Hyun Young Koo

Development of a Cell Phone Addiction Scale for Korean Adolescents

PURPOSE This study was done to develop a cell phone addiction scale for Korean adolescents. METHODS The process included construction of a conceptual framework, generation of initial items, verification of content validity, selection of secondary items, preliminary study, and extraction of final items. The participants were 577 adolescents in two middle schools and three high schools. Item analysis, factor analysis, criterion related validity, and internal consistency were used to analyze the data. RESULTS Twenty items were selected for the final scale, and categorized into 3 factors explaining 55.45% of total variance. The factors were labeled as withdrawal/tolerance (7 items), life dysfunction (6 items), and compulsion/persistence (7 items). The scores for the scale were significantly correlated with self-control, impulsiveness, and cell phone use. Cronbachs alpha coefficient for the 20 items was .92. Scale scores identified students as cell phone addicted, heavy users, or average users. CONCLUSION The above findings indicate that the cell phone addiction scale has good validity and reliability when used with Korean adolescents.

Relationships among Cybersex Addiction, Gender Egalitarianism, Sexual Attitude and the Allowance of Sexual Violence in Adolescents

PURPOSE This study was done to investigate cybersex addiction, gender egalitarianism, sexual attitude and the allowance of sexual violence in adolescents, and to identify the relationships among these variables. METHOD The participants were 690 students from two middle schools and three high schools in Seoul. Data was collected through self-report questionnaires which included a cybersex addiction index, a Korean gender egalitarianism scale for adolescents, a sexual attitude scale and a scale for the allowance of sexual violence. The data was analyzed using the SPSS program. RESULTS Of the adolescents, 93.3% reported not being addicted to cybersex, 5.7% reported being mildly addicted, 0.4% moderately addicted, and 0.6% severely addicted. Cybersex addiction, gender egalitarianism, sexual attitude and the allowance of sexual violence in adolescents were different according to general characteristics. Cybersex addiction of adolescents correlated with gender egalitarianism, sexual attitude and the allowance of sexual violence. CONCLUSION Gender egalitarianism, sexual attitude and the allowance of sexual violence in adolescents were influenced by cybersex addiction. Therefore, nursing interventions for prevention and management of cybersex addiction need to be developed and provided to adolescents. In addition, varied programs for teaching sexuality to adolescents should be developed and provided.

Cell Phone Addiction in Highschool Students and Its Predictors

Purpose: This study was done to identify cell phone addiction in high school students and variables predicting this addiction. Methods: The participants were 469 adolescents from four high schools. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires, and analyzed using the SPSS program. Results: Of the high school students, 88.4% reported being average users, 7.5%, heavy users, and 4.1%, cell phone addicted. Cell phone addiction was significantly correlated with immediate self-control, self-efficacy, depression, and peer support. Predictors of cell phone addiction were the following: receiving text message on weekends, immediate self-control, main use (text message), minute per call on weekdays, listening to music, gender (female), monthly call charges, depression, person called (friends), and self-efficacy. These factors explained 39% of variance in cell phone addiction. Conclusion: The above findings indicate that cell phone addiction in high school students was influenced by gender, cell phone use, and psychological factors. Therefore the approach to effective cell phone addiction management for high school students is to consider these variables when developing programs for these students.

Vocational Identity and Ego Identity Status in Korean Nursing Students.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between vocational identity and ego identity status among Korean nursing students. METHODS The participants were 311 nursing students in South Korea who were attending either a 4-year bachelors program or a 3-year diploma program. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires that addressed vocational identity, ego identity status, and demographic information. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, t test, and Chi-square test. RESULTS In terms of ego identity status, 31.5% of nursing students were classified as being in diffusion status, followed by 28.3% in low profile moratorium status, 14.8% in moratorium status, 14.1% in foreclosure status, and 11.3% in achievement status. Vocational identity differed according to ego identity status; vocational identity among students who were in achievement status was higher than for those in all other statuses. Vocational identity also differed according to grade level and monthly family income. Ego identity status was related to the type of program enrolled in, grade level, and monthly family income. CONCLUSIONS These findings show that nursing students in identity achievement status have secure and clear vocational identities. Further longitudinal and qualitative studies are needed to find out if identity formation among nursing students changes with age.