Mental Health Literacy of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Korea: Recognition, Etiology, Treatment

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the Korean public’s recognition of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), revealing underlying factors regarding perception relative to etiology and treatment of ASD, and examining variables related to those factors. METHODS: An online survey was held to investigate mental health literacy (MHL) on ASD of the general public in Korea. A total of 673 adults participated and completed questionnaires on socio-demographic characteristics and if they know someone with ASD. Next, participants were provided with a vignette describing a child with ASD. Only those that recognized there was a problem with the child moved to the next part which asked their perception regarding etiology and treatment of ASD. RESULTS: According to our study, approximately 25% of participants correctly recognized the child in the vignette as having ASD. Perception regarding etiology and treatment of ASD varied among socio-demographic characteristics. Participants acquainted with someone with ASD and correctly recognized ASD held mixed perception regarding cause and treatment. CONCLUSION: This study investigated MHL of ASD in Korea. The result reveals there is much room for improvement relative to raising awareness on MHL of ASD. Intervention considering socio-demographic characteristics and acquaintance with ASD are needed.

The Mental Health of Ethnic Minority Youths in South Korea and Its Related Environmental Factors: A Literature Review

OBJECTIVES: With increasing concerns for the rapidly growing minority population in South Korea, this literature review addressed a range of mental health risks among multiethnic youths (MY) in South Korea by 1) comparing mental health outcomes with those of native-born youths and 2) identifying multiple layers of relevant environmental factors, from family and school relationships to culture. METHODS: We reviewed 54 studies that fulfilled specific inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Multiple common risk/protective factors, including family separation, family relationship quality, parental socioeconomic and mental health status, social relationships at school, and cultural acceptance, were noted. CONCLUSION: In general, empirical evidence indicates that minority youths have relatively heightened risks for emotional and behavioral problems. Future studies must elucidate the complex interplay between multiple risk and protective factors and the long-term adaptation and mental health service utilization of MY.

Familial, Cognitive, and Behavioral Characteristics of Adolescents with Depression

OBJECTIVES: Adolescent depression is a complex disorder influenced by a variety of personal and familial factors. In this study, we compared the familial, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics of adolescents with and without diagnosed depression. METHODS: Forty adolescents with depressive disorder were recruited from two psychiatric clinics, along with 46 healthy adolescents from a middle school and a high school. We then compared the participants' cognitive and behavioral characteristics and the child-rearing attitudes of their parents. RESULTS: Compared to the healthy adolescents, the adolescents with depression exhibited lower self-esteem, higher emotional reappraisal, greater disruptive behavior, and lower attention. Furthermore, compared to the mothers of the healthy adolescents, the mothers of those with depression reported less affective, less autonomic, and more rejecting parenting attitudes towards their children. CONCLUSION: We found that attentional problems, negative parenting attitudes, negative self-cognition, and expressive suppression are all associated with adolescent depression. Parenting education and interventions appear to be needed to correct the negative cognitions of adolescents with depression.

Comparison of Confidence in Practice and Satisfaction by Feedback Types Following Objective Structured Clinical Examination(OSCE) among Nursing Students: Focus on Intermittent Gavage Tube Feeding / 기본간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to compare confidence in practice of intermittent gavage tube feeding and participants' satisfaction by three types of feedback; professor verbal feedback, professor feedback with smartphone video, and peer feedback with smartphone video. In addition, frequently failed items in the intermittent gavage tube feeding procedure were analyzed. METHODS: Data were collected from a convenience sample of 78 nursing college students in November 2014. Students were randomly assigned to the control group, experimental group I (smartphone video with professor feedback) or group II (smartphone video with peer feedback). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including chi-square test, ANOVA, and Scheffe test with SPSS 21.0. RESULTS: Confidence in practice of intermittent gavage tube feeding and satisfaction with feedback were highest in experimental group I that had professor feedback with smartphone video. For the procedure, the most frequently failed item was giving an explanation to patients about the purpose and the procedure of tube feeding. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that professor verbal feedback with smartphone video is the most benefit to the nursing students in acquiring core nursing practice skills.