OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the Korean public’s recognition of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), revealing underlying factors regarding perception relative to etiology and treatment of ASD, and examining variables related to those factors. METHODS: An online survey was held to investigate mental health literacy (MHL) on ASD of the general public in Korea. A total of 673 adults participated and completed questionnaires on socio-demographic characteristics and if they know someone with ASD. Next, participants were provided with a vignette describing a child with ASD. Only those that recognized there was a problem with the child moved to the next part which asked their perception regarding etiology and treatment of ASD. RESULTS: According to our study, approximately 25% of participants correctly recognized the child in the vignette as having ASD. Perception regarding etiology and treatment of ASD varied among socio-demographic characteristics. Participants acquainted with someone with ASD and correctly recognized ASD held mixed perception regarding cause and treatment. CONCLUSION: This study investigated MHL of ASD in Korea. The result reveals there is much room for improvement relative to raising awareness on MHL of ASD. Intervention considering socio-demographic characteristics and acquaintance with ASD are needed.
Adult ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Autistic Disorder ; Child ; Humans ; Korea ; Literacy ; Mental Health

OBJECTIVES: Dance therapy can be applied as one of various psychiatric rehabilitation programs in clinical situations. This study was aimed to investigate applicability of dance therapy to schizophrenic outpatients, in regard to improving social adjustment and quality of life for these patients. METHODS: Twenty one psychiatric outpatients enlist who met DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia were studied. We conducted dance therapy session once a week, totally 8 sessions. The assessments were done before and after dance therapy. Patients reported Self & Others Representation Inventory-Adjective Checklist (SORI), Self-esteem Scale, and Relationship Change Scale (RCS) and Doctors assessed Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), and Quality of Life Scale (QoLS) in interview. RESULTS: After 8 sessions of dance therapy, patients showed significant improvements in sociability in SORI, satisfaction, intimacy, sensitiveness, openness, comprehensiveness in RCS, and significant decrease of symptoms in BPRS, SANS. QoLS also was improved significantly. There was no significant change in Self-esteem Scale. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that dance therapy could be applied to schizophrenic outpatients in clinical situations, and it helped to improve self-representation, interpersonal relationship, and quality of life.
Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ; Checklist ; Dance Therapy ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Quality of Life ; Schizophrenia ; Social Adjustment

OBJECTIVES: Adolescent depression is a complex disorder influenced by a variety of personal and familial factors. In this study, we compared the familial, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics of adolescents with and without diagnosed depression. METHODS: Forty adolescents with depressive disorder were recruited from two psychiatric clinics, along with 46 healthy adolescents from a middle school and a high school. We then compared the participants' cognitive and behavioral characteristics and the child-rearing attitudes of their parents. RESULTS: Compared to the healthy adolescents, the adolescents with depression exhibited lower self-esteem, higher emotional reappraisal, greater disruptive behavior, and lower attention. Furthermore, compared to the mothers of the healthy adolescents, the mothers of those with depression reported less affective, less autonomic, and more rejecting parenting attitudes towards their children. CONCLUSION: We found that attentional problems, negative parenting attitudes, negative self-cognition, and expressive suppression are all associated with adolescent depression. Parenting education and interventions appear to be needed to correct the negative cognitions of adolescents with depression.
Adolescent* ; Child ; Cognition ; Depression* ; Depressive Disorder ; Education, Nonprofessional ; Humans ; Mothers ; Parenting ; Parents ; Problem Behavior

OBJECTIVES: Insufficient sleep could have harmful effects on mental health. We examined the mental health status of Korean adolescents according to daily sleep time and subjective sleep satisfaction using a nationwide representative sample of Korean adolescents. METHODS: Data from the 2016 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey was used. Sleep duration on weekdays and subjective sleep satisfaction during the past week were asked. Participants' perceived health, happiness, stress, depressive mood, and suicidality during past 12 months were also investigated. Participants were classified by mean duration of daily sleep time and the level of sleep satisfaction, and the odds of having mental health problems were compared. RESULTS: Compared to adolescents who slept more than 6 hours per day and satisfied with their sleep, adolescents who slept less than 6 hours per day and/or dissatisfied with their sleep were less likely to perceive themselves healthy and happy. They were also more likely to have severe stress, depressive mood, and suicidality, with highest odds ratios among adolescents with both short and dissatisfying sleep. CONCLUSIONS: Given the significant associations between sleep insufficiency and mental health problems, attention to the sleep shortage among Korean adolescents is needed. Prospective studies are warranted to elucidate the causal relationships between subjective and objective sleep insufficiency and psychiatric conditions.
Adolescent ; Depression ; Happiness ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Odds Ratio ; Prospective Studies ; Risk-Taking ; Suicidal Ideation

OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to examine whether participants of a Korean candlelight rally had correct medical information about human mad cow disease and rational attitudes about imported U.S. beef in relation to human mad cow disease. METHODS: A total of 393 face-to-face interviews were conducted, and subjects completed questions about prevalence of senile dementia and human mad cow disease in U.S. and whether they will eat U.S. beef even if no cases of human mad cow disease occurred in the U.S. or if the chance of being affected with human mad cow disease was lower than dying in a plane crash. RESULTS: Correct answer rates to the questions about prevalence of senile dementia and human mad cow disease were 28.2% and 36.1%, respectively. A majority of respondents answered that they would not eat U.S. beef even if there were no reported cases of human mad cow disease in the U.S. or if their chance of being affected with human mad cow disease was lower than dying in a plane crash (75.6% and 86.0%, respectively). CONCLUSION: At least 64.4% of participants had incorrect medical information about human mad cow disease, and their attitudes about imported U.S. beef may be rooted in emotion rather than fact.
Adenine Nucleotides ; Alzheimer Disease ; Animals ; Cattle ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Encephalopathy, Bovine Spongiform ; Humans ; Korea ; Mycophenolic Acid ; Prevalence

The association of sexual victimization with self-esteem, depression, and problematic internet use was examined in Korean adolescents. A total of 695 middle and high school students were recruited (413 boys, 282 girls, mean age, 14.06±1.37 years). The participants were administered the Early Trauma Inventory Self Report-Short Form (ETISR-SF), Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), and Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT). The associations between sexual abuse and the level of self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and problematic internet use were analyzed. Adolescents who had experienced sexual abuse showed lower self-esteem, more depressive symptoms, and greater problematic internet use compared with adolescents who had not experienced sexual abuse. In the path model, sexual abuse predicted lower self-esteem (β=−0.11; 95% CI=−0.20, −0.04; p=0.009), which predicted higher depressive symptoms (β=−0.34; 95% CI=−0.40, −0.27; p=0.008). Depressive symptoms predicted problematic internet use in a positive way (β=0.23; 95% CI=0.16–0.29; p=0.013). Sexual abuse also predicted problematic internet use directly (β=0.20; 95% CI=0.12–0.27; p=0.012). The results of the present study indicate that sexually abused adolescents had a higher risk of depression and problematic internet use. For sexually abused adolescents, programs aimed at raising self-esteem and preventing internet addiction, as well as mental health screening, are needed.
Adolescent* ; Crime Victims ; Depression* ; Female ; Humans ; Internet* ; Mass Screening ; Mental Health ; Sex Offenses*

There exists a need to develop strategies that promote neovascularization in virtually all tissue engineering and regenerative medicine efforts. While research typically focuses on understanding and exploiting the role of angiogenic factors and vascular cells on new blood vessel formation, the activity of the immune system is being recognized to impact vascular formation and adaptation. This review will provide both an overview of the relationship of angiogenesis and the immune system, and how biomaterials may be designed to promote favorable angiogenesis by interaction between these 2 systems to promote effective vascularization.
Angiogenesis Inducing Agents ; Biocompatible Materials ; Blood Vessels ; Immune System ; Inflammation* ; Regenerative Medicine ; Tissue Engineering

Objectives: ：Depression and stress-related response is common symptoms in mental health outpatients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences of change in heart rate variability parameters between patients with depressive disorder and those with trauma and stressor related disorders. Methods: ：We conducted a retrospective chart review of outpatients from 2014 to 2020 in Anxiety and Stress Outpatients Clinic of National Center for Mental Health. A total of 381 patients with depressive disorder and trauma and stressor related disorders were selected as dataset. Each parameter of 5-min analysis of Heart Rate Variability from the first and second visit was analyzed according to diagnosis. Results: ：At the first visit, root mean square of the differences of successive normal to normal intervals indicators showed significant differences between depressive disorder, and trauma and stressor related disorders. The change of Heart Rate Variability indicators for each group showed the following results: Significant differences between the first and second visit were found in standard deviation of normal to normal intervals, root mean square of the differences of successive normal to normal intervals, and low frequency among patients with the depressive disorder. Patients with trauma and stressor related disorders showed significant differences in root mean square of the differences of successive normal to normal intervals, high frequency between each visit. Conclusions ：Our results suggest the changes in Heart Rate Variability parameters between first visit and second visit in both depressive disorders and trauma and stressor related disorders. However, further research should examine factors that influence the differential changes of Heart Rate Variability parameters.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate gender differences as ecological factors associated with depression of single-parents who lived with minors. Methods: This study was secondary data analysis using national data from the 2018 Single Parent Family Survey, including 2,427 participants (1,575 mothers and 852 fathers). Data were analyzed using SPSS/MAC 26.0 program for the descriptive analysis, independent t-tests, chi-squared tests, and binary logistic regression. Results: The depression groups were identified as 17.4% for women and 11.0% for men based on Patient Health Questionnaire-9. In logistic regression, single mothers’ depression was significantly associated with low income, unemployment, low education level, parenting difficulties, a sense of distance from family, and family discrimination experiences. However, single fathers’ depression was significantly associated with low income, unemployment, and parenting difficulties. Conclusion Our study findings suggest that depression interventions should be tailored to different gender groups of the single-parents, specifically socio-emotional factors should be considered for the single mother group.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the associations between depression and both coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRs) in Korean women. Furthermore, this study sought to determine whether depression was associated with use of healthcare services in women with CAD or CVRs. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 26,335 women who were aged 19 years or older, and who participated in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007–2014). Associations of prior diagnosis of depression with CAD and CVRs and with nonutilization of healthcare services were investigated. RESULTS: Women with depression had a higher prevalence of CAD and CVRs including obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome than those without depression. In addition, depression was significantly associated with nonutilization of healthcare services in women with most CVRs. CONCLUSION: Considering the high rate of comorbid depression with CAD or CVRs and the low lvels of health service utilization in depressed patients, screening for common CVRs, such as obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, should be provided for patients with depression in mental health care settings.
Coronary Artery Disease ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Depression* ; Diagnosis ; Dyslipidemias ; Female ; Health Services ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Mass Screening ; Mental Health ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors