The Reliability and Validity of the Korean Version of State Adult Attachment Measure / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: Adult attachment is a relatively stable disposition, rooted in internal working models of self and relationship patterns. However, findings reported from recent research have suggested that levels of attachment anxiety, avoidance, and security are also affected by situational factors. The State Adult Attachment Measure (SAAM) was developed for the purpose of capturing temporary fluctuations in the sense of attachment security and insecurity. In this study, we examined the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the State Adult Attachment Measure (K-SAAM). METHODS: K-SAAM, Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire-Revised (ECR-R), Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), Korean version of Positive Affective and Negative Affect Schedule (K-PANAS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (R-DAS), and Toronto Alexithymia Scale 20-K (TAS 20-K) were administered to 180 subjects in the community. Exploratory factor analyses and correlation analyses among related variables were conducted. RESULTS: Scores on the K-SAAM demonstrated high internal consistency, with corrected item-total correlations from .56 to .87. Results of exploratory factor analysis yielded three reliable subscales measuring state levels of attachment-related anxiety, avoidance, and security. Results of additional analyses demonstrated both convergent validity and discriminant validity of the K-SAAM. CONCLUSION: The results reported here are highly supportive of the reliability, validity, and utility of the K-SAAM as a state measure of attachment. This new measure will allow clinicians to assess various temporary changes in attachment levels and to examine the efficacy of attachment-based psychotherapy. The K-SAAM has the potential to advance the field in understanding of the dynamics of adult attachment.

The Relationship between Attachment Style, Alexithymia, Marital Satisfaction and Depressive Symptoms / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we examined the relationship between attachment style, alexithymia, marital satisfaction, and depressive symptoms in married couples. METHODS: We administered the Korean version of Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire-Revised (K-ECR-R), Korean version of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20K), Revised-Dyadic Adjustment Scale (R-DAS), Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory (K-BDI), and to 105 men and 115 women in the community. The data was analyzed with correlation analysis between related variables, and the regression analysis method of Baron and Kenny (1986) was used. RESULTS: The current study assumes that alexithymia mediates between attachment style and marital satisfaction, and these factors influence depressive symptoms. The results were as follows : 1) alexithymia mediated perfectly between attachment anxiety style and marital satisfaction and 2) alexithymia, and marital satisfaction had significant influences on depressive symptoms. Attachment avoidance style was excluded for dissatisfaction with the assumption of the regression analysis method of Baron and Kenny (1986). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that attachment style, alexithymia, and marital satisfaction seem to be important factors in depressive symptoms among married people. These results suggest that different interventions according to attachment style may helpful for the enhancement of marital satisfaction and the reduction of the depressive symptoms of married couples.

The Effects of Emotionally Focused Therapy(EFT) for Couples : Pilot Study / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the effects of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) on distressed married couples. METHODS: We conducted 5 to 19 EFT sessions once a week with 10 couples from Yongin Mental Hospital who were experiencing marital conflict. We assessed participants before and after EFT, using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Symptom Checklist 90-R (SCL-90R), and Korean Marital Satisfaction Inventory (K-MSI). The EFT consisted of 3 stages comprising 9 steps. Every couple followed this EFT structure. RESULTS: After completing the EFT sessions, the inventories showed the couples experiencing significant improvements in various psychological symptoms and marital satisfactions. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that EFT could be applied to distressed couples in a clinical setting and could effectively reduce psychological symptoms and improve marital satisfaction. Further study of the generalizability of these results and of the process variables are needed.

Posttraumatic stress disorder and thyroid function / 신경정신의학

No abstract available.

Changing pattern of Clonorchis sinensis infection among school children in the Gumho basin, Kyungpook Province, Korea

A study was required to evaluate the prevalence of clonorchiasis among school children in the 7 differnet schools located near the Gumho basin and to determine the effectiveness of the anticlonorchis campaign conducted in that area. Surveys for Clonorchis sinensis and the worm burden in the same areas were compared for the period 1960-1970. Both surveys concentrated on children in grades 1-3 ranging from 6-11 years old. They were examined using primarily intradermal tests with Clonorchis antigen and followed by stool examinations. Stool examinations consisting of the formalin-ether sedimentation(Ritchie, 1948 ) and the Stoll egg-count techniques were performed in those cases which revealed positive and doubtful intradermal reactions. The overall prevalence rate for clonorchiasis was reduced from 13.4 per cent to 4.1 per cent. There was also a significant reduction in the worm burden, suggesting that no clonorchiasis will be found among chileren in the near future. In connection with this survey, the prevalence rate for intestinal helminths in 1960 was compared with 1970. The rate for Ascaris lumbricoides had decreased, while the rates for Trichuris trichiura and Trichostrongylus species had increased. No fluctuation in the rate of hookworm was observed during the past 10 years. Clearly, the present survey denotes a requirement for a combined procedure of health education and mass survey with intradermal testing. It has been found that these methods not only greatly reduce the prevalence of clonorchiasis but also is followed by the marked reductions of the worm burdens of the children examined.

Survival of adult Clonorchis sinensis in the biliary passages of dead human bodies

Adult Clonorchis sinensis were collected from the biliary passage of nine cases of medico-legal autopsies. The worms were washed repeatedly with tap water and rinsed twice with physiological saline. Incubation took place in Tyrode's medium in order to recover live worms. The number of worms surviving in the medium was determined. The rate of surviving worms showed an unexpectedly high percentage (22.8%) in those cases autopsied 2 days after death. The surviving worm burden dropped sharply to 6.3 and 9.2 percent for those samples taken 5 days after death.

Treatment of hookworm infection with furfurol

Furfurol(Furfudol), a new anthelmintics, was administered to 7 adults and 21 children (6-12 years old) in total amounts of 15.6 mg(base) for 1 to 3 days. It has proven to be effective against hookworms. The anthelmintic effect against hookworms with a single dose of 15.6 mg of furfurol was similar to that of a single dose of 2.5 gm of bephenium hydroxynaphthoate. However, when a total of 15.6 mg of the base was given to both children and adult, the side reactions were so mild that the drug can be administered for therapeutic regimens in mass treatment. Minor abdominal discomfort was the only common side effect. This is the primary advantage of furfurol as compared with bephenium hydroxynaphthoate. These results have indicated that furfurol is safe in therapeutic dosage and is an effective agent to treat patients infected with hookworms.

Intestinal parasite survey of Kyungpook National University Hospital patients

For seven years from 1962 to 1968, fecal specimens of the patients were examined not only for the discovery of intestinal protozoa and helminths, but also to provie data on the incidence of intestinal parasites among the residents of Kyungpook Province, Korea. The Formalin-ether sedimentation, Lugol solution, and Heidenhain's iron-hematoxylin stained films were prepared for the recovery of intestinal parasites. Of 2,414 samples of feces examined, 35.7 percent were found to be infected with one or more species of protozoa. Among six species of protozoa detected, Entamoeba coli was observed most frequently(15.3%) followed by Entamoeba histolytica (11.9%), and then the Enteromonas hominis least often(1 case). For the survey of helminth, of a total of 5,288 fecal specimens examined, 86.7 percent were positive for one or more species of helminths. Trichocephalus trichiurus revealed the highest infection rate (83.6%), while Trichostrongylus orientalis was next (61.6%), and Ascaris lumbricoides was unexpectedly low(40.9%). The incidence for hookworm and Clonorchis sinensis was 22.4 percent and 29.8 percent respectively. Triple infections were found more frequently than double infections, and mixed infections of six or more species of helminths were observed in 3.8 percent of specimens.