A performance comparison between the two language versions of the Affective Go/No-Go test: A randomised crossover study.

The purpose of this randomised crossover study is to validate the Korean version of the Affective Go/No-go (AGN) test. The Korean words for the AGN test were selected after careful evaluation of emotional valences, word length and frequency. Fifteen Korean advanced learners of English were administered both Korean and English versions, yielding 30 data points. The performance of both language versions was compared for each of the AGN test parameters (response latency, commission error and omission error) using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were estimated to evaluate associations between the two versions. The ICCs were high for response latencies of all valences and commission errors of positive and neutral words, but not for that of negative words and omission errors of all valences. A similar pattern of test results, as revealed by the high ICCs and non-significant interaction effects between language and word valence, suggests that the psychometric properties of the AGN test may be comparable over different language versions.

Sickness Experiences of Korean Registered Nurses at Work: A Qualitative Study on Presenteeism.

PURPOSE: Presenteeism is a relatively new concept in nursing describing the condition within which registered nurses (RNs) come to work while they are sick. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe presenteeism experiences among RNs in South Korea. METHODS: In this constructivist grounded theory study, a focus group interview (FGI) technique was utilized for data collection. A total of 20 RNs at one hospital in Chuncheon city joined in three different FGIs. Semistructured questions were asked in reference to their sickness experience in the workplace. Data analysis was conducted according to the constructivist grounded theory methodology. RESULTS: All participants had experiences of presenteeism. The overriding theme was "having no caring for nurses leads to losing one's nursing mind". The participants reported that due to either their personal preference or peer pressure they showed up to work, but they felt sad and their pride was hurt by the fact that there was no caring for them from other nurses. This emotional exhaustion often led to the loss of compassion and the resignation of nursing staff. CONCLUSIONS: Care for nurses in the workplace is necessary for RNs to make their presenteeism experience positive and even effective.

Comparative study on the attitudes of female seniors and female university students toward seniors.

This study compared the relating factors on the attitude for elderly between elderly women group and female university student group. The elderly woman group had higher scores in perceived health status, self integrity, self-efficacy, social support, attitude for elderly than female university students group. These differences were statistically significant. The relating factor on the attitude for elderly was self integrity in elderly women group significantly. Variables that significantly affected the attitude towards seniors were not found in the female university student group.

The patient health questionnaire-15 and its abbreviated version as screening tools for depression in Korean college and graduate students.

OBJECTIVE: Over half of all suicides worldwide occur in Asia. Given the close association between suicide and depression, it is quite unexpected that depression is least frequently diagnosed in Asia. This is, in part, due to the fact that Asians somatize depression. Young adults including college and graduate students are no exceptions. Therefore, a somatic symptom-focused screening tool would be useful in detecting depression in Asian college and graduate students. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) in screening for depression among Korean college and graduate students. In addition, we developed an abbreviated version of the PHQ-15 (aPHQ-15) and studied validity measures. METHODS: Three-hundred and fifty Korean college and graduate students were screened with the PHQ-15. Of all participants, 176 were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV to diagnose major depressive episode, while the other 174 were evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Report (IDS-SR). Reliability and validity measures including the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and criterion, convergent, and divergent validity were tested. Principal component analysis was used in developing the abbreviated version of the PHQ-15. RESULTS: The PHQ-15 showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.82, intra-class correlation coefficient 0.87). The optimal cut-off point for detecting depression was estimated to be 8. There were strong correlations between the PHQ-15 total scores and self-report measures of depressive symptom severity (BDI-II: r=0.69 and p<0.001, IDS-SR: r=0.77 and p<0.001). The 5-item aPHQ-15 had comparable validity with the PHQ-15. CONCLUSIONS: The somatic symptom-focused PHQ-15 and aPHQ-15 can work as effective screening tools for depression.

Effect of Integrated Personalized Health Care System on Middle-Aged and Elderly Women's Health.

OBJECTIVES: Body weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat, and blood pressure are important indicators of a person's health. In this experimental study, we evaluated the effectiveness of an integrated personalized health care system, Health Improvement and Management System (HIMS)-everyday, which instantly provides subjects with biofeedback on their measured body weight, BMI, body fat and blood pressure using a database that stores subjects-customized information. METHODS: The subjects of this study used the system once or twice a week for 8 weeks. We analyzed the changes in their body weight, BMI, body fat, and blood pressure according to their respective usage of the system, and analyzed the changes in their perceived health status and health promoting behavior accordingly. RESULTS: Subjects' body weight, BMI, and blood pressure decreased significantly with respect to their individual usage of the system. Subjects who used the system more frequently showed significant improvement in their body weight, BMI, and body fat. However, subjects' perceived health status and health promoting behavior did not improve significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that the biofeedback-based personalized health care system was effective in controlling middle-aged and elderly women' body weight, BMI, body fat, and blood pressure.

Development of child and adolescent psychiatric nursing practice in Korea, 1980-2000.

PROBLEM: Although the need for mental health services for children and youth is on the rise in Korea, there are no data available regarding the current status of psychiatric nurses working with children and adolescents. METHODS: Descriptive statistics were used to analyze questionnaires from 324 respondents. FINDINGS: Only 5% of psychiatric nurses in Korea are working at child and adolescent-specific programs. The level of nurses' roles and functions vary from simple to specialized. CONCLUSIONS: More effort should be put into networking among nurses to exchange updated information and to share nursing strategies and strengthen college education for further specialization and expansion of nursing roles in the various settings.