Objectives: This study investigated medication perceptions, adherence patterns, self-discontinuation experiences, and information sources among psychiatric outpatients to provide evidence for improving adherence strategies. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 79 outpatients from a University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry. Self-administered questionnaires assessed diagnostic awareness, medication perceptions, adherence behaviors, discontinuation experiences, side effects, and information sources. Results: Overall, 89.7% knew their psychiatric diagnosis and 88.2% perceived medication as effective. While 73.1% rarely forgot medication, 35.9% had previously self-discontinued treatment. Medication adherence was significantly associated with previous discontinuation experience (p=0.006), whereas diagnostic awareness and efficacy perception were not. Primary discontinuation reasons were symptom improvement (53.6%) and physical discomfort (35.7%). Common side effects included weight gain (n=31), daytime drowsiness (n=26), memory impairment (n=24), and concentration problems (n=22). Patients primarily obtained side effect information from TV/internet (27.8%) rather than healthcare providers (20.3%). Most patients desired additional information about side effects (57.0%) and medication effects (54.4%). Conclusion Daily medication-taking behaviors were more predictive of treatment discontinuation than cognitive factors in this outpatient sample. Discontinuation due to symptom improvement and reliance on non-medical information sources highlights the need for enhanced patient education regarding relapse risks and systematic provision of accurate medication information.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify regional differences in problem drinking among adult males in single-person households and predict the determinants. Methods: This study used data from the 2019 Community Health Survey. Geographically weighted regression analysis was performed on 8,625 adult males in single-person households who had been consuming alcohol for the past year. The Si-Gun-Gu was selected as the spatial unit. Results: The top 10 regions for problem drinking among adult males in single-person households were located in the Jeju-do and Jeollanam-do areas near the southern coast, whereas the bottom 10 regions were located in the Incheon and northern Gyeonggi-do areas. Smoking, economic activity, and educational level were common factors affecting problem drinking among this population. Among the determinants of regional disparities in problem drinking among adult males in single-person households, personal factors included age, smoking, depression level, economic activity, educational level, and leisure activity, while regional factors included population and karaoke venue ratio. Conclusion Problem drinking among adult males in single-person households varies by region, and the variables affecting each particular area differ. Therefore, it is necessary to develop interventions tailored to individuals and regions that reflect the characteristics of each region by prioritizing smoking, economic activity, and educational level as the common factors.

Purpose: : Assertiveness is a crucial factor in patient safety, workplace violence, and work stress, and is associated with better interpersonal relationships in clinical settings. Despite its significance, a standardized assertiveness scale reflecting Korean healthcare culture is currently lacking. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the assertiveness scale for nurses (K-ASN). Methods: : The survey was conducted with 250 nurses working in secondary and tertiary hospitals in Korea. The study examined content, criterion, and construct validity using exploratory factor analysis and also assessed internal consistency reliability. Results: : The K-ASN consists of 22 items and 6 factors, namely self-denial, confrontation, dealing with criticism, positive assertion, spontaneity, and active assertion. The K-ASN demonstrated good content validity and a high criterion validity with the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS) at .75. The internal consistency reliability was also satisfactory, with a Cronbach’s alpha of .80, and subscale reliability ranging from .52 to .87. Conclusion : The K-ASN is a reliable and valid assertiveness scale for nurses in Korea. The K-ASN can be a valuable tool to be used to assess the assertiveness of healthcare professionals which is associated with improvements in interpersonal relationships, patient safety, and health-related outcomes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the latent classes of problem drinking according to the life span in adult males, and to identify the predictive factors for classifying the latent classes. Methods: This study used data from the 7th to the 15th years of the Korean Welfare Panel Study. Among adult males older than age 20, a latent class analysis and multiple logistic regression were conducted by classifying 4,388 household members who had been drinking for one year into young, middle-age, and elderly males. Results: The latent classes of problem drinking for males of the young and elderly were classified into the non-problem drinking group, the problem drinking risk group, and the problem drinking maintenance group. Middle-aged males were classified into non-problem drinking group, problem drinking reduction group, problem drinking risk group, and problem drinking maintenance group. Smoking was identified as a predictor of problem drinking maintenance group in adult males of all ages. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that it is necessary to develop interventions tailored to the life span, for the prevention of problem drinking in adult males.