OBJECTIVES: We examined the effects of sleep variables and emotional factors including stress, anxiety and depression on the quality of life in insomnia patients. METHODS: We recruited 153 insomnia patients and 96 normal control (NC) subjects who visited three Public Health Centers in Kangwon-do from 2013 until 2015. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Korean version of Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ-K), Korean version of Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test (FIRST), Hyperarousal Scale (HAS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Anxiety-Sensitivity Index (ASI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Short Form-12 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-12) were administered for each subject. We compared the scores of the above scales between the insomnia and control groups, using analysis of covariance to control for age. Stepwise regression analysis assessed the association of these variables with SF-12 scores. RESULTS: The scores of PSQI, FIRST, HAS, ASI, BDI in insomnia patients were significantly higher than those of NC subjects, but the Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores of SF-12 were lower. Stepwise regression analysis showed the scores of PSS and MEQ-K significantly predicted the MCS scores in NC subjects, and the BDI score predicted scores in insomnia patients. CONCLUSION: In our study, greater subjective stress and evening preference could explain lower mental quality of life in NC subjects. In insomnia patients, greater depression is an additional factor.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Exercise Test ; Gangwon-do ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Public Health ; Quality of Life* ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders* ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVES: Nursing is a job with high stress. This study investigated the relationship between temperament and character traits, heart rate variability, and the severity of occupational stress in new nursing employees. METHODS: Ninety-seven nurses newly employed in a Seoul Medical Center from April 2014 to September 2015 were included to the study. Before beginning employment, all subjects were asked to complete a sociodemographic questionnaire and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). After they were employed for a month, we administered a heart rate variability test and Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS). RESULTS: Harm avoidance (r=0.334, p=0.001), self-transcendence (r=0.224, p=0.028) and KOSS scores were positively correlated. Self-directedness (r=-0.278, p=0.006) and cooperativeness (r=-0.263, p=0.009) were negatively correlated with KOSS scores. In multiple regression analyses, harm avoidance and cooperativeness were risk factors for severe occupational stress. Physical parameters of total power (r=0.303, p=0.003), very low frequency (VLF ; r=0.318, p=0.002), and standard deviation of the NN interval (r=0.220, p=0.030) were significantly associated with higher KOSS scores. In multiple regression analysis, VLF was significant correlated with KOSS scores. CONCLUSION: Individual factors, such as personality trait or autonomic function, may affect the occupational stress vulnerability on this study. Harm avoidance, cooperativeness in TCI parameters are associated with severity of the occupational stress.
Employment ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Nursing* ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Temperament*

OBJECTIVES: This study compares the emotional reaction and inhibitory effect on smoking urge between foreign antismoking advertisements and Korean antismoking advertisements. METHODS: Twenty-seven male smokers responded to a self-report survey including a Questionnaire on Smoking Urge and on emotional reactions such as disgust, anger and fear after watching a foreign antismoking advertisement, neutral images, and a Korean antismoking advertisement. We compared the smoking urge between the foreign antismoking advertisement and Korean antismoking advertisement and investigated emotional reactions associated with reduction in the smoking urge. RESULTS: The foreign antismoking advertisement inhibited the smoking urge but Korean antismoking advertisement did not. A significantly higher emotional response was evoked by the antismoking advertisements than in neutral images. However, among the emotions respondents reported about the foreign antismoking advertisement, only disgust was significantly associated with smoking urge. CONCLUSION: These results support published research, in that warning labels with high-rated emotional reactions are associated with reduction in the smoking urge. High emotional reactions such as disgust may enhance the effect of Korean antismoking advertisements.
Anger ; Humans ; Male ; Smoke* ; Smoking Cessation ; Smoking* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate cognitive reserve in Korea using Korean version of Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire (K-CRIq) and to investigate the effects of gender and age on cognitive reserve. METHODS: Three hundred and fifty-eight healthy subjects aged 25–85 years old in one community participated in the study. K-CRIq was developed and administered to all subjects to assess the effects of gender and age on cognitive reserve. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were administered to subjects over 65 years old to test concurrent validity. RESULTS: Age and gender as well as their interaction significantly affected Cognitive Reserve Index (CRI) score. Men had higher cognitive reserve than women over 45 years old, but at younger ages there was no gender difference in cognitive reserve. CRI score and sub-scores were strongly associated with the MMSE and MoCA. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the gender effect on cognitive reserve is disappearing in the young generation in Korea. Scores in neuropsychological tests are predicted well by the CRI score.
Aging ; Cognitive Reserve* ; Female ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Methylenebis(chloroaniline) ; Neuropsychological Tests

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the attitudes of a provincial population towards wills of individuals with dementia and related concerns to prevent civil disputes related to dementia in an aging society. METHODS: The target population was registered residents in a province aged 19 years or older. The population forming the sampling frame was 1478821 (as of May 31, 2013). With a confidence interval of 2% and significance level of 5%, 2540 participants were sampled. This survey used a structured questionnaire composed of two main parts : seven items of general information (sex, age, residence, marital status, education, occupation, and income) and Testamentary Capacity-Related Questionnaire-12 items (TCRQ-12) comprising four items of basic knowledge and eight items of specific situational questions, using a five point Likert scale. RESULTS: The respondents were favorable toward the guarantee of will-making capacity of individuals with dementia. Self-relatedness, disadvantageousness and undue influence are significantly associated with objection to the will of individuals with dementia. In the pre-evaluation of testamentary capacity of individuals with dementia, the respondents responded strongly and with more favorable attitudes for evaluation by medical specialists than by lawyers. Last, in acceptance of the denial of self-related will due to dementia, negative response was dominant over positive response. CONCLUSION: Although it would be desirable that the will or testamentary capacity of individuals with dementia should be guaranteed for maximum, institutional and professional approaches are necessary to prevent civil disputes related to dementia.
Aging ; Dementia* ; Denial (Psychology) ; Dissent and Disputes ; Education ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Lawyers ; Marital Status ; Occupations ; Specialization ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: Age-related differences of the brain have been obtained by various methods. This study was aimed to explore the changes of quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) and their source localization in normal aging. METHODS: Thirty-seven healthy young adults (mean age 35.22+/-13.62 years) and thirty-nine cognitively-healthy elderly subjects (mean age 72.95+/-5.73 years) participated in the study. Resting-state EEGs were recorded while subjects were in a relaxed state. Relative qEEG powers of five frequency bands were analyzed for eye closed conditions: delta (1-3 Hz), theta (4-7 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz), beta (13-25 Hz), and gamma (30-50 Hz). The standardized low resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) was used to identify the current source densities of each frequency band. RESULTS: The elderly group showed an increase of beta and gamma power while the reduction of delta, theta, and alpha power compared with the young group. Controlling education as a covariate, the beta power was positively correlated with age, while theta power was negatively correlated with age in all subjects. sLORETA revealed that elderly subjects had reduced current source density at the cingulate gyrus in the theta band, while increased current source densities at the frontal, parietal, insula, and limbic areas in the beta band compared with young adults. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that qEEG could reflect normal aging. Cognitively healthy elderly subjects showed an increase of high-frequency power, while showing a reduction of low-frequency power. These functional implications were discussed.
Aged ; Aging ; Brain ; Electroencephalography ; Eye ; Gyrus Cinguli ; Humans ; Magnets ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between internet addiction and emotional and behavioral problems in 5th and 6th grade elementary school students and middle school students. METHODS: Two elementary school and two middle schools were chosen to participate. The participants completed self-report questionnaires designed by authors, an internet addiction scale, and the Korean Youth Self Report (K-YSR). RESULTS: The prevalence of internet addiction was 1.5%. We defined the upper 30% of internet addiction scores as an addiction tendency group and the lower 30% as a control group. There were significant differences in the gender ratio, age, and average length of each internet use, years of internet use experience, and exposure to pornography between the two groups. Linear regression analysis showed that significant association was found between internet addiction scores and withdrawn problems in middle school students but not in elementary school students. The level of internet addiction was associated with a high occurrence rate of total behavioral problems and delinquent behavior problems in boys and depression/anxiety problems in girls. CONCLUSION: This data supports that withdrawn and delinquent behaviors could be predictable factors of internet addiction, and gender differences may exist in the development of internet addiction. The intervention focused on these findings could be effective to prevent and treat internet addiction in children and adolescents.
Adolescent ; Child ; Erotica ; Humans ; Internet ; Linear Models ; Prevalence ; Psychopathology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Self Report

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the association of the ADRA2A MspI and DraI polymorphisms with methylphenidate (MPH) response in Korean children with ADHD. METHODS: The present study included 112 children and adolescents with ADHD (mean age=9.1+/-2.1 years), consisting of 92 boys (82.1%) and 20 girls (17.9%). ADHD was diagnosed based on the DSM-IV criteria using the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). For the clinical evaluation of the ADHD subjects, the ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS) and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) were administered at baseline and 8 weeks after MPH treatment. ADRA2A MspI and DraI polymorphisms were genotyped. The chi2 test was used to evaluate the relationship between the ADRA2A genotype and the response to MPH. The correlation between the genotype of ADRA2A and the change in the ADHD-RS scores after MPH treatment was assessed using the analysis of variance test and t-test. The significance level was set at p=0.01. RESULTS: No significant association was found between the genotypes of the ADRA2A MspI or DraI polymorphisms and MPH treatment response according to the CGI-improvement score (p>0.05). Comparing the changes in ARS scores after MPH treatment according to the genotypes of the MspI or DraI polymorphisms, we found no significant differences between subjects with different genotypes (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results do not support the significant association between the MspI genotype and MPH response in Korean ADHD subjects, which was previously reported. In addition, we document no evidence of association between the DraI polymorphism and MPH treatment response in the Korean ADHD population.
Adolescent ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; Child ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Genotype ; Humans ; Methylphenidate ; Mood Disorders ; Phenazines

OBJECTIVE: We attempted to investigate the relation between naturally occurring hypnotic experiences and hypnotizability. We examined the correlations among hypnotic induction profile scores, natural hypnotic scores, induction scores and MBTI personality types. METHODS: Sixty-three medical students completed NHQ(natural hypnotic questionnaire) developed from a list of naturally occurring hypnotic-like experiences and MBTI(Myers-Briggs Type Inventory), HIF(Hypnotic Induction Profile) was also administered to all the subjects. HIF score and IND(induction score) were obtained. RESULTS: 1) The NHS(natural hypnotic score) was significantly correlated with IND in all the subjects. The IND also showed significant correlation with HIF score. 2) There was no significant correlation between NHS and HIP scores. 3) HIF scores were positively correlated with induction scores in all types of MBTI. 4) Natural hypnotic scores were positively correlated with HIF scores and induction scores in introvert and thinking types. 5) There were positive correlations between natural hypnotic scores and induction scores in intuition and judgment types. CONCLUSION: The natural hypnotic scores were correlated with induction scores. It is suggested that the more the naturally-occurring hypnotic experience is experienced, the better the hypnotic induction is induced In introvert and thinking types of MBTI personality types.
Hip ; Humans ; Intuition ; Judgment ; Students, Medical* ; Thinking

In light of recent reports of the effectiveness of Radix puerariae in the alcoholics and recent formulation of a hypothesis that craving far alcohol In the alcohol-dependent individual is mediated by a limbic circuit involving the fronto-thalamic and fronto-striatoaccumbal region, the authors studied the effect of Radix puerariae on craving for alcohol and cerebral blood flow(rCBF) of these regions. The subjects were hospitalized patients with alcohol dependence recovered from acute intoxication and withdrawal symptoms. On the first day of experiment, rCBF in the areas of caudate nuclei, thalamus and orbitofrontal cortices was measured by Single-Photon Emission Computed nomography. On the third day, the same procedure was repeated artier intake of a small priming dose of alcohol. Radix puerariae in dose of 12gm/day for 10 days was given from fourth day of experiment to the thirteenth day and on the eleventh and thirteenth days, the measurements of rCBF were repeated in the same method as in the first and third day, respectively. Immediately before measurements of the rCBF in each experiment, craving far alcohol was measured by means of Visual Analogue Scale. The results were as follows: 1) Before the treatment of radix puerariae, the alcohol-dependent patients developed a significant alcohol-induced alcohol craving and a concomitant increase of rCBF in the right head of caudate nucleus. 2) Radix puerariae significantly lowered alcohol crating and significantly increased rCBF In the right head of caudate nucleus and the left orbitofrontal cortex in alcohol-free, basal condition. 3) After the treatment of radix puerariae, the rCBF after alcohol intake in bilateral caudate nuclei and bilateral hemithalami was significantly decreased. 4) Radix puerariae did not induce post-alcohol craving for alcohol and significantly decreased post-alcohol rCBF in bilateral caudate nuclei. From these results, it is suggested that Radix puerariae decreases basal alcohol craving in the alcohol-dependent patients, and further that there ma!~ exist a significant association between these changes of alcohol craving and concomitant changes of rCBF in the limbic striatim, especially caudate nucleus.
Alcoholics ; Alcoholism* ; Caudate Nucleus ; Head ; Humans ; Pueraria* ; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome ; Thalamus ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon