of better documentation and unionization in the latter. The semiconductor industry had more claims and approvals than the LCD industry, primarily due to its longer operational history and greater chemical exposure. Conclusions In South Korea, the increasing approval rate of occupational diseases in the electronics industry from 2012 to 2023 appears to reflect changes in how causal relationships and occupational health policies have been implemented and this is likely due to stakeholder involvement and relevant legal decisions.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of community-based Goal-Achieving program in geriatric depressive symptoms preliminarily. METHODS: We obtained data from elderly Korean subjects with major depressive disorder (n=51) aged 60 years or older at baseline, taking case management from community mental health center. Subjects were randomly assigned to intervention group (n=24) and control group (n=27). We investigated depressive symptoms through Short Form Geriatric Depression Scale-Korean version (SGDS-K) at baseline and every month for 3 months to all subjects. We tested interaction between group and time in SGDS-K score to evaluate the effect of program. And post hoc test examined between group differences of SGDS-K at each time points. RESULTS: In quadratic linear mixed effects model analysis, interaction between group and time was statistically significant (Total SGDS-K score : coefficient=0.29, p<0.001 ; SGDS-K dysphoria subscale : 0.18, p<0.001 ; SGDS-K hopelessness subscale : 0.05, p=0.089 ; SGDS-K cognitive impairment subscale : 0.06, p=0.003). And significant between group difference was shown in post hoc test at time points of third month (SGDS-K score of control group : SGDS-K score of intervention group=10.74±3.482 : 7.25±4.475, p=0.0184). CONCLUSION: These results may suggest that ‘Community-based the Goal-Achieving program’ has efficacy in reducing geriatric depressive symptoms.
Aged ; Case Management ; Cognition Disorders ; Depression* ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Humans ; Mental Health