OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence and correlates of children who had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Seoul. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 2,429 children included in four elementary schools at Seoul. Parents and teachers completed the Korean ADHD Rating Scales (K-ARS) and the Korean version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-Kr). Child psychiatrists interviewed the children who demonstrated clinically significant scores on K-ARS and SDQ-Kr. Further assessments were conducted with other psychological tests if needed. RESULTS: 1) Of 2,429 children, 158 (6.5%) children had ADHD. 2) Compared to controls, ADHD children showed more frequently male preponderance, more single parent family, lower parental education level, more paternal no employment, poorer sibling relationship, fewer number of friends, and lower ability in language and mathematics. 3) In multivariate analysis, ADHD were associated with boys, single parent family, poor sibling relationship, and low language ability. Our stratified analysis by gender, there were association with single parent family and lower language ability in boys, and poor sibling relationship and lower mathematics ability in girls. CONCLUSION: This study found 6.5% prevalence of ADHD and ADHD were associated with gender, family environment, and academic achievements. Understanding of high-risk children would help in developing an ADHD school mental health program.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education ; Employment ; Female ; Friends ; Humans ; Language ; Male ; Mathematics ; Mental Health Services* ; Mental Health* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Parents ; Prevalence* ; Psychiatry ; Psychological Tests ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul* ; Siblings ; Single-Parent Family ; Weights and Measures

This study was conducted to assess the psychosocial adjustment of Korean-American physicians in the aspect of personal satisfaction after returning to Korea. A questionnaire was mailed to 72 Korean-American physicians who were practicing medicine in Korea and forty physicians responded. These physicians, typically in their 50s, lived in America for 21-30 years before coming back to Korea. The most frequent motives for them to come back to Korea were giving back to their native country, longing for their native country, filial duty, and suggestions from their colleagues or professors to move back. Eighty percent of them were extremely satisfied or slightly satisfied with their work in Korea, and only 10% are extremely or slightly dissatisfied with their decision to return. Although most of them are content for the time being in Korea, only 12.5% have definite plans to stay in Korea after retirement. The variables that were most significantly related to personal satisfaction of returning to Korea were how well treated at work and how much satisfied with job rather than other factors such as motives for returning, duration of staying in America and in Korea, and family situation.
Adaptation, Psychological* ; Adult ; Emigration and Immigration ; Human ; Job Satisfaction ; Korea/ethnology ; Middle Age ; Personnel Selection ; Physicians/supply & distribution ; Physicians/psychology* ; Quality of Life ; Retirement* ; Schools, Medical/manpower ; United States/ethnology

No abstract available.
Autistic Disorder* ; Language Development Disorders* ; Psychopathology*

OBJECTIVES: Recent studies in autistic brain samples have shown diminished acetylcholine and nicotinic receptor activity. We hypothesized that acetylcholinergic enhancement may pharmacologically improve some autistic characteristics. Donepezil hydrochloride, a cholinesterase inhibitor, was studied in few studies which showed improvement in the expressive and receptive speech of autistic children. We therefore undertook an open label trial to evaluate this effect on speech function in Korean autistic children. METHODS: Twenty-one patients (18 males, 3 females, average age 77.9+/-23.7 months), with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder enrolled in a 12-week open label trial of donepezil hydrochloride. Changes were evaluated by PLS (Preschool language scale). Testing was administered at baseline and at 12-week follow-up. RESULTS: Test administered at baseline and at 12-week follow-up showed gains in both expressive and receptive speech functions. CONCLUSION: Donepezil hydrochloride, a cholinesterase inhibitor, appears to improve expressive and receptive speech functions of autistic children.
Acetylcholine ; Autistic Disorder* ; Brain ; Autism Spectrum Disorder* ; Child* ; Cholinesterases ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Receptors, Nicotinic

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare psychiatric comorbid disorders and psychological outcomes in children and adolescents with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: Subjects were divided into a child group (aged under 12 years) and an adolescent group (aged 12 years and above). All subjects were diagnosed with ADHD based on the DSM IV diagnostic criteria using the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Korean Version (K-SADS-PL-K). The K-SADS-PL-K was also used to evaluate those psychiatric disorders comorbid with ADHD. And the Korean version of the Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL) was used to examine the subjects' psychological outcomes. RESULTS: The rate of comorbidity in adolescent group was significantly higher than that in the child group. In particular, the adolescent group had a significantly higher ratio of comorbid conduct disorder and mood disorder than the child group. With respect to the predominantly inattentive type and Not Otherwise Specified, the school subscale scores on the K-CBCL for the children were significantly higher than those for the adolescents. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the psychiatric comorbidity may differ between adolescents and children with ADHD. Therefore when treating adolescents with ADHD, more careful assessment and treatment targeting a range of comorbidities are needed.
Adolescent ; Checklist ; Child ; Child Behavior ; Comorbidity ; Conduct Disorder ; Humans ; Mood Disorders

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the age of the first exposure to substances influences the characteristics of substance abuse. METHOD: Ninety seven adolescent boys in a substance abuse treatment facility were evaluated by using questionnaires, individual diagnostic interviews, and psychology tests. They were classified into 3 groups, preadolescence group(PA), early adolescence group(EA), and middle adolescence group (MA) according to the age of the first exposure to substances, and the data were statistically analyzed by SPSS 9.0. RESULTS: The average age was 16.4+/-1.2 years. There were 39 in PA, 29 in EA, and 29 in MA. In comparison to EA, PA showed higher frequency in substance use, substance dependence, and positive family history of alcohol abuse. In comparison to MA, PA had higher frequency in troubles in interpersonal relationship, functional impairment, dependence on substances, withdrawal symptoms, amount of alcohol and gas consumed, positive family history of alcohol abuse. presence of comorbid psychiatric disorders, and higher score in K-subscale of MMPI. PA also used more variety of substances more frequently, and had shorter duration before starting the second substance. In comparison to MA, EA showed higher frequency of substance use, functional impairment, trouble in interpersonal relationship, diagnoses of substance dependence, and shorter duration before starting the second substance. However, less EA were from disorganized families. Among the 3 groups, there were no statistically meaningful differences in combined use of alcohol, trial of abstinence, duration of abstinence, child abuse history, family support, intelligence, and frequency and duration of running away from home. CONCLUSION: Earlier exposure to substances may lead to more serious problems of drug abuse. Earlier drug prevention education for adolescents should be provided.
Adolescent* ; Alcoholism ; Child ; Child Abuse ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Humans ; Intelligence ; MMPI ; Psychology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Running ; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome ; Substance-Related Disorders*

The aim of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics of prepubertal- and adolescent-onset bipolar disorder (BD) and to identify any clinical differences between patients with prepubertal- and adolescent-onset BD. We analyzed the clinical records of 53 inpatients with BD. These patients were divided into prepubertal-onset and adolescent-onset groups. We also divided the subjects into narrow, intermediate, and broad phenotypes according to the definitions proposed by Leibenluft and colleagues. Of the total sample, 16 patients (30.2%) were in the prepubertal-onset group and 37 (69.8%) were in the adolescent-onset group. Patients with prepubertal-onset BD were more likely to display an insidious clinical presentation, atypical features, and comorbid psychopathology. And the majority of the subjects, especially in the prepubertal-onset group, were classified under the intermediate and broad phenotypes. These results suggest that the clinical presentation of BD with prepubertal-onset is different from that of adolescent-onset BD. It is inferred that a significant number of patients with prepubertal- and adolescent-onset BD do not meet DSM-IV criteria for mania or hypomania from the results of this study.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to compare temperament/character patterns of patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders with normal controls. METHODS: The Junior Temperament and Character Inventory was given to a clinical sample of one hundred-four patients with ADHD (all male, mean age 10.46+/-1.45) and their parents. The diagnoses were done using DSM-IV criteria. Fifty ones of the patients with ADHD were confirmed by K-SADS-PL-K. One hundred forty four normal controls (all male, mean age 13.26+/-0.26) and their parents were enrolled to compare temperament and character patterns with ADHD patients. RESULTS: Novelty seeking was significantly higher in parental JTCI of patients with ADHD. Reward dependence, persistence, self directedness, cooperativeness and self transcendence (ST23) were significantly lower in both self and parental JTCI of patients with ADHD. Using K-SADS-PL-K, ADHD patients were divided into three groups with their ADHD subtype (combined type: 32, inattentive type: 11, NOS type: 7). Self transcendence (ST23) in self JTCI was significantly lower in ADHD patients of the inattentive type than those of the combined type. CONCLUSION: The temperament and character patterns of ADHD patients were different from those of normal controls. Novelty seeking was significantly higher in the ADHD patients. Reward dependence, persistence, self directedness, cooperativeness, self transcendence (ST23) were significantly lower in the ADHD patients.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; Male ; Parents ; Reward ; Temperament*

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to assess the psychometric properties and to investigate factor structure of the Korean version of Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-K). METHODS: 397 male and 366 female students in elementary, middle, and high school completed the FSSC-K, a anxiety scale, and a self-esteem scale to assess psychometric properties. 403 male and 175 female outpatients completed FSSC-K for confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: First, psychometric properties of the FSSC-K compared favorably with that of the FSSC-R. Second, students in elementary school were significantly higher in total score of the FSSC-K than in high school and females significantly higher than males. Third, a seven-factor solution provided the best conceptual fit for responding on the FSSC-K. Fourth, seven-factor model was most appropriate in result of confirmatory factor analysis in clinic-referred sample. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that the FSSC-K have a good reliability and validity and seven-factor model was most appropriate in Korean children and adolescents.
Adolescent ; Anxiety ; Appointments and Schedules* ; Child* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Outpatients ; Psychometrics ; Reproducibility of Results

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of present study was to explore characteristics of emotion and cognition in adolescent delinquency. METHODS: Four-hundred-seventy-six adolescents participated to fill out the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Revised (FCSS-R), the Latent Delinquency Questionnaire (LDQ), the Children's Automatic Thoughts Scale (CATS), the Negative Affect Self Statement Questionnaire (NASSQ), the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-Negative & Positive (ATQ-N, P), and the Rosenberg's Self Esteem Scale. RESULTS: Adolescent delinquency was positively correlated with anxiety and depression, negatively correlated with fear. Multiple regression analysis showed that depression, fear and the automatic thought for physical threat were significant predicting variables for adolescent delinquency. CONCLUSION: From our results it was inferred that adolescent delinquency is correlated with emotional discomfort, especially in male adolescents. And fear could suppress delinquent behaviors. From the results of this study the direction of future study was discussed.
Adolescent* ; Anxiety ; Cognition* ; Depression ; Humans ; Manifest Anxiety Scale ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Self Concept