Objective: We aimed to classify subgroups of suicidality among adolescents and identify the influencing factors of the classification of these latent classes. Methods: Suicidal thought, plans, and attempts as well as the feelings of sadness/hopelessness and loneliness were utilized as indicators to derive the suicidality classes. Additionally, health behaviors, such as dietary habits, physical activity, experiences of violence victimization, sexual activity, and deviant behavior, along with demographic factors, such as sex, school year, grades, and household income, were considered as influencing factors. The analysis utilized data from the 18th Youth Health Behavior Survey (2022) conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, involving 51,850 middle and high school students. Results: The findings revealed three latent classes of suicidality among adolescents: “active suicidality,” “passive suicidality,” and “non-suicidality.” The influencing factor analysis indicated that all factors, with the exception of high-intensity physical activities, significantly influenced the classification of latent classes of suicidality. Notably, walking exercise and the frequency of exercise during physical education class were found to be factors that differentiated between active and passive suicidality within the suicidality classes. Conclusion This study employed nationwide data to identify the exhibited suicidality classes among adolescents and tested the influencing factors necessary for predicting such classes. The study’s findings offer valuable insights for policy development in suicide prevention and suggest the need for developing customized interventions tailored to each identified class.

OBJECTIVES: Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder characterized by its debilitating course. It leads to personal and social dysfunctions, burdening patients and guardians heavily. Enhancing functional outcome is a major treatment goal, but pharmacotherapy alone is usually not enough. Hence, it is important to reveal clinical factors that can predict personal and social performance in schizophrenia patients. Analyze factors influencing personal and social performance in schizophrenia patients. METHODS: 66 schizophrenia patients from three University hospitals in Korea were enrolled, completing clinical scales between January 2008 and December 2009. 38 patients dropped out during follow up. 28 patients were included in the final study. Personal and social performance was measured using the Personal and Social Performance scale (PSP) since January 2015. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed to reveal associations between demographic and clinical factors and PSP. RESULTS: Correlation analyses resulted in statistically significant correlations between CGI-S (r=-0.646, p<0.01), PANSS (r=-0.419, p<0.05), KISP (r=-0.523, r<0.01), KmSWN (r=0.388, p<0.05), Trail making B (r=0.608, p<0.01), KDAI (r=0.608, p<0.01), and PSP. Stepwise multiple regression analyses showed significant models with CGI-S (β=-0.485, p<0.01), and KDAI (β=0.423, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Our results show that attitude toward drugs and symptom severity affect a patient’s personal and social performance most prominently. We advise to focus on patient education to reinforce attitude toward drugs, and to concentrate on reducing symptom severity to enhance personal and social performance in schizophrenia patients.
Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Korea ; Patient Education as Topic ; Schizophrenia* ; Weights and Measures

Objective: This study evaluated the quality of sleep and smartphone addiction in Korean adolescents during the coronavirus disease 19 pandemic and analyzed their effects on perceived quality of life. Methods: An online survey system provided by the Gwangmyeong City Health Center located in Gyeonggi-do, Korea, was completed by 1,678 local middle school students from April 1 to June 30, 2021. We measured quality of life using the KIDSCREEN-27 health-related quality of life questionnaire, quality of sleep using the Korean version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and smartphone addiction using the Smartphone Addiction Self-Diagnosis Scale. Bed times, wake times, and total sleep hours were also recorded. Results: Sleep quality and quantity were directly associated with smartphone addiction. The results indicated that lower quality of life was associated with lower sleep quality, delayed onset of sleep, shorter total sleep time, and higher smartphone addiction. Female students reported lower quality of life, lower sleep quality, delayed sleep phases, shorter total sleep hours, and higher smartphone addiction scores than did male students. Conclusion Our results suggest that adolescents’ quality of life is threatened by poor sleep, which in turn could be due to unhealthy smartphone usage. Girls were more heavily affected by this trend than were boys. Preparations to intervene for further mental health issues that might follow are necessary.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate traumatic stress and mental health problems associated with the prolonged coronavirus disease pandemic and to determine the differences across different age groups. Methods: A total of 1,151 individuals who visited Gwangmyeong City Mental Health Welfare Center, South Korea, or accessed the website from September 1 to December 31, 2020, were included in the study. Mental health problems such as traumatic stress (Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Screen for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder-5); depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Children's Depression Inventory); anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children); suicide risk (P4 Screener); and demographic information were evaluated. The participants were divided into three groups based on age group: children and adolescents, adults, and the elderly. Results: The results showed that 24.7%, 20.9%, 16.8%, and 20.5% of the participants were at high-risk for traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and suicide, respectively. The difference in the proportion of high-risk groups by age of all participants was significant for traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and suicide risk. In particular, the percentage of high-risk groups in all areas was the highest in the adult group. Also, in most areas, the ratio of the high-risk groups for children and adolescent group was the lowest, but the suicide risk-related ratio was not (adolescent group: 20.9%, adult group: 25%, elderly group 9.3%). Conclusion These results suggest that there is a need for continued interest in the mental health of the general population even after the initial period of coronavirus disease.Additionally, this study may be helpful when considering the resilience or risk factors of mental health in a prolonged disaster situation.

Objective: Clinical rating scales are essential in psychiatry. The Young Mania Rating Scale is the gold standard for assessing mania. However, increased attention to pediatric bipolar disorder has led to the development of the Child Mania Rating Scale (CMRS), which is a parent-reported rating scale designed to assess mania in children and adolescents. This study aimed to translate the CMRS into Korean and assess the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the CMRS (K-CMRS). Methods: The original English version of the CMRS has been translated into Korean. We enrolled 33 patients with bipolar disorder and 26 patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). All participants were evaluated using the translated K-CMRS, Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), and ADHD Rating Scale. Results: The Cronbach’s α was 0.907. Correlation analyses between K-CMRS and MDQ scores yielded significant positive correlations (r=0.529, p=0.009). However, the factor analysis was unsuccessful. The total K-CMRS scores of bipolar disorder and ADHD patients were compared. However, the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion The K-CMRS showed good internal consistency and reliability. The correlation between the K-CMRS and MDQ scores verifies its validity. The K-CMRS was designed to assess and score manic symptoms in children and adolescents but had difficulties in differentiating between bipolar disorder and ADHD. It is a valuable tool for evaluating the presence and severity of manic symptoms in pediatric patients with bipolar disorder.

Objective: Tic disorders can affect the quality of life in both childhood and adolescence. Many factors are involved in the etiology of tic disorders, and the genetic and epigenetic factors of tic disorders are considered complex and heterogeneous. Methods: In this study, the differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between normal controls (n = 24; aged 6−15; 7 females) and patients with tic disorders (n = 16; aged 6−15; 5 females) were analyzed. We performed an epigenome-wide association study of tic disorders in Korean children. The tics were assessed using Yale Global Tic Severity Scale. The DNA methylation data consisted of 726,945 cytosine phosphate guanine (CpG) sites, assessed using the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC (850k) BeadChip. The DNA methylation data of the 40 participants were retrieved, and DMRs between the four groups based on sex and tic disorder were identified. From 28 male and 16 female samples, 37 and 38 DMRs were identified, respectively. We analyzed the enriched terms and visualized the network, heatmap, and upset plot. Results: In male, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis revealed hypomethylated patterns in the ligand, receptor, and second signal transductors of the PI3K-Akt and MAPK signaling pathway (most cells were indicated as green color), and in female, the opposite patterns were revealed (most cells were indicated as red color). Five mental disorder-related enriched terms were identified in the network analysis. Conclusion Here, we provide insights into the epigenetic mechanisms of tic disorders. Abnormal DNA methylation patterns are associated with mental disorder-related symptoms.

Objective: The study aimed to analyze and clinically correlate 10-year trends in the demographic characteristics of patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to provide an overview of ECT utilization in South Korea. Methods: Using health insurance claims data from 2008 to 2018 retrieved from Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database in South Korea, we identified individuals undergoing ECT based on procedural codes. Descriptive analysis evaluated baseline clinical characteristics, and trend analysis used a linear regression model. Results: The prevalence of ECT increased by 240.49% (0.405/10 5 inhabitants in 2008 to 0.974/10 5 inhabitants in 2018). The increasing trend was more pronounced in younger and older patients. The proportion of women consistently exceeded that of men. A rise in the proportion of patients with affective disorders, and a decrease in the proportion of psychotic disorders was observed. More antidepressants and atypical antipsychotics were prescribed to patients undergoing ECT. The proportion of ECT sessions conducted in large hospital inpatient settings also decreased during the observation period. Despite increasing global trends, ECT prevalence in South Korea remains significantly lower than worldwide rates. Conclusion This study demonstrated an increasing trend of ECT across a wide range of population demographics and in more accessible settings. The comparatively low prevalence of ECT in Korea compared to other countries might be attributed to insufficient mental health literacy and the stigma associated with ECT. Given the elevated suicide rates in Korea, more extensive adoption of ECT appears imperative.