OBJECTIVES: To identify factors related to physical health monitoring of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder. METHODS: A total of 172 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder registered in mental health welfare centers and rehabilitation facilities in Gwangju were recruited. Physical health monitoring was defined by two health behaviors; fasting blood tests within recent 2 years in all participants and routine medical check-ups covered by national insurance within recent 5 years in participants aged 40 years or older. Demographic and clinical characteristics including overweight, metabolic syndrome and knowledge about physical illness were compared according to physical health monitoring. RESULTS: Prevalence of overweight and metabolic syndrome were 62.8% and 40.1%, respectively. The rates of fasting blood tests and routine medical check-ups were 34.9% and 67.9%, respectively. The rates of fasting blood tests were significantly higher in general hospital and university hospital compared to mental hospital or private clinic. Rates of routine medical check-ups were significantly lower in individuals using daily rehabilitation service and smokers. Knowledge about cancer and chronic illness were significantly better in individuals receiving routine medical check-ups compared with those not receiving it. CONCLUSION: Education about physical health should be integrated to mental health service in community mental health center.
Chronic Disease ; Education ; Fasting ; Gwangju ; Health Behavior ; Hematologic Tests ; Hospitals, General ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Insurance ; Mental Health ; Mental Health Services ; Overweight ; Prevalence ; Rehabilitation ; Schizophrenia ; Smoking

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the moderating effect of social support on the relationship between violence experiences and violence responses of psychiatric nurses. METHODS: In this descriptive study, 211 psychiatric nurses were recruited from twelve psychiatric hospitals. A structured self-report questionnaire was used to measure the study variables. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and a series of multiple linear regression analyses based on Baron and Kenny's method with the SPSS 24.0 program. RESULTS: Violence responses positively correlated with violence experiences (r=.15, p=.031), but negatively correlated with social support (r=−.25, p<.001). Social support was a significant variable on violence responses (β=−.26, p<.001). Social support did not moderate effect (β=−.06, p=.377). However family support was significant in controlling emotional responses to psychiatric nurses' experience of verbal violence (β=−.15, p=.027). Friends support was significant in controlling social responses to psychiatric nurses experienced verbal violence (β=−.14, p=.041). CONCLUSION: Our study findings indicate a need to provide social support for preventing and alleviating violence responses of psychiatric nurses.
Friends ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Methods ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Violence

OBJECTIVES: The authors evaluated the environment and conditions of Korean psychiatric residents to identify important factors for them in determining their satisfaction with training programs. METHODS: Questionnaires on the residency training program were administered to 513 Korean psychiatric residents from 2016 to 2017. The questionnaire was composed of sociodemographic background, work environment and status of the training program. The authors analyzed questionnaire according to the residents' grade and hospital type and identified the significant factors for satisfaction with their training. RESULTS: Compared to the 1st grade, the 4th grade psychiatric residents have significantly less working time, duty days, and more sleep time, mealtime, and annual salary. In the hospital type, the residents of general hospitals and university hospitals have more working time, annual salary, and accessibility to educational material than mental hospitals. The satisfaction with their training is higher in the 1st grade than in the 4th grade, in those with more than six hours of sleep time, and in residents who are satisfied with the accessibility of educational materials. CONCLUSION: Compared to the 1st grade, the working intensity of 4th grade psychiatric residents is lower and their welfare is better. To improve the satisfaction with the training program, it is necessary to make efforts to increase the sleep time of residents, improve the accessibility of educational material, identify the problem of the training program, particularly in the 4th grade, and make institutional improvements.
Education ; Hospitals, General ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Hospitals, University ; Internship and Residency ; Meals ; Salaries and Fringe Benefits

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of autonomy, competence, and relationship on the recovery attitude of inpatients with alcohol use disorder.METHODS: This descriptive correlational study was based on the basic psychological needs theory, which is a sub-theory of self-determination theory (SDT). Study participants were 158 inpatients with alcohol use disorder from four mental hospitals in two areas. Data were collected from self-report questionnaires administered in September and October 2019. Data were analyzed using the t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and the multiple linear regression with IBM SPSS 22.0.RESULTS: Recovery attitude showed a positive correlation with autonomy (r=.62, p < .001), competence (r=.40, p < .001), and relationship (r=.33, p < .001). The results of the regression indicate the autonomy and competence explained 39% of the recovery attitude (R2=.40, F=51.04, p < .001).CONCLUSION: The results suggest that autonomy and competence play integral roles in the recovery attitude of inpatients with alcohol use disorders. Thus, mental health practitioners should develop psychological need-based interventions to improve the autonomy, competence, and recovery attitude of inpatients' with alcohol use disorder.
Alcoholism ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Linear Models ; Mental Competency ; Mental Health ; Motivation

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the therapeutic communication experience of nurses in psychiatric wards.METHODS: Data were collected from 9 mental health nurses working at psychiatric wards in three university hospitals in Seoul and Gyeongju, South Korea. The study involved in-depth individual interviews, which were recorded and transcribed as they were spoken, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.RESULTS: Therapeutic communication experiences of psychiatric ward nurses were categorized into 4 categories, 12 subcategories, and 24 codes. The four categories were ‘therapeutic communication practiced as a nurse’, ‘therapeutic communication delivered to patients’, ‘power revealed between patients and nurses’, and ‘environment surrounding therapeutic communication’. The twelve subcategories were ‘approaching with interest’, ‘with all one's heart and soul’, ‘learning and grow from peers’, ‘understanding the true meaning of mental health nursing’, ‘boosting in strength’, ‘providing a sense of security’, ‘formation of rapport’, ‘lead to recovery’, ‘variability of interaction’, ‘powerful energy originating from sparklet’, ‘lack of physical time’, and ‘absence of supervision’.CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate the need to develop and apply therapeutic communication interventions for psychiatric nurses. Supervision is needed to promote therapeutic communication among psychiatric nurses and requires institutional support.
Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Heart ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Korea ; Mental Health ; Organization and Administration ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Qualitative Research ; Seoul

PURPOSE: The purpose of this mixed-method study was to identify the demand for mental health nursing education and work of nurses at a private psychiatric hospital.METHODS: The survey of demand for mental nursing education was conducted by including 231 nurses at a private psychiatric hospital from November to December, 2017. Qualitative research by two focus groups was conducted from October to November, 2018.RESULTS: The mean of mental health nursing education demands according to major category were the therapeutic environment (4.27±0.76), substancerelated and addictive disorders (4.18±0.68), therapeutic relationship and communication (4.17±0.64), respect for human (4.11±0.74), and neurocognitive disorders (4.07±0.74). The qualitative research participants’ demands for mental health nursing education were classified into five categories: ‘discrimination power’, ‘communication techniques’, ‘psychiatric drugs’, ‘coping method’, and ‘legal issues’.CONCLUSION: Nurses with less psychiatric careers have strong need to learn a therapeutic environment and alcoholism, and nurses with more experience in psychiatry have education of humanities. Nurses at private psychiatric hospitals have high demand for continous education of updated mental nursing to expand their extensive experience required for becoming more professional nurses in future.
Alcoholism ; Education ; Education, Nursing ; Focus Groups ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humanities ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Methods ; Neurocognitive Disorders ; Nursing ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Qualitative Research

Although seclusion and restraint are required for the treatment of mentally ill patients in psychiatric hospitals, these procedures involve potential violations of human rights and pose a potential risk to patients' physical condition. Nursing staffs in psychiatric hospitals often have to manage psychiatric patients who display aggressive, violent, or challenging behavior. However, the guidelines for the use of seclusion and restraint in Korea are too broad to apply in clinical situations. The guidelines in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand emphasize that patients' basic needs have to be met and stipulate that patient–staff interaction must be continued during seclusion and restraint procedures. Mental health workers in psychiatric hospitals should pay close attention to patients' verbal and non-verbal expressions while communicating with them. This study reviews the guidelines for seclusion and restraint used in foreign countries to improve current Korean guidelines and provides strategies of the nursing activities to be implemented when patients require seclusion and restraint.
Australia ; Great Britain ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Human Rights ; Humans ; Korea ; Mental Health ; Mentally Ill Persons ; New Zealand ; Nursing Staff ; Nursing ; Psychiatric Nursing ; United States

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate a ‘patient empowerment program for schizophrenia (PEPS)’ to improve problem solving ability, quality of life, and mental health literacy for hospitalized patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: The study was a non-equivalent control group non-synchronized design. Study participants were recruited from a psychiatric hospital in Republic of Korea. Of 56 participants, 20 were assigned to the experimental group and 36 to the control group. Data were collected from September, 2017 to January, 2018. Data analyses included chi-squared or Fisher's exact tests, t-tests, and repeated measure ANOVA with SPSS/WIN 21.0 program. RESULTS: After participating PEPS, the experimental group showed a significant increase in quality of life and mental health literacy compared to the control group. However, there were no significant differences in problem solving ability between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Findings show that patients with schizophrenia receive benefits from PEPS in terms of quality of life and mental health literacy. However, further research is necessary to develop clinical strategies to improve their problem solving abilities.
Health Literacy ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Literacy ; Mental Health ; Power (Psychology) ; Problem Solving ; Psychotherapy ; Quality of Life ; Republic of Korea ; Schizophrenia ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to explore psychological flexibility's mediating effect on the relationship between symptoms, social functioning and quality of life among inpatients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Participants were 190 inpatients with schizophrenia from five mental hospitals in three areas. Data were collected from self-report questionnaires administered from June to July 2018. Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficients and the Baron and Kenny method with IBM SPSS 22.0. RESULTS: Quality of life showed a positive correlation with psychological flexibility (r=.52, p < .001), but a negative correlation with symptoms (r=−.39, p < .001) and social functioning (r=−.42, p < .001). Psychological flexibility had a full mediating effect on the relationship between symptoms and quality of life. Psychological flexibility also showed partial mediating effects on social functioning and quality of life. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that psychological flexibility plays an important role in the quality of life of inpatients with schizophrenia. Therefore, mental health practitioners should focus on interventions to improve their social functioning and psychological flexibility to improve their quality of life.
Hospitalization ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Mental Health ; Methods ; Negotiating ; Pliability ; Psychopathology ; Quality of Life ; Schizophrenia

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore psychiatric nurses' decision making in the use of seclusion and restraint (SR). METHODS: Data were collected using focus group interviews. Two focus group interviews were held with a total of 10 psychiatric nurse participants. All interviews were recorded and transcribed, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Eleven categories emerged from three main themes. All the themes describe factors that participants took into account when deciding whether to implement SR: 1) Personal factors area: ‘Personal attributes of nurses,’ ‘Attitude of nurses regarding SR,’ ‘Nurses’ ‘physical and emotional states,’ ‘Negative experiences of nurses related to SR’; 2) Relational factors area: ‘The level of cooperation between nurses and doctors,’ ‘Role models created by seniors and colleagues,’ ‘The level of support by nursing assistants,’ ‘Therapeutic relations with patients’; and 3) Environmental factors area: ‘Poor nursing work environment,’ ‘Atmosphere of ward regarding SR,’ and ‘Social atmosphere to raise alarm about SR.’ CONCLUSION: These findings should be considered in the evaluation of the use of SR in psychiatric hospital settings and appropriate strategies used to help minimize the use of restraint.
Atmosphere ; Decision Making ; Focus Groups ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Nursing ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Qualitative Research ; Restraint, Physical