Suk Jeong Lee

Mental Health and PTSD in Female North Korean Refugees

This study was conducted to identify mental health status, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and psychophysiological change in female North Korean refugees. Data were collected using questionnaires and symptom checklists that measured PTSD and the psychosomatic state of the subjects. As many as 97 subjects, who had settled in and around Seoul, South Korea, were selected by snowball sampling. Mental health and PTSD levels of the participants were above a moderate level. We conclude that health care professionals need to provide female North Korean defectors with services to improve mental health and make the sociocultural transition successfully.

Comparisons of health conditions of immigrant and domestic women in Korea and China using propensity score matching.

We identified how the health of the growing Korean–Chinese (KC) female immigrant population differed from comparable domestic women. Using propensity score matching, we selected 227 women recruited from Korea and China; perceived health status, female cancer screening behaviors, and the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II were investigated. The KC women in Korea had the lowest levels of physical and mental health as well as health promoting lifestyles, but performed female cancer screenings better than other women. Considering their vulnerability, the hosting country should provide accessible health services at reasonable fees for KC women in Korea to enhance their health.

Estimated risks and optimistic self-perception of breast cancer risk in Korean women

AIM To determine womens perceived personal and comparative risks of breast cancer, and to examine the relationships with risk factors. BACKGROUND Despite the increasing incidence of breast cancer in younger women and the availability of screening, womens health behaviors have not advanced accordingly. METHODS A cross-sectional survey design utilized a convenience sample of 222 women in their 30s and 40s recruited from community settings in Seoul. Self-administered questionnaire data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, the chi-squared test, and ANOVA. RESULTS Risk perception levels differed significantly by breast cancer risk factors. Half of the women were optimistic about their breast cancer risk, while perceived personal risk did not reflect womens own risk factors and comparative risk differed only by the practice of clinical breast exam. CONCLUSIONS Womens knowledge and awareness of their breast cancer risk factors need to be improved for appropriate risk perception and health behaviors, and accurate risk estimation could be utilized to educate them in clinical settings.

First experiences of high‐fidelity simulation training in junior nursing students in Korea

AIM This study was conducted to explore first experiences of high-fidelity simulation training in Korean nursing students, in order to develop and establish more effective guidelines for future simulation training in Korea. METHODS Thirty-three junior nursing students participated in high-fidelity simulation training for the first time. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, data were collected from reflective journals and questionnaires of simulation effectiveness after simulation training. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze simulation effectiveness and content analysis was performed with the reflective journal data. RESULTS Five dimensions and 31 domains, both positive and negative experiences, emerged from qualitative analysis: (i) machine-human interaction in a safe environment; (ii) perceived learning capability; (iii) observational learning; (iv) reconciling practice with theory; and (v) follow-up debriefing effect. More than 70% of students scored high on increased ability to identify changes in the patients condition, critical thinking, decision-making, effectiveness of peer observation, and debriefing in effectiveness of simulation. CONCLUSION This study reported both positive and negative experiences of simulation. The results of this study could be used to set the level of task difficulty in simulation. Future simulation programs can be designed by reinforcing the positive experiences and modifying the negative results.

Effect of Resistance Band Exercise on Body Composition, Physical Fitness and Health Promoting Behavior in Nursing Students

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a resistance band training program on body composition, physical fitness, and health promotion behavior in nursing students. Method: This study has a one-group pretest-posttest design to examine the change in body composition, physical fitness, and health-promoting lifestyle profile after participation in the resistance band training program. Training consisted of hands-based exercises using an elastic resistance band for ten weeks. Participants performed the resistance band training two days per week with a sports trainer, and 30 minutes self-training three days per week. The participants were 21 freshmen in nursing. Results: Mean age of the participants was 20.9 years, and 61.9% were not satisfied with their body shape. After the training program, muscle mass, muscular endurance, and balance of the body were significantly improved. In health promoting lifestyle profile, categories of physical activity, health responsibility, and stress management showed a significant increase. Conclusion: Results of this study suggested that exercising with a resistance band improved body composition, physical fitness, and health promoting behavior in the nursing students. We propose that resistance band training should be suitable for those who have the environment with limitation of time and space.

The effects of a smoking cessation programme on health-promoting lifestyles and smoking cessation in smokers who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention.

Smoking is a major risk factor for not only the occurrence of myocardial ischaemia but also recurrences of vascular stenosis. This study aimed to evaluate health-promoting lifestyles and abstinence rate after a smoking cessation programme. Sixty-two smokers who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. The experimental group (n = 30) received 10 phone counselling sessions and 21 short message service messages for abstinence and coronary disease prevention, whereas the control group (n = 32) received only the standard education. After the intervention, 14 members of the experimental group had switched to a non-smoking status, confirmed biochemically; moreover, their physical activity and stress management scores increased significantly. However, self-efficacy of smoking cessation was not reflected in the cotinine levels. Thus, it is necessary not only to increase self-efficacy but also to determine the factors that affect the success of smoking cessation so that they can be included in the intervention. Our results suggest that phone counselling and short message service messaging might be important tools for the realization of smoking cessation and lifestyle changes among patients who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention.

Associations between Depression, Anxiety, Hostility and Fighting Spirit among Cancer Patients in a Cancer Center in Korea.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to examine the associations between depression, anxiety, hostility and fighting spirit among patients with stomach, colorectal or breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS 223 patients, diagnosed as with stomach, colorectal or breast cancer, undergoing chemotherapy or follow up care, were the subjects of the study. The study design was cross-sectional at the time of the survey. The degrees of depression, anxiety and hostility of the patients were assessed by the SCL-90-R scores, and the fighting spirit was measured by the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale score. RESULTS The scores of anxiety and hostility of the patients at younger age were higher than those at older age (p<0.01). The patients with metastasis were more depressed than those without it (p<0.01). There was a negative association between depression and fighting spirit (p<0.001). CONCLUSION The study showed the more depressed cancer patients had lower fighting spirit score, which was known to be one of the most active psychosocial contributors in adjusting to cancer and survival.

Comparison of Fatigue Severity and Quality of Life between Unexplained Fatigue Patients and Explained Fatigue Patients

Background Recently, despite the high prevalence of fatigue in patients, there is a lack of research on the quality of life (QoL) in unexplained fatigue patients, indicating that they are not properly diagnosed and treated. The aim of this study was to compare fatigue severity and QoL between patients with explained and unexplained fatigue. Methods The study consisted of 200 Korean adults who complained of fatigue without underlying disease. Fatigue Severity Scale, Short Form Health Survey-36 version 2 (SF-36v2), and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) self-questionnaires were administered. Participants were dichotomized to two groups, namely, patients with unexplained or explained fatigue, sorted according to laboratory examination results. The chi-square test, t-test, and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used, and analysis of covariance was calculated after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, and physical component summary (PCS) of SF-36v2 or BDI-II. Results PCS of SF-36v2 between the two groups showed significant difference. Compared to patients with explained fatigue, those with unexplained fatigue showed lower physical component scores of QoL. Conclusion QoL of patients with unexplained fatigue could largely diminish than those with explained fatigue. The primary clinician should be aware of poor QoL in patients with unexplained fatigue to identify who is in need of more attention and intervention.

Comparison of health-related quality of life between patients with stage 3 and 4 chronic kidney disease and patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

AIM This study compared health-related quality of life in patients with early to mid-stage chronic kidney disease. METHODS This study utilized a comparative descriptive design. Patients receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis were recruited from a hospital in Korea. Information from patients with stage 3 and 4 chronic kidney disease was obtained from Korean national survey data. A total of 75 pairs were matched using the propensity score method. Health-related quality of life was compared using the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions questionnaire. RESULTS Only 4% of patients with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease are aware of their disease. These patients have decreased mobility and ability to perform their usual activities (χ(2)  = 10.77, P = 0.001; χ(2)  = 7.22, P = 0.007, respectively). However, they have lower levels of anxiety and depression than patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (χ(2)  = 13.37, P < 0.001). The European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions utility scores do not differ between the two patient groups. CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest that more effective management programs are needed to improve health-related quality of life in patients at all stages of chronic kidney disease. Educational intervention in asymptomatic patients is important to increase awareness and early detection of chronic kidney disease.