OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to investigate the associations of childhood trauma with psychopathology and clinical characteristics in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: This study enrolled 66 inpatients with schizophrenia. Korean Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (K-CTQ) and Life Event Questionnaire (LEQ) were administered to assess childhood trauma. Psychopatholgy and clinical characteristics were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Korean Version of Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (K-ISMI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and visual analogue scale of EuroQoL-5 Dimension Index (EQ-5D). RESULTS: Total scores on K-CTQ were positively associated with scores on the BDI, K-ISMI, PSS, and PANSS and negatively associated with the score on the EQ-5D. Among subscales of K-CTQ, emotional abuse was significantly associated with all measures for psychopathology and clinical characteristics. Patients with physical abuse (36.5%), emotional abuse (30.2%), or bullying (30.6%) according to the LEQ showed sighificanlty higher the ISMI score and lower EQ-5D score. Emotional abuse and bullying were also significantly associated with higher scores on BDI and/or PSS. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that childhood trauma negatively influences on internalized stigma, depression, perceived stress and quality of life in patients with schizophrenia. Clinicians should carefully evalute and manage childhood traumatic experience of patients with schizophrenia.
Bullying ; Depression ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Physical Abuse ; Psychopathology* ; Quality of Life ; Schizophrenia*

OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to investigate the associations of childhood trauma with psychopathology and clinical characteristics in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: This study enrolled 66 inpatients with schizophrenia. Korean Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (K-CTQ) and Life Event Questionnaire (LEQ) were administered to assess childhood trauma. Psychopatholgy and clinical characteristics were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Korean Version of Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (K-ISMI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and visual analogue scale of EuroQoL-5 Dimension Index (EQ-5D). RESULTS: Total scores on K-CTQ were positively associated with scores on the BDI, K-ISMI, PSS, and PANSS and negatively associated with the score on the EQ-5D. Among subscales of K-CTQ, emotional abuse was significantly associated with all measures for psychopathology and clinical characteristics. Patients with physical abuse (36.5%), emotional abuse (30.2%), or bullying (30.6%) according to the LEQ showed sighificanlty higher the ISMI score and lower EQ-5D score. Emotional abuse and bullying were also significantly associated with higher scores on BDI and/or PSS. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that childhood trauma negatively influences on internalized stigma, depression, perceived stress and quality of life in patients with schizophrenia. Clinicians should carefully evalute and manage childhood traumatic experience of patients with schizophrenia.
Bullying ; Depression ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Physical Abuse ; Psychopathology* ; Quality of Life ; Schizophrenia*

Background: Alcohol drinking among college students is socially permissible in Korea. However, this population’s tendency to consume alcohol excessively results in many alcohol-related problems, including psychiatric problems.This study aimed to identify the sociodemographic characteristics and psychiatric comorbidities associated with hazardous alcohol drinking among college students. Methods: In total, 2,571 college students participated in the study. Data were collected using the Korean version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-K), the Mood Disorder Questionnaire, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, a modified Korean version of the 16-item Prodromal Questionnaire, the Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Scale-Version 1.1, and a stress-coping scale. Logistic regression analysis was performed on variables significantly correlated with hazardous alcohol drinking. Results: In total, 633 students were grouped into the hazardous alcohol drinking group (AUDIT-K, ≥12). The associ-ated variables were age (odds ratio [OR], 0.95; p<0.05), smoking (OR, 4.00; p<0.001), bipolar disorder (OR, 2.45; p<0.05), depressive disorder (OR, 1.35; p<0.05), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; OR, 1.44; p<0.05), and problem-focused stress coping (OR, 0.97; p<0.05). Conclusion In this study, hazardous alcohol drinking was associated with smoking, mood disorders, and ADHD. We suggest that alcohol use among college students be carefully monitored and managed in terms of its psychiatric comorbidities.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the moderating effects of stress coping strategies on the relationship between occupational stress of national statistical office workers and mental health. METHODS: Subjects were 133 workers at a regional statistics office. Occupational stress, stress coping strategies, and mental health were examined using the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS), Ways of Coping Checklist, and The Symptom Check-List-90-R. Stress coping strategies were composed of problem-focused coping, social support coping, emotion-focused coping, and wishful thinking coping. RESULTS: Moderated regression indicated that the social support coping and emotion-focused coping style positively moderated the relationship between occupational stress and mental health in national statistical office workers. The social support coping style positively moderated the relationship between interpersonal conflict (KOSS subscale) and mental health in national statistical office workers. The emotion-focused coping style positively moderated the relationship between job insecurity (KOSS subscale) and mental health in national statistical office workers. The emotion-focused coping style negatively moderated the relationship between job demand (KOSS subscale) and mental health in national statistical office workers. CONCLUSION: The implications of this study included that negative results due to high occupational stress can be varied by use of suitable stress coping strategies.
Checklist ; Mental Health* ; Thinking

Background: In this study, the relationship between depression and stress-coping strategies among public enterprise workers whose workplaces were relocated to a newly-built innovation city was investigated. Methods: This study included a total of 922 public enterprise workers living in Naju Innovation City. Along with their sociodemographic data, each subject was assessed concerning depression, occupational stress, and stress-coping strategies using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale(CES-D), Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS), and stress-coping scale (SCS), respectively. Logistic regression was performed to investigate the impact of the relevant factors on depressive symptoms. Results: The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 14%. Some sociodemographic variables, the total scores of the KOSS, and four subscales of the SCS revealed significant differences between the depressed and normal groups. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the KOSS (odds ratio [OR], 1.17; p<0.001) and SCS, such as problem-solving-focused (OR, 0.75; p<0.001), emotion-focused (OR, 1.15; p<0.05), and wishful-thinking-focused (OR, 1.10; p<0.05), were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion The results indicated that depressive symptoms were highly prevalent among workers whose workplaces were relocated. In addition, these symptoms were found to be related with occupational stress and stress-coping strategies. Our findings also suggest that promoting healthy stress-coping strategies and reducing occupational stress may help in preventing the occurrence of depression and managing depressed workers.

Background: This study, examines the applicability of the Lifestyle Evaluation Tool for Patients with Metabolic Syndrome (LET-PMS) questionnaire, originally developed for general population, on psychiatric patients with metabolic syndrome. Methods: The study included 320 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (N=190), bipolar spectrum disorder (N=65), and depressive disorder (N=65). They were provided assignments using 36 items from the LETPMS questionnaire and various established scales. The evaluation encompassed psychometric properties of reliability, exploratory factor, and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: We refined the LET-PMS questionnaire by eliminating six items through a reliability test. The resultant questionnaire exhibited six factors. The overall Cronbach’s alpha value was 0.896, with factor-specific reliability coefficients ranging from 0.730 to 0.859. Based on confirmatory factor analysis of the adapted LET-PMS, the root mean square error of approximation was 0.069 (0.05-1.1). Goodness-of-fit and comparative fit indexes were 0.815 and 0.821, respectively. All 30 items met the criteria for suitable configuration. Conclusion The LET-PMS questionnaire demonstrated robust internal consistency and sound structural validity, making it suitable for psychiatric patients with metabolic syndrome.

Background: This study aimed to examine the influence of the coronavirus disease pandemic 2019 (COVID-19) by comparing the incidences of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicidal attempts before and after the outbreak of the pandemic among community-dwelling older adults. Methods: In total, 9,784 older adults were recruited from 22 counties in Jeollanam-do between 2019 and 2022. Selfreported questionnaires, including sociodemographic factors, suicidal ideation, suicidal attempt, and Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form Korean version, were used. Results: The proportion of the depression high-risk group tended to increase since the COVID-19 outbreak, increasing to 16.3%, 23.1%, and 25.7% in 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively; however, decreased to 21.8% in 2022. The incidence of suicidal ideation showed a similar pattern. The incidence of suicidal attempts showed a different pattern, rising to 1.3% and 2.6% in 2019 and 2020, respectively and then falling to 1.1% and 0.8% in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Conclusion This study examined community-dwelling older adults and their mental states during the COVID-19 pandemic, and found that the risk of depression among older adults increased 1.708-fold in 2020, 1.877-fold in 2021, and 1.599-fold in 2022 compared to that in 2019, the year before the pandemic. Similarly, the risk of suicidal ideation increased by 1.582-fold in 2020, 1.913-fold in 2021, and 1.623-fold in 2022 compared with 2019 data. As the pandemic extended, mental health states improved; however, not to prepandemic levels. Suggesting that older people need continued support to alleviate the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: This study explores the impact of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the mental health of healthcare workers in COVID-19 Screening Centers, focusing on anxiety and depression and their psychophysiological findings. Methods: The research involved 610 healthcare workers in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do, South Korea, from March to November 2022. Self-reported questionnaires and psychophysiological measurements using Neuronicle FX2 (Omnifitmindcare ® ) were employed. Results: Among 610 participants (107 males, 503 females), the high-risk anxiety group (60 individuals, 15 males and 45 females) and high-risk depression group (79 individuals, 19 males and 60 females) showed elevated physical symptoms compared to the normal group. The high-risk anxiety group exhibited lower mean r-r intervals, higher heart rate per minute, greater stress index, and lower vigor index. For electroencephalogram (EEG) measures, the high-risk anxiety group showed higher brain activity, lower alpha asymmetry, reduced total theta power, and higher beta/theta (left, right, total) ratios. The high-risk depression group showed significantly lower alpha asymmetry in EEG. Conclusion This study explored anxiety and depression prevalence among healthcare workers in the Gwangju-Jeonnam region at COVID-19 testing centers. Correlations between mental states and physical symptoms were observed, emphasizing the potential of EEG and heart rate variability as physiological indicators in psychiatric evaluations during the pandemic.