One-year Cohort Follow-up on the Diagnosis and Posttraumatic Symptoms in Child Sexual Assault Victims in Korea

Objective@#The victims and their families of child sexual abuse (CSA) may confront persistent psychological sequela. We aimed to investigate the psychological symptoms, diagnosis, and family functions in children and adolescents with CSA. @*Methods@#We assessed the symptom scales at 6-month intervals, and conducted diagnostic re-assessments at 1-year intervals. Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC), Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC), Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales IV (FACES-IV), and Family Communication Scale (FCS) scores were reported by children or parents. @*Results@#We found in parent-reported TSCYC, that posttraumatic stress symptoms domain scores significantly decreased with time progression. The scores decreased more in the evidence-based treatment group over time in anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptom domains of TSCC. In FACES-IV and FCS scores, indices of family function have been gradually increasing both after 6 months and after 1 year compared to the initial evaluation. Further, about 64% of the children diagnosed with psychiatric diseases, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the initial assessment maintained the same diagnosis at follow-up. @*Conclusion@#We observed changes in psychological symptoms and family functioning in sexually abused children with time progression during 1 year. It is postulated that PTSD may be a persistent major mental illness in the victims of CSA.

Regional Gray Matter Volume Related to High Occupational Stress in Firefighters

Background@#Firefighters inevitably encounter emotionally and physically stressful situations at work. Even firefighters without diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder receive clinical attention because the nature of the profession exposes them to repetitive trauma and high occupational stress. This study investigated gray matter abnormalities related to high occupational stress in firefighters using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and surface-based morphometry (SBM). @*Methods@#We assessed 115 subjects (112 males and 3 females) using magnetic resonance imaging and evaluated occupational stress by the Korean Occupational Stress Scale-26 (KOSS-26). Subjects were classified into highly or lowly stressed groups based on the median value of the KOSS-26. @*Results@#In VBM analysis, we found that firefighters with high occupational stress had lower gray matter volume (GMV) in both sides of the insula, the left amygdala, the right medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and the anterior cingulate cortex than firefighters with low occupational stress. In SBM analysis based on regions of interest, the GMV of the bilateral insula and right mPFC were also lower in the highly stressed group. Within the highly stressed group, low GMV of the insula was significantly correlated with the length of service (left: r = −0.347, P = 0.009; right: r = −0.333, P = 0.012). @*Conclusion@#Our findings suggest that regional GMV abnormalities are related to occupational stress. Regional gray matter abnormalities and related emotional dysregulation may contribute to firefighter susceptibility to burnout.

Increasing Trend and Characteristics of Korean Adolescents Presenting to Emergency Department for Self-Harm: A 5-Year Experience, 2015 to 2019

Purpose@#Emergency department (ED) is a common treatment setting for adolescents with clinically serious self-harm. Here, we investigated the clinical characteristics and trends of adolescents with self-harm who visited the ED in one Korean university hospital. We also compared patients with a single ED visit to those with multiple ED visits to identify the risk factor of repeated visits. @*Materials and Methods@#We retrospectively identified patients aged 12 to 18 years who presented to ED for self-harm from January 2015 to December 2019, based on electronic medical records. Self-harm included all thoughts and behaviors indicating intents to harm or hurt oneself, regardless of the degree of such attempt. @*Results@#A total of 168 individuals (male:female=31:137; average 15.99±1.64 years) presented to ED following 304 episodes (45 and 259 episodes in males and females, respectively). The number of episodes steeply increased between 2016 and 2019, and the overall number during the study showed an increasing trend (p=0.043). Repeated ED visitors with self-harm showed more history of psychiatric treatment/admission (58.3% vs. 85.4%, p=0.002; 14.2% vs. 43.9%, p<0.001), history of child abuse (32.3% vs. 53.7%, p=0.013), and familial psychiatric history (13.4% vs. 31.7%, p=0.008) compared to those with a single visit. @*Conclusion@#Among Korean adolescents, the number of ED visits and repetition of ED visits for self-harm is on the rise. For adolescents presenting to ED with self-harm, the history of psychiatric treatment/admission, child abuse, and familial psychiatric history should be properly obtained to identify the risk for multiple ED visits.

Comorbid Depression Interferes with Emotional Regulation in Adolescents with Internet Gaming Disorder / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effects of depression on emotional regulation in adolescents with internet gaming disorder. METHODS: A stroop Match-to-Sample task with emotional interference was applied to 36 male adolescents to investigate how emotional stimuli (angry faces) interfered with performance of the stroop task in male adolescents with internet gaming disorder. For evaluation of psychiatric symptoms and personal characteristics, participants were asked to complete self-reports, including Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and the Aggression Questionnaire. RESULTS: In emotionally interfered conditions, there was no significant difference of reaction time between the internet gaming disorder group and the healthy control group. However, the internet gaming disorder group showed a tendency of longer reaction time and lower accuracy rate in emotionally interfered condition, which can account for emotion regulation difficulties in the internet gaming disorder group. According to analysis of covariance and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, BDI score showed association with reaction time of results. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that adolescents with internet gaming disorder may experience more difficulties in emotion regulation during attention-required situations than those in the control group, and comorbid depression contributes to faulty emotional regulation in adolescents with internet gaming disorder.

Comorbid Depression Interferes with Emotional Regulation in Adolescents with Internet Gaming Disorder / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effects of depression on emotional regulation in adolescents with internet gaming disorder. METHODS: A stroop Match-to-Sample task with emotional interference was applied to 36 male adolescents to investigate how emotional stimuli (angry faces) interfered with performance of the stroop task in male adolescents with internet gaming disorder. For evaluation of psychiatric symptoms and personal characteristics, participants were asked to complete self-reports, including Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and the Aggression Questionnaire. RESULTS: In emotionally interfered conditions, there was no significant difference of reaction time between the internet gaming disorder group and the healthy control group. However, the internet gaming disorder group showed a tendency of longer reaction time and lower accuracy rate in emotionally interfered condition, which can account for emotion regulation difficulties in the internet gaming disorder group. According to analysis of covariance and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, BDI score showed association with reaction time of results. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that adolescents with internet gaming disorder may experience more difficulties in emotion regulation during attention-required situations than those in the control group, and comorbid depression contributes to faulty emotional regulation in adolescents with internet gaming disorder.

In Vitro and In Vivo Imaging of Prostate Cancer Angiogenesis Using Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2 Antibody-Conjugated Quantum Dot

OBJECTIVE: Authors aimed to determine the targeting ability of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2)-conjugated quantum dots (QDs) in vitro, and apply it for a xenograft prostate cancer mouse model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Conjugation reaction of QDs was performed by using the N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide (EDC) and sulfo-(N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide) (Sulfo-NHS). The human umbilical vein cord endothelial cells (HUVECs) were incubated with QDs, conjugated with antiVGFR2, to see a specific binding in vitro. Fluorescent cell images were taken by a confocal microscope. The human prostate cancer cells (PC3) were injected to five nude mice on hind limbs to make the xenograft tumor model. QD-antiVEGFR2 antibody complex was injected into the tumor model and fluorescence measurements were performed at 1, 4, 9, 12, 15, and 24 hours after the injection. RESULTS: The specific interaction between HUVECs and QD-antiVEGFR2 antibody was clearly shown in vitro. The in vivo fluorescence image disclosed that there was an increased signal of tumor, 12 hours after the injection of QDs. CONCLUSION: By showing endothelial cells binding with QDs-antiVEGFR2 antibodyand an experimental application of the antibody for VEGFR2 imaging in the prostate cancer xenograft mouse model, we suggests that the antibody-conjugated QDs can be a potential imaging tool for angiogenesis of the cancer.