Development of Korean Version of Community Screening Interview for Dementia(CSID-K) / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: Community Screening Interview for Dementia (CSID) is a reliable screening instrument for dementia, irrespective of educational level and cultural differences among various populations. This study aimed to develop the Korean version of CSID (CSID-K) for screening of dementia in Korean community residing old people. METHODS: Study sample consisted of a dementia patient group and three control groups (depression, education, no education), each of them was composed of 30 community residing elders. CSID-K was administered, and demographic characteristic, depression, and cognitive function were investigated. RESULTS: Split half reliability (Guttmans'), internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), and inter-rater and test-retest (two weeks) reliabilities of the CSID-K were excellent. Scores on the CSID-K were significantly correlated with other measures for cognitive function. In addition, scores on the CSID-K were significantly different between the dementia patient group and three control groups. CONCLUSION: CSI-K was a reliable and valid instrument to screen dementia in Korean community residing old people. It could be used not only in community settings but also in clinical settings and for cross-cultural researches.

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.

Development of Korean version of World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II-K) in Community Dwelling Elders / 신경정신의학

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to develop the Korean version of World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II-K) with community dwelling elderly population. METHODS: The WHODAS II-K was administered to 1204 community residents aged 65 or over in two areas of Kwangju, South Korea, in 2001. For assessing 'health condition', data on physical illness, depression (Korean version of Geriatric Mental State Schedule B3), and cognitive dysfunction (Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination) were collected. For evaluating 'contextual factors', informations on demographic characteristics (age, gender, living area, marital state, and religiou), socioeconomic status (education, type of accommodation, number of room, previous occupation, and current employment), and social network were obtained. RESULTS: WHODAS II-K showed high levels of internal consistency, split-half reliability, and inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities. In the correlation analyses, scores on the WHODAS II-K were significantly correlated with the unfavorable conditions in the all variables on health condition and contextual factors. Partial correlations of scores on the WHODAS II-K with health condition were significant even after controlling for contextual factors. CONCLUSION: The WHODAS II-K is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing disability in elderly population since it reflects physical illness, depression, and cognitive impairment, which are common in elderly.