OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical utility of the Korean Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (K-WISC-IV) and General Ability Index (GAI) in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: The GAI and Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) in K-WISC-IV were compared for a group of 79 children with ADHD and 234 normal children. The mean differences within each group were testified by the t-test and Cohen's d. The Wechsler's descriptive classifications for each GAI and FSIQ score were analyzed in the children with ADHD. Additionally, the critical value for the difference between the means of the FSIQ and GAI was calculated in the normal children. RESULTS: The score on the GAI was higher than that on the FSIQ in the children with ADHD, with a mean difference of 2.19 points. The implications of these findings are discussed regarding the cognitive characteristics of the children with ADHD. According to Wechsler's descriptive classification, the application of the GAI showed a lower (7.59%), equal (61.65%) or higher (60.76%) prevalence of ADHD compared to the application of FSIQ. CONCLUSION: The implications of these findings are discussed regarding the cognitive characteristics of the children with ADHD. The GAI reflecting the attention and behavioral problems in children with ADHD could be utilized as an alternative global intelligence estimate that considers their potential for development.
Child ; Classification ; Humans ; Intelligence* ; Prevalence ; Problem Behavior

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies of cognitive decline in patients with neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury (NCD-TBI) have often failed to control for baseline factors such as premorbid intelligence. The purpose of the current study was to estimate and compare cognitive function among three groups (controls, complicated mild/moderate TBI, and severe TBI) after controlling for premorbid intelligence.METHODS: Severity of TBI was classified as complicated mild/moderate or severe based on duration of loss of consciousness and brain neuroimaging results. Premorbid intelligence quotients (IQs) were estimated with the Oklahoma Premorbid Intelligence Estimate. There were no differences in premorbid intelligence between the groups, which were also matched for age and education. Current cognitive function was evaluated with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition.RESULTS: Comparison of current cognitive function among the three groups indicated significant group differences for all indexes and subtest scores. Processing speed showed the highest effect size. However, only working memory differed significantly between the two NCD-TBI groups.CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest that mental memory manipulation processes seem to be more sensitive to TBI severity than are perceptual-motor processes. Specifically, both auditory rehearsal/discrimination and mental alertness/manipulation will be most strongly influenced by TBI severity.
Adult ; Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Cognition ; Education ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Memory ; Memory, Short-Term ; Neurocognitive Disorders ; Neuroimaging ; Oklahoma ; Unconsciousness

OBJECTIVE: Health anxiety can be defined by concern about health in the absence of a pathology. The Health Anxiety Questionnaire (HAQ) based on the cognitive-behavioral model can be useful for evaluating the severity and the structure of health anxiety. This study aims to verify the reliability and validity of Korean version of HAQ (K-HAQ). METHODS: For reliability, test-retest reliability and internal consistency were analyzed. For construct validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to identify the optimal cut-off score. RESULTS: Cronbach’s alpha was 0.92, and r value of test-retest reliability was 0.84. In the EFA, 4- and 5-factor model showed cumulative percentile of variance of 60% or more. In the CFA, the 4-factor model was found to be the most appropriate and simplest (χ²=397.33, df=187, CFI=0.909, TLI=0.888, RMSEA=0.077). In the ROC analysis, the cut-off score was 20 points. CONCLUSION: It is expected that K-HAQ can be helpful to evaluate the severity of health anxiety and make therapeutic plans because K-HAQ can help explore the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral structure of health anxiety by each factor.
Anxiety* ; Hypochondriasis ; Pathology ; Reproducibility of Results* ; ROC Curve

Objective: Somatic symptoms in psychiatry include underlying depression, anxiety, or other psychiatric disorders. This study aimed to conduct a validation study of a Korean version of the Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (K-SSS-8), and to utilize the K-SSS-8 effectively in clinical settings. Methods: For reliabilty, test-retest reliability and internal consistency were analyzed. For construct validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted. Known-group validity was verified, Jonckheere-Terpstra test (J-T statistic) were used. Results: Maternal Cronbach’s alpha was 0.85 and r value of test-retest reliability was 0.777. In the EFA, 2-, 3- and 4-factor model showed cumulative percentile for variance of 60% or more. In the CFA, the 3-factor model was found to be the most appropriated and simplest (χ2=10.992, df=17, CFI=1.000, TLI=1.022, RMSEA=0.000). The verifying the difference in K-SSS-8 also showed significant difference. (J-T statistic=-2.510, p<0.05). Conclusion K-SSS-8 can be useful for exploring symptoms such as panic symptoms, physical pain, and physiological symptoms experienced by patients in a short time. In addition, the K-SSS-8 is expected to be very useful for determining the current severity by using the severity categories and for establish additionally required assessment plans for depression and anxiety symptoms.

Objective: Psychiatric patients sometimes show poor performance or exaggerated symptoms as malingering for secondary gain. The aim of this study was to introduce cut-off scores for detecting poor performance using Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) in psychiatric patients. Methods: Participants were 261 in- and out-patients who visited psychiatry department. They were classified into 4 group- 1) military service, 2) traumatic brain injury (TBI), 3) psychosis, 4) neurosis. A Digit Span subtest (called as Reliable Digit Span, RDS) of WAIS was used to detect malingering. This study considered a score of 10% base rate as RDS cut-off score. Results: The RDS cut-off score was shown at 7 pts for military service group, at 3 pts for TBI group, at 6 pts for psychosis group, and at 6 pts for neurosis group. Conclusion This study first introduced RDS cut-off scores for malingering psychiatric patients in South Korea. In clinical practice, clinicians may be able to utilize the RDS cut-off scores for malingering-suspected patients. In particular, for patients with military service issues, 7 or less pts of RDS can be used for detecting and inferring their malingering.

Objective: This study involved a meta-analysis of South Korean studies regarding psychosocial interventions for patients with breast cancer to provide basic data to support the development of an integrated healthcare service model. Methods: Randomized controlled studies with a pretest-posttest design were selected, and those presenting means, standard deviations, and standardized mean differences were included. For quality evaluation and heterogeneity testing, the Jadad scale and the Q-value and I 2 were used. To estimate the effect size of each study, Hedge’s g was used. Publication bias was analyzed with the Funnel plot and Egger’s regression test. Results: Of the 28 studies selected for the, meta-analysis was performed on eight. The total number of datasets included in the meta-analysis was 33. The evaluation based on the Jadad scale revealed no significant inter-rater variation (p = 0.35). The mean number of sessions was 7.93 and the mean intervention time was 13.2 hours. The interventions were mostly administered in a group structure (94%) and, regarding the type, they were categorized as integrated (36.4%), cognitive (30.3%), and meditation (24.2%). The mean effect size was 1.21 against no treatment group. Conclusion The analyzed studies showed heterogeneity, with a corresponding asymmetry found on the Funnel plot. Despite the heterogeneity and publication bias, the mean effect size was significantly large. Cognitive interventions, meditation, and psychological education programs are expected to assist in reducing negative emotions and enhancing quality of life in patients with breast cancer.

PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and allergic conjunctivitis among primary school pupils in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province. We also investigated change of symptoms after environmental control. METHODS:In April 2005, a cross-sectional study was performed among 2,745 1st to 6th graders of 3 primary schools in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) standardized questionnaires and additional questionnaires about environmental changes were distributed to their parents. RESULTS:Data were collected from 2,535 children (1,279 boys and 1,256 girls). The most common allergic symptom was rhinorrhea (43.0%), and atopic skin lesions, ocular lesions and wheezing were 24.5%, 19.7% and 18.2%, respectively. There was no significant relationship between allergic diseases and environmental status. One thousand four hundred nineteen children moved to a new place or had new interior decorations within the last 2 years. Of these children, 352 (24.8%) had allergic symptoms (OR=2.76, CI= 1.96-3.41, P=0.001). Interestingly, we found that children who had moved into apartments experienced more symptom changes than those who had not (P=0.022). CONCLUSION:The results of this study demonstrated that the prevalence of allergic conditions in primary school children in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province in 2005 was higher than those of nation-wide studies in 2000. We found the results of our study is similar to those of Seoul in 2005. We found a significant relationship between environmental status and changes of symptoms in primary school children in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province.
Asthma ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity ; Child* ; Conjunctivitis, Allergic ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Parents ; Prevalence* ; Pupil ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Respiratory Sounds ; Rhinitis ; Seoul ; Skin

PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and allergic conjunctivitis among primary school pupils in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province. We also investigated change of symptoms after environmental control. METHODS:In April 2005, a cross-sectional study was performed among 2,745 1st to 6th graders of 3 primary schools in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) standardized questionnaires and additional questionnaires about environmental changes were distributed to their parents. RESULTS:Data were collected from 2,535 children (1,279 boys and 1,256 girls). The most common allergic symptom was rhinorrhea (43.0%), and atopic skin lesions, ocular lesions and wheezing were 24.5%, 19.7% and 18.2%, respectively. There was no significant relationship between allergic diseases and environmental status. One thousand four hundred nineteen children moved to a new place or had new interior decorations within the last 2 years. Of these children, 352 (24.8%) had allergic symptoms (OR=2.76, CI= 1.96-3.41, P=0.001). Interestingly, we found that children who had moved into apartments experienced more symptom changes than those who had not (P=0.022). CONCLUSION:The results of this study demonstrated that the prevalence of allergic conditions in primary school children in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province in 2005 was higher than those of nation-wide studies in 2000. We found the results of our study is similar to those of Seoul in 2005. We found a significant relationship between environmental status and changes of symptoms in primary school children in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province.
Asthma ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity ; Child* ; Conjunctivitis, Allergic ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Parents ; Prevalence* ; Pupil ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Respiratory Sounds ; Rhinitis ; Seoul ; Skin

We describe the occurrence of acute type A aortic dissection in a patient with situs inversus totalis. A 37-year-old man presented to the emergency department with acute chest pain. Initial chest X-ray findings showed a right-sided heart and a left-sided liver. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a Stanford type A acute aortic dissection, aortic root dilatation, and situs inversus totalis. All of the thoracic structures were mirror-image reversed and an abnormal coronary artery was observed. The Bentall operation was performed. This report demonstrates that computed tomography and echocardiography were useful for understanding the anatomy and the presence or absence of concurrent anomalies in a patient with situs inversus totalis. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful.

Objective: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has psychological effects such as anxiety and depression as well as direct infection in people. The Fear of COVID-19 scale is a scale that can measure anxiety related to COVID-19 in a short time. The purpose of this study was to verify the reliability and validity the Korean version of Fear of COVID-19 scale (KF-COVID-19S). Methods: The data of total 186 normal adults and 17 patients were finally used for the statistical analysis. For internal consistency, Cronbach’s α was calculated. For concurrent and discriminant validity, the correlations with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS), Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument Brief Form (WHOQOLBREF) were analyzed. For construct validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted. Results: Cronbach alpha was 0.88. The two-factor model (factor 1: Physical fear, factor 2: Emotional fear) showed significantly positive correlations and appeared to be “good” fitness (CFI=0.906, IFI=0.907, NFI=0.902). Conclusion The KF-COVID-19S can be a useful scale that can measure the physical and emotional fears associated with COVID-19 in a short time. Because the psychiatric patients are a more vulnerable group to the fear, it is thought that the KF-COVID-19S will help to determine the patient’s level of anxiety and make a therapeutic plan for the underlying mental disorder.