Developing an Attention Assessment Tool for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Timbre, Rhythm, and Pitch

Background@#Music is regarded as a beneficial tool for assessing the clinical symptoms and communication skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism. The present study developed a music-based attention test (MAT) for individuals with autism using music parameters and the algorithm of the comprehensive attention test (CAT). @*Methods@#We recruited 51 autistic individuals and 50 neurotypical individuals to participate in the CAT, MAT, and social intelligence tests. The reliability and validity of the MAT were assessed using exploratory factor analysis, concurrent validity, and criterion-related validity. @*Results@#The MAT had sound internal consistency (high Cronbach’s α = 0.948). In addition, the MAT had suitable concurrent validity in the correlation between CAT and MAT, as well as good criterion validity when attention was measured using the MAT and was compared between autistic individuals and neurotypical individuals. Attention evaluated using the MAT was associated with the social quotient in individuals with autism. @*Conclusions@#The MAT could be a relevant tool for gauging attention in individuals with ASD.Furthermore, attention determined using the MAT may be correlated with social quotient in autistic individuals. Future studies should consider that using music in the field of attention could improve the social quotient of individuals with autism.

Effect of Parental Perception on the Prevalence of Adolescent Internet Gaming Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective@#During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, several studies have found that Internet usage and gaming times have increased among adolescents. Parents’ Internet literacy and attitudes toward Internet gaming have been reported to affect children’s Internet gaming disorder (IGD). We hypothesized that parents’ attitudes toward Internet use and gaming would affect the prevalence of IGD among adolescents. @*Methods@#A total of 199 mothers of children who played Internet games were surveyed online to gather information regarding their demographic characteristics, children’s Internet use patterns, psychological factors, and Internet gaming literacy. @*Results@#Among adolescents, increased Internet usage or gaming time was not associated with IGD, but the presence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was. Among parents, anxiety, depression, and family togetherness were not related to IGD, but a positive perception of gaming protected against the development of IGD, whereas a negative perception was a risk factor for IGD. @*Conclusion@#Increased gaming time neither causes nor correlates with IGD in adolescents, even though ADHD may be a risk factor for IGD. Parents’ positive or negative perceptions of gaming can be protective or present a risk factor, respectively, for their children’s development of IGD.

Effects of Indirect Experience of Client Violence on Social Workers’ Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Objective@#This study aims to empirically determine if indirect exposure to client violence has significant negative effects on social workers’ posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) the same way direct victimization does. @*Methods@#Using a sample of 1,359 social workers drawn from the data collected by the Seoul Association of Social Workers, this study employs descriptive statistics to examine the prevalence of indirect experiences with client violence, and utilizes a series of hierarchical regression analyses to demonstrate the potential impact of indirect exposure to client violence on PTSD. To assess the severity of PTSD symptoms in participants, the Korean version of the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R-K) was employed. @*Results@#A descriptive analysis shows that 12.4% of the sample indirectly experienced client violence by witnessing it or hearing about a violent incident, whereas 6.0% were directly victimized. Hierarchical regression analyses indicate that direct experience (B=4.548, p<0.05) and indirect experience (B=7.297, p<0.001) of client violence have a significant association with the scores on IES-R-K. An investigation of the interaction terms between experiences of client violence and violence-prevention training illustrates that such training significantly moderates the influence on the scores on IES-R-K from indirect exposure to client violence (B=-8.639, p<0.01). @*Conclusion@#Social workers who are indirectly exposed to client violence experience PTSD symptoms comparable to their colleagues who were directly victimized. Further, violence-prevention training has greater ameliorative effects with regard to indirect experience of client violence than for direct victimization.

Resilience as a Protective Factor for Suicidal Ideation among Korean Workers

Objective@#This study aimed to investigate resilience as a protective factor for suicidality among Korean workers. @*Methods@#Participants were workers from 26 organizations in Korea, aged 18 to 63 years, who completed a self-reported questionnaire comprising items on sociodemographic factors, job stress, resilience, and suicidality. Completed questionnaires were collected from 4,405 persons, with 4,389 valid responses. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses were performed using suicidality as the dependent variable. @*Results@#Results of the logistic regression analyses indicated that among the sociodemographic factors, older age, being female, and being single were statistically significantly associated with suicidal ideation. A high level of job stress, depressive mood, and anxiety, in addition to a short job duration, were also associated with suicidal ideation. Resilience was a significant protective factor for suicidal ideation after adjusting for all other variables. Older age and high anxiety levels were associated with having a suicide plan among participants with suicidal ideation. The association of resilience with suicide plans and suicide attempts was non-significant. @*Conclusion@#In this study, we found that a high level of resilience was associated with a low incidence of suicidal ideation in Korean workers. Based on these results, we suggest the need to develop and implement interventions to improve resilience in the workplace, thereby protecting workers, especially those with a high level of work stress, from suicidal ideation.

Resilience as a Protective Factor for Depressive Mood and Anxiety among Korean Employees

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate resilience as a protective factor for depressive mood and anxiety among Korean employees. METHODS: Participants were employees of eight private and local government organizations in Korea, aged 19 to 65 years. A self-report questionnaire that included items on resilience, job stress, levels of depression and anxiety, and socio-demographic factors, was administered to 1,079 Korean employees, with 1,076 valid responses. We performed hierarchical linear regression analyses with the levels of depression and anxiety scores as dependent variables. RESULTS: Being women and having a high level of job stress were associated with greater depressive mood and anxiety. In contrast, resilience was negatively related to depressive mood and anxiety, after adjusting for demographic variables and the level of job stress. Among the five factors for resilience, “support” and “hardiness” were protective factors for depressive mood and anxiety after adjusting for demographic variables and the level of job stress. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of the current study, we suggest that focusing on the resilience of employees, especially on “support” and “hardiness,” factors as well as developing and engaging in interventions that increase resilience in the workplace, can protect against depressive mood and anxiety, especially for those with high levels of job stress.

Validation Study of a Korean Version of the Abbreviated University of California, Los Angeles, PTSD Reaction Index (Abb-UCLA-PTSD RI) for Adolescents

BACKGROUND: We aimed to verify a Korean version of the Abbreviated University of California, Los Angeles, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index (Abb-UCLA-PTSD RI-Korean version) among Korean adolescents to assess post-traumatic stress in this population. METHODS: We recruited 1,254 adolescents who completed the Abb-UCLA-PTSD RI-Korean version scale, the Child Report of Post-Traumatic Symptoms (CROPS), the Lifetime Incidence of Traumatic Events (LITE), and the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Test-retest reliability was computed for a randomly selected 314 participants. Among all the students, 765 were included in the analysis because 143 students were classified in the normative group (LITE 1) and 622 were in the traumatized group (LITE 4). RESULTS: The internal consistencies of the nine-item and eight-item versions of the Abb-UCLA PTSD RI-Korean version were found to be high (Cronbach's α = 0.843 and 0.842, respectively). The criterion-related validity was based on comparison of the Abb-UCLA PTSD RI total scores between the normative and trauma groups. For the eight-item version, the normative group (4.6 ± 4.6) and the traumatized group (8.8 ± 6.0) demonstrated better criterion-related validity than those in the nine-item version (4.5 ± 4.3 and 8.5 ± 5.0, respectively). The test-retest reliability of the eight-item version was better than the nine-item version (r = 0.85 vs. 0.77). A two-factor model with eight items (two items regarding sleep, and the other six items made up the second factor) showed the best fit. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the eight-item Abb-UCLA PTSD RI-Korean version is a useful screening tool for post-traumatic stress in Korean adolescents.

Korean Version of Inventory of Complicated Grief Scale: Psychometric Properties in Korean Adolescents

We aimed to validate the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG)-Korean version among 1,138 Korean adolescents, representing a response rate of 57% of 1,997 students. Participants completed a set of questionnaires including demographic variables (age, sex, years of education, experience of grief), the ICG, the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Lifetime Incidence of Traumatic Events-Child (LITE-C). Exploratory factor analysis was performed to determine whether the ICG items indicated complicated grief in Korean adolescents. The internal consistency of the ICG-Korean version was Cronbach's alpha=0.87. The test-retest reliability for a randomly selected sample of 314 participants in 2 weeks was r=0.75 (P<0.001). Concurrent validity was assessed using a correlation between the ICG total scores and the CDI total scores (r=0.75, P<0.001). The criterion-related validity based on the comparison of ICG total scores between adolescents without complicated grief (1.2±3.7) and adolescent with complicated grief (3.2±6.6) groups was relatively high (t=5.71, P<0.001). The data acquired from the 1,138 students was acceptable for a factor analysis (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy=0.911; Bartlett's Test of Sphericity, chi2=13,144.7, P<0.001). After omission of 3 items, the value of Cronbach's alpha increased from 0.87 for the 19-item ICG-Korean version to 0.93 for the 16-item ICG-Korean version. These results suggest that the ICG is a useful tool in assessing for complicated grief in Korean adolescents. However, the 16-item version of the ICG appeared to be more valid compared to the 19-item version of the ICG. We suggest that the 16-item version of the ICG be used to screen for complicated grief in Korean adolescents.