Exploring the Differences between Adolescents' and Parents' Ratings on Adolescents' Smartphone Addiction

BACKGROUND: Smartphone addiction has recently been highlighted as a major health issue among adolescents. In this study, we assessed the degree of agreement between adolescents' and parents' ratings of adolescents' smartphone addiction. Additionally, we evaluated the psychosocial factors associated with adolescents' and parents' ratings of adolescents' smartphone addiction. METHODS: In total, 158 adolescents aged 12–19 years and their parents participated in this study. The adolescents completed the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) and the Isolated Peer Relationship Inventory (IPRI). Their parents also completed the SAS (about their adolescents), SAS-Short Version (SAS-SV; about themselves), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). We used the paired t-test, McNemar test, and Pearson's correlation analyses. RESULTS: Percentage of risk users was higher in parents' ratings of adolescents' smartphone addiction than ratings of adolescents themselves. There was disagreement between the SAS and SAS-parent report total scores and subscale scores on positive anticipation, withdrawal, and cyberspace-oriented relationship. SAS scores were positively associated with average minutes of weekday/holiday smartphone use and scores on the IPRI and father's GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores. Additionally, SAS-parent report scores showed positive associations with average minutes of weekday/holiday smartphone use and each parent's SAS-SV, GAD-7, and PHQ-9 scores. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that clinicians need to consider both adolescents' and parents' reports when assessing adolescents' smartphone addiction, and be aware of the possibility of under- or overestimation. Our results can not only be a reference in assessing adolescents' smartphone addiction, but also provide inspiration for future studies.

Attitudes of Psychiatrists towards Smartphone Usage of Children and Adolescents / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we performed a preliminary investigation for establishing guidelines for the usage of smartphones in children and adolescents. METHODS: From March 2014 to August 2014, 182 board-certified psychiatrists were asked to participate in the survey ; 121 participants completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed by the authors, mainly the Public Relations Committee of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. It evaluates psychiatrists' opinions on the use of smartphones in children and adolescents. In addition, psychiatrists' attitudes towards their own usage of smartphones were assessed in order to determine the impact on their opinion towards the children's usage. RESULTS: Psychiatrists have recommended various opinions as the appropriate age to own a smartphone for the first time. Mean age recommended by psychiatrists is grade 7.7. One-hundred participants (82.6%) agreed to the age limit to own a smartphone for the first time. In addition all participants agreed to the necessity of a time limit in children and adolescents. Psychiatrists (17.4%) who disagree on the age limit in children considered the smartphone more useful by themselves compared to psychiatrists who agreed on the age limit. CONCLUSION: Most psychiatrists have recommended that an appropriate limit for smartphone usage in children and adolescents is needed.

Psychometric Properties of the Life Events Checklist-Korean Version

OBJECTIVE: The Life Events Checklist is a brief screening instrument that is used for potentially traumatic events such as accidents, disasters, sexual or physical assaults, or combat-related exposures. The original English version was recently tested for reliability and validity and it showed good psychometric properties, and so its use is recommended for the assessment of trauma. METHODS: This study investigated the reliability and validity of a Life Events Checklist-Korean version in 157 consecutive psychiatric outpatients at a university-affiliated teaching hospital. The questionnaire also included the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Correlation and principal component analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The four week test-retest reliability was good and the internal consistency was acceptable. In addition, the number of traumatic events was significantly correlated with the posttraumatic depressive and anxiety symptoms, which demonstrated the convergent validity of the scale. Additionally, exploratory factor analysis identified a six-factor structure that explained 57.2% of the total variance. CONCLUSION: These findings support the reliability and validity of the Life Events Checklist-Korean version.

A Case of Anesthetic Management in a Patient for Clipping of Intracranial Aneurysm with Complete Left Bundle Branch Block: A Case Report / 대한마취과학회지

We experienced a case of clipping of an intracranial aneurysm of a 63 year old male with a subarachnoid hemorrhage under general anesthesia. Preoperative electrocardiography showed complete Left Bundle Block (LBBB) without subjective symptoms. Among the intraventricular blocks, bundle branch block is the most common type and in particular, complete LBBB may progress to the more serious condition of complete heart block. Consideration of anesthetic management in such patients requires a knowledge of normal cardiac physiology, neurophysiology, the circulatory effects of various anesthetic agents and the pathophysiology of these diseases, to prevent any hypertension in response to intubation and surgery. We report upon the anesthetic management of a patient for clipping of an intracranial aneurysm with complete LBBB, which was performed successfully without complication.