The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of psychodrama on the alexithymia, somatization and quality of life of college students. In the preliminary study, the validity of a mediation model to identify the relationship of alexithymia, somatization and quality of life was tested. The assumption was that alexithymia as vulnerability variable might predict quality of life mainly through the mediation of somatization. The linear mediation model and two alternative models were tested in 342 college students using Korean Alexithymia Scale, SCL-90-R, and Korean version of SmithKline Beecham Quality of Life Scale. The results of structural equation analysis showed that the partially mediating model fitted the data very well. This study was based on the preliminary study. Psychodrama was played for three days(8 sessions). Participants who scored 49 or more of Korean Alexithymia Scale were randomly assigned to 8 in the psychodrama group and 8 in the waiting list control group. The results showed that psychodrama had an effect on alexithymia, while had not on somatization and quality of life. Finally, the limitation and suggestions of the partially mediating model and psychodrama were discussed.
This study examined the roles of problem solving and perfectionism for the process from life stress to depress. To identify the roles, 545 college students of both genders were studied for the moderating and mediating effects of the problem solving and perfectionism on the process from negative life stress to depress. The research tools used on them were BDI, negative life stress questionnaire, PSI, and MPS. The result was that negative life stress, problem solving, and evaluative concerns perfectionism showed positive relationships with the degree of depress. It was testified that evaluative concerns perfectionism operated as a factor to moderate the problem caused by negative life stress as well as a mediate factor. In case of Problem solving, it operated as a factor to moderate, but it was not proved to be a mediate factor. These results identified the importances of cognitive mediation to improve evaluative concerns perfectionism, and of problem solving ability promotion that affected the depress syndrome. Finally the limitations of this study were discussed
The purposes of this study were to investigate: (1) psycho-social characteristics of Korean gamblers; (2) psycho-social characteristics of problem and pathological gamblers; (3) estimating the ratio of problem and pathological gamblers across various gambling game sites and (4) predictors of problem and pathological gambling. 986 Korean adults were interviewed about their experience, attitudes, beliefs, motives, and behaviors toward gambling and DSM-IV pathological gambling criteria for the period of July to August, 2002. Participants of this study were sampled from the Kangwon Land casino(N=220), Seoul horse racing(N=126), Seoul cycle racing(N=109), Gamblers Anonymous(N=67), gambling criminals(N=7), and elementary and middle school teachers(N=344). The results of the study show that male and 30s and 40s years old people participate in gambling game most frequently in Korea. The prevalence of pathological gambling(DSM-IV criteria) were about 3% among teachers group, 18%～39% among gambling game group, and 43%～63% among GA & gambling criminals group. Habits, attitudes and motivation toward gambling, proactive coping and depression were the significant predictors for the severity of pathological gambling.
Hwa-Byung has long been known as a form of psychogenic illness among lay people in Korea and recently listed as a culture-bound syndrome of Korea in DSM-IV. However, there has been neither diagnostic criteria nor diagnostic instrument, which rendered empirical studies liable to subjective biases. The purpose of this study was to establish diagnostic criteria of Hwa-Byung, develop a structured diagnostic interview schedule for Hwa-Byung, and examine its reliability and validity. Participants were 55 patients visiting the depression clinic and 26 patients visiting the Hwa-Byung clinic. The diagnostic criteria was first determined on the basis of previous research findings and clinical case studies. Then the initial items of Hwa-Byung Diagnostic Interview Schedule (HBDIS) were selected to obtain information necessary to diagnose Hwa-Byung. This initial interview schedule was administered to 31 patients, which results were discussed and reviewed by all the authors. After some additional modifications based upon interviewers' comments, the present form of the instrument was completed and conducted to 81 patients. Independent clinical diagnoses for each patient were made by psychiatrists, psychiatrists of oriental medicine and clinical psychologists, which rate of agreement was demonstrated to be .84. The test-retest reliability of the HBDIS was examined for 28 patients and calculated to be .82. The validity of the HBDIS was evaluated on the extent to which HBDIS diagnosis assigned to 81 patients agreed with diagnosis determined by clinicians. As a result, Overall agreement was .85, Sensitivity was .83, and Specificity was .88. The kappa coefficient and other validity indicators were in the acceptable range (.70 - .88), indicating that the HBDIS was valid. Limitations and applications of the HBDIS were discussed.
This study aims to investigate the relationship among spirituality, life stress, and coping by Korean college students. The participants were 279 college students (155 males and 124 females). The instruments utilized in the present study were the Spiritual Well-Being Scale, the Life Stress Scale, and the Multidimensional Coping Scale. The Spiritual Well-Being Scale showed satisfactory level of reliability and validity. Correlational analysis revealed that existential well-being was negatively associated with most of life stress domains except life stress with lover, whereas religious well-being was negatively associated with family life stress. In addition, spiritual well-being was positively associated with active coping, positive interpretation, positive comparison, emotional pacification, seeking social support, and seeking religious coping. On the other hand, it was negatively associated with perseverance, fatalism, and self-criticism. The present findings suggest that biopsychsocialspiritual model is needed to understand the relationship among stress, coping, and health and/or disease in terms of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of severity of traumatic brain injury(TBI) and personality and emotional changes after head trauma. The severity of traumatic brain injury was diagnosed by the length of loss of consciousness and the impairment of cognitive function separately. MMPI and Rorschach was administered to 83 patients after mild head trauma. The data indicated that the neurotic symptoms increased in case of mild TBI patients and the more TBI is severed, the more psychotic problems is increased. The integrated model consist of loss of consciousness and impairment of cognitive function will fit diagnosis on TBI very well when the data from various impairment location were added. The future study on TBI is desirable to simultaneous consider patient's well being and longitudinal rehabilitation included personality and emotional changes.
This study is performed to validate Korean-Cancer Coping Questionnaire(K-CCQ). To do so, we at first translated England-Cancer Coping Questionnaire(Moorey, Frampton, & Greer, 2003), and then added 10 items to measure cancer patients' coping style more accurately and consistently. The data were collected from 106 cancer patients, that is, 41 breast patients visiting National Cancer Center and 65 several kinds of cancer patients being treated at Anam Hospital of Korea University. We choose 26 items through item-total correlation, and then performed factor analysis. The results are quite similar to those of Moorey et al.(2003). K-CCQ is composed of individual coping scale and interpersonal coping scale, and the individual scale is subdivided by positive reframing, coping, and planning. The reliabilities of the K-CCQ's subscales are almost high level ranging from .72 to .90. In addition, we analyzed correlation between K-CCQ and Coping Strategy(Holahan & Moos, 1987) to validate K-CCQ. The correlations of subscales of K-CCQ with active-cognitive strategy and active-behavioral strategy are significantly meaningful, but the correlation of K-CCQ with avoidance strategy is not significant. Also, the correlations of K-CCQ's subscales with EORTC QLQ-C30 are almost low.
The purpose of this study was to develop the reliable and valid Korean version of the Job Stress Survey(Spielberger & Vagg, 1999), which was designed to assess generic sources of occupational stress encountered by workers employed in wide variety of work settings. 490 employees of the four public enterprises were asked the Korean Job Stress Survey. 30 items of the K-JSS showed significantly higher item-total correlation. 3 indexes of K-JSS showed high internal consistencies and significant positive correlations with anxiety, depression, and psychosomatic complains. K-JSS also showed negative correlation with subjective well-being cognition and emotion. Factor structure of K-JSS investigated by confirmatory factor analysis was consistent with that(two factors) of the original JSS, but exploratory factor analysis revealed single factor structure. Results of this study were discussed in relation with job stress theory and research.
As the prevalence of obesity has been increasing recently in all age groups, studies relevant to obesity have been enormously accumulated. Establishing the known facts, this paper provides an overview of current developments in treating obesity and practical information for clinicians who work in the field of health psychology. In reviewing the past 4, 5 years of published research on obesity, healthy methods to improve health and quality of life were highlighted. Important findings and implications on youth and adult obesity were also synthesized to promote clinician's better understanding which will lead to the improvement in psychological services.
Recently people have become interested in mindfulness or mindfulness meditation. Besides, the application of mindfulness meditation to various clinical and everyday settings has increased markedly. We also meet the movement to clarify and measure the concept of mindfulness with the questions about its meaning, practice, and effects. The present study first dealt with the issues around the concept and practice of mindfulness in traditional Buddhist's mindfulness meditation, i.e., vipassanā meditation. The aim of traditional Buddhist's mindfulness meditation was also discussed. Then, the issues around the concept and measurement of mindfulness in clinical settings were dealt with. The aim of mindfulness meditation in clinical settings was also discussed. Lastly the present paper proposed some suggestions for the clinical and everyday application of mindfulness. It was suggested that we need some changes in the practice of mindfulness. Especially the application of 'systematic mindfulness' (Kim, 2001) was emphasized.
The present study examined the association of several aspects of anger experience and expression with marital satisfaction in one hundred and eighty seven coronary heart disease (CHD) patients and their spouses. Anger and marital satisfaction were measured by the Korean adaptation of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-K, Chon, Hahn, & Lee, 1998), and a short version of the Marital Satisfaction Scale (Lee, 1998), respectively. Regression analyses revealed that higher levels of CHD patients’ anger-out predicted lower levels of spouses’ marital satisfaction, and CHD patients’ state anger predicted lower levels of their own marital satisfaction. In contrast, higher levels of CHD patients’ anger-control predicted higher levels of spouses’ marital satisfaction. In addition, higher levels of spouses’ state anger predicted lower levels of CHD patients’ and spouses’ own marital satisfaction, and spouses’ anger-in predicted lower levels of their own marital satisfaction. These associations were stronger for female patients than for males. The results suggest that models of psychosocial risk factors for CHD should consider the combined effects of personality and relationship variables. Finally, the findings were discussed from a cross-cultural perspective, and some implications for future studies are suggested.