The Effect of Spiritual Well-being on the Mental Health of the Cho-Sun Tribal Women Residing in P.R. of China / 영남의대학술지

BACKGROUND: Spirituality has been an important part of Transpersonal Psychology and is believed to have a large effect on the mental health because it has been systematized. The aim of this study was to determine the level of spiritual disposition on human beings along with its effects on one's mental health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study targeted 400 women residing in Youn-Gil city of JiLin Prov., which is a district of the Cho-Sun tribe in China. Their spiritual well-being was studied using the Spiritual Well-being Scale-Korean Version. The spiritual well-being scale consists of 2 sub-scales of religious well-being and existential well-being. The study was evaluated using a lie scale, psychotic trend, and a combined anxiety-depression scale. The results were considered to be factors of one's mental health. The correlation between the spiritual well-being and each tendency was analyzed by regression analysis. RESULTS: The total score of the Cho-Sun tribal women according to the spiritual well-being scale was 68.29 which was much less than the 100.65 of Korean Christian women. There was no significant correlation between the spiritual well-being and the Lie trend. However, it was found that 86% (344) of Cho-Sun tribal women scored above 70 in the Lie trend with a mean score of 74.57 which is higher than normal populations. Regarding the correlation between the spiritual well-being and psychotic trend, the psychotic trend became significantly higher when the religious well-being was at a high level. On the other hand, the psychotic trend became significantly lower when the existential well-being was at a high level. Regarding the correlation between the spiritual well-being and anxiety, the anxiety was significantly higher when the religious well-being was at a high level. However, the anxiety level was significantly low when the existential well-being was at a high level. Regarding the correlation between the spiritual well-being and depression, the depression level was somewhat significantly high when the religious well-being was at a high level. However, the depression level was significantly low when the existential well-being was at a high level. CONCLUSION: This study evaluated the effects of spiritual well-being on a person's mental health among Cho-Sun tribal women in Youn-Gil city of JiLIn Prov., P.R. of China. The results found that the religious well-being, which is a sub-scale of spiritual well-being, had negative effects while the existential well-being had positive effects on the mental health. These results proved that a person's religious disposition had negative effects on their mental health in a communitarian society.

The Characteristics of Executive Dysfunctions and Changes after Mehylphenidate Treatment in ADHD Children / 대한정신약물학회지

The characteristics and changes after methylphenidate treatment of executive functions were conducted. Forty elementary school children, over 85 in intelligence quotient, were selected as experimental group. They are diagnosed to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). 40 normal control group were also selected. For comparing of executive functions, ADHD subjects were tested executive functions before and 4 weeks after methylphenidate. Normal control group were also tested. Several behavioral checklists were used, and Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Conners Continuous Performance Test, Stop Signal Task, Trail-Making Test (patr B), and Maze test were used. The executive functions and intelligence of ADHD were generally lower than normal control group. On CPT, ADHD showed significantly lower performances in commissions, hit reaction time standard errors, variability of standard errors, and attentiveness. On SST, ADHD presented significantly lower performance in probability of inhibit, stop signal reaction time, Z Score of relative finishing time, Mean delay time on each block, and primary standard deviation. On WCST, ADHD had meaningfully lower performance in total corrects, total errors, nonperseverative errors, completed category, and trials to 1st category completed. After medication, intelligence was not changed, but simultaneous processing ability was improved significantly. And the behavioral problems were improved, but still had differences comparing to control. Commission of Conners' CPT, all aspects of SST and total corrects of WCST were improved.