Screening with the Korean Version of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire for Bipolar Disorders in Adolescents: Korean Validity and Reliability Study

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of a Korean version of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire-Adolescent version (K-MDQ-A) as a screening instrument for bipolar disorders in adolescents. METHODS: One hundred two adolescents with bipolar disorders and their parents were recruited from November 2014 to November 2016 at 7 training hospitals. One hundred six controls were recruited from each middle school in two cities of South Korea. The parent version of the original MDQ-A was translated into Korean. The parents of all participants completed the K-MDQ-A. The diagnoses of bipolar disorders were determined based on the Korean version of K-SADS-PL. The test-retest reliability with a 10-month interval was investigated in 33 bipolar adolescents. RESULTS: K-MDQ-A yielded a sensitivity of 0.90 and a specificity of 0.92 when using a cut-off score of endorsement of 5 items, indicating that symptoms occurred in the same time period and caused moderate or serious problems. The internal consistency of the K-MDQ-A was good. The correlations between each item and the total score ranged from 0.40 to 0.76 and were all statistically significant. Factor analysis revealed 3 factors that explained 61.25% of the total variance. The mean total score was significantly higher in bipolar adolescents (7.29) than in controls (1.32). The Pearson correlation coefficient for the total test-retest score was 0.59 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The K-MDQ-A completed by parents showed the excellent validity and reliability and may be a useful screening tool for adolescents with bipolar disorders attending in- and outpatient psychiatric clinics.

Thyroid Hormones, Cognitive Impairment, Depression and Subjective Memory Complaint in Community-Dwelling Elders with Questionable Dementia in Korea

OBJECTIVES: It was the aim to examine the association of the thyroid-related hormones with cognitive function, depression, and subjective memory impairment in community-dwelling elders with questionable dementia. METHODS: The sample consisted of 399 community residents with 'questionable dementia' aged 60 or over in whom serum thyroid-related hormones [thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroxine] had been assayed. Cognitive impairment was defined using the Korean version of the Consortium Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease. Depression was diagnosed using the Korean version of Geriatric Depression Scale and subjective memory complaint (SMC) was checked using the subjective memory complaints questionnaire (SMCQ). Age, gender, education, and the presence of apolipoprotein E epsilon4 were included as covariates. RESULTS: There was a significant positive association between verbal fluency test (VFT) score and serum TSH levels (p = 0.01). There was a significant negative association between SMCQ total score and word list memory test (WLMT)(p = 0.002) or word list recall test (WLRT) score (p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Lower serum TSH levels were associated with semantic memory (VFT), and we found that SMC was associated with episodic memory (WLMT and WLRT) in this sample.