PURPOSE: Epilepsy of child may cause high level of psychosocial difficulties for parents including stigmatization and stress and therefore worsen their quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mediating effect of perceived stigma against epilepsy on QOL among parents with epileptic child. METHODS: Two hundred and sixty parents of epileptic child recruited from five separated university hospital child neurology clinics specializing in epilepsy completed a demographic questionnaire, a medical questionnaire, a perceived stigma questionnaire and the Ro's Quality of Life Inventory, a popular tool for evaluating QOL of adults in Korea which is composed of 6 domains and 47 questions. Data was analyzed with SPSS 14.0 program using frequency analysis and descriptive analysis and with AMOS 7.0 program using Structural Equation Model (SEM) analysis. RESULTS: The level of parents' QOL was relatively fair. SEM analysis on the quality of life level of parents showed that all variables (especially having religion, the monthly income, employment state, age of child, the leisure time, the perceived stigma level against epilepsy, and seizure frequency) directly affect the quality of life level of parents and that diseaserelated variables also affect the quality of life level of parents indirectly through the mediating factor (the perceived stigma), where the indirect effect is large with the existence of combined disabilities. The total effect on the quality of life level of parents is large with the existence of combined disabilities, the perceived stigma level, the leisure time, having religion, and the monthly income. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicated that many factors including parents' perceived stigma may affect the quality of life of parents with epileptic children directly, and that some disease-related factors may affect indirectly through a mediating factor, the perceived stigma. Multidisciplinary collaboration would be imperative for their welfare.
Adult ; Child ; Cooperative Behavior ; Employment ; Epilepsy ; Humans ; Korea ; Leisure Activities ; Negotiating ; Neurology ; Parents ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seizures ; Stereotyping

PURPOSE: Epilepsy of child may cause high level of psychosocial difficulties for parents including stigmatization and stress and therefore worsen their quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mediating effect of perceived stigma against epilepsy on QOL among parents with epileptic child. METHODS: Two hundred and sixty parents of epileptic child recruited from five separated university hospital child neurology clinics specializing in epilepsy completed a demographic questionnaire, a medical questionnaire, a perceived stigma questionnaire and the Ro's Quality of Life Inventory, a popular tool for evaluating QOL of adults in Korea which is composed of 6 domains and 47 questions. Data was analyzed with SPSS 14.0 program using frequency analysis and descriptive analysis and with AMOS 7.0 program using Structural Equation Model (SEM) analysis. RESULTS: The level of parents' QOL was relatively fair. SEM analysis on the quality of life level of parents showed that all variables (especially having religion, the monthly income, employment state, age of child, the leisure time, the perceived stigma level against epilepsy, and seizure frequency) directly affect the quality of life level of parents and that diseaserelated variables also affect the quality of life level of parents indirectly through the mediating factor (the perceived stigma), where the indirect effect is large with the existence of combined disabilities. The total effect on the quality of life level of parents is large with the existence of combined disabilities, the perceived stigma level, the leisure time, having religion, and the monthly income. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicated that many factors including parents' perceived stigma may affect the quality of life of parents with epileptic children directly, and that some disease-related factors may affect indirectly through a mediating factor, the perceived stigma. Multidisciplinary collaboration would be imperative for their welfare.
Adult ; Child ; Cooperative Behavior ; Employment ; Epilepsy ; Humans ; Korea ; Leisure Activities ; Negotiating ; Neurology ; Parents ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seizures ; Stereotyping

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to verify the relationships among social support, resilience and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and especially to identify factors influencing PTSD in police crime scene investigators. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used, with a convenience sample of 226 police crime scene investigators from 7 Metropolitan Police Agencies. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires during July and August, 2015. Data were analyzed using t-test, χ2-test, Fisher's exact test, and binary logistic regression analysis with SPSS/WIN 21.0 program. RESULTS: The mean score for PTSD in police crime scene investigators was 13.69. 11 points. Of the crime scene investigators 181 (80.1%) were in the low-risk group and 45 (19.9%) in high-risk group. Social support (t=5.68, p<.001) and resilience (t=5.47, p<.001) were higher in the low-risk group compared to the high-risk group. Logistic regression analysis showed that resilience (OR=4.74, 95% CI: 1.57~14.35), and social support (OR=2.13, 95% CI: 1.23~3.69) are effect factors for PTSD low group. CONCLUSION: For effective improvement of PTSD in police crime scene investigators, intervention programs including social support and strategies to increase should be established.
Crime* ; Forensic Sciences ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Police ; Research Personnel* ; Resilience, Psychological ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ; Stress Disorders, Traumatic*

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the factors influencing quality of life (QoL) of low-income older adults (LOAs) with sarcopenia. Methods: A convenience sample of 125 older adults was recruited from Jeonbuk Province, South Korea. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire that included nutritional status, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Older Adults Module. Additionally, grip strength and appendicular skeletal muscle mass, were evaluated, along with the short physical performance battery. Results: Sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia were observed in 43.2% and 56.8% of participants, respectively. Using multiple regression analysis, depression (β = - .40, p < .001), nutritional status (β = .24, p = .003), and anxiety (β = - .15, p = .042) were identified as factors affecting the QoL of the older adults in low-income groups with sarcopenia, the explanatory power of these variables was 44%. Conclusion The results of this study can be used to develop a nursing intervention program and establish policies to improve depression, anxiety, and nutritional status to enhance QoL of LOAs with sarcopenia.

Purpose: The objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of the type-D personality and identify the relationship between type-D personality, fatigue, and quality of life (QoL) in infertile women. Methods: A total of 149 infertile women were recruited between October 2020 and January 2021. The participants were assessed through self-administered questionnaires using the type- D personality scale-14, fatigue severity scale, and fertility QoL instrumental questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the independent t-test, chi-square test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis using the SPSS/WIN 25.0 program for Windows. Results: Approximately 40.9% of infertile women were classified into the type-D personality group, which showed significantly higher fatigue and lower QoL than the non-type-D personality group. Fatigue was the most influential factor on the QoL of infertile women (β = −.23, p = .003), followed by the duration of infertility treatment (β = −.22, p = .003), type-D personality (β = −.18, p = .025), and relationship with spouse (β = −.17, p = .024). These variables account for approximately 22% of the variance. Conclusions Intervention programs that consider fatigue, type-D personality, relationship with spouses, and treatment duration may be useful for improving QoL in infertile women.

Purpose: This study investigated the trajectory of subjective health status in married postmenopausal women and aimed to identify predictive factors affecting subjective health status. Methods: Data were obtained from women who participated in wave 4 (2012) of the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women & Families Longitudinal Study and continued to the latest phase (wave 7, 2018). A latent growth model (LGM) was used to analyze data from 1,719 married postmenopausal women in the framework of the ecological system theory. Results: The mean age of the participants at wave 4 was 56.39±4.71 years, and the average subjective health status was around the midpoint (3.19±0.84). LGM analysis confirmed that subjective health status decreased over time (initial B=3.21, slope B=–0.03). The factors affecting initial subjective health were age, body mass index, frequency of vigorous physical activity (microsystem level), marital satisfaction (mesosystem level), and medical service utilization (macrosystem level). Medical service utilization and the frequency of vigorous physical activity were identified as predictive factors affecting the slope in subjective health status. The model fit was satisfactory (TLI=.92, CFI=.95, and RMSEA=.04). Conclusion This analysis of the trajectory of subjective health status of married postmenopausal women over time confirmed that subjective health is influenced by overall ecological system factors, including the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. Therefore, it is necessary to assess physical activity and support policies promoting access to medical services in order to improve the subjective health status of married postmenopausal women.

PURPOSE: This study examined the stress, resilience, social support, and quality of life (QOL) of medical students during a clinical clerkship and identified the factors that affected their QOL. METHODS: The subjects were 53 medical college students and 43 postgraduate medical school students of D medical school in Korea. They completed a demographic questionnaire and self-rated questionnaires on stress, resilience, social support, and QOL. Frequency and descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were performed. RESULTS: The level of students' QOL was moderate. QOL correlated negatively with stress and positively with resilience and social support. Stress correlated negatively with resilience and social support. By regression analysis, stress and resilience affected the QOL of medical students. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that stress negatively affects the QOL of medical students during clinical clerkship, which can be mitigated by resilience. Therefore, it is advisable to develop measures to ease stress and enhance resilience.
Clinical Clerkship ; Humans ; Korea ; Quality of Life ; Schools, Medical ; Students, Medical ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Objective: This study aimed to identify the effect of coronavirus disease (COVID-19)–related lifestyle changes on depression. Methods: This secondary data analysis study included 229,269 adults from a community health survey conducted in the South Korea in 2020. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire about participants’ lifestyle changes related to COVID-19 and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The data were analyzed using a complex sample independent t-test, analysis of variance, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. Results: The mean age of the participants was 48.76; 49.6% were male, and 50.4% were female. The multiple regression showed that depression increased due to COVID-19–related lifestyle changes (physical activity, sleep duration, consumption of convenience foods, alcohol consumption, smoking, and use of public transportation). The explanatory power was 27.3%, and the model was suitable (Wald F=63.75, p<0.001). Conclusion This study identified the effect of COVID-19–related lifestyle changes on depression, and the results have implications for future depression-relieving interventions.

PURPOSE: Our examination was designed to determine the diagnostic properties of the cutoff point for the prediction of bacteremia in febrile children less than 3 years of age. Cutoff point is the value that simultaneously maximizes both sensitivity and specificity. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of febrile children, less than 3 years of age, who clinically have no identifiable source of fever. Peripheral blood leukocyte count(WBC), absolute neutrophil count(ANC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR) and C-reactive protein(CRP) were measured at the same time. All patients received blood culture, urine culture and/or CSF culture. Bacterial infection was defined as single pathogen isolated from the CSF or blood or a urinary tract infection (UTI). Patients were dichotomized into two groups: those with bacterial infection and no bacterial infection. We analyzed the characteristics of the children in the two groups. RESULTS: Seventy-one patients(44 males; 27 females) were enrolled in the study. Twenty patients (28%) had a serious bacterial infection(twelve urinary tract infection, five bacteremia, three meningitis) and fifty-one(72%) had no serious bacterial infection. WBC, ESR and CRP were significantly different between the two groups(P<0.05). The cutoff point of WBC, ESR and CRP were 20,000/mm3, 30 mm/hr and 3.0 mg/dL, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of each cutoff point were WBC(75%, 75%), ESR(79%, 68%) and CRP(83%, 77%), respectively. CONCLUSION: These data show the ability of predictors to identify febrile children less than 3 years of age with bacterial infection. Febrile children who reach the cutoff point must be treated intensively and those who do not reach the cutoff point can be carefully managed without administering antimicrobial agents.
Anti-Infective Agents ; Bacteremia ; Bacterial Infections* ; Blood Sedimentation ; Child* ; Fever ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Male ; Neutrophils ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Urinary Tract Infections

Chronic granulomatous disease(CGD) is a genetically inherited disorder caused by the failure of phagocytic cells to produce superoxide. It is characterized by frequent and uncontrollable infection which often lead to death in early childhood. The first clinical signs may be confined to skin and manifest themselves as abscesses, pyoderma, eczema or draining sinuses. The disease was first reported in 1957 and thereafter the biomolecular mechanism has been found. The first report in Korea was an autopsy case in 1979 and since then there have been a few case reports. This disease is diagnosed by symptoms, such as high fever, cervical lymphadenopathy, skin nodule, lung field infiltration, periumbilical abscess, liver abscess, pyoderma and pericordal abscess. The pathogen here were catalase producing bacteria and fungi. However, we have experienced a case of CGD, in which symptoms were perianal, scrotal abscesses and lung field nodular infiltration. In this case the pathogen was found as a catalase negative Enterococcus. (J Korean Pediatr Soc 2000;43-846-850)
Abscess ; Autopsy ; Bacteria ; Catalase ; Eczema ; Enterococcus ; Fever ; Fungi ; Granulomatous Disease, Chronic* ; Korea ; Liver Abscess ; Lung ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Phagocytes ; Pyoderma ; Skin ; Superoxides