Changnam Kim

Objective We aimed to explore the influence of public workers’ distress or viral anxiety on their level of depression and work engagement during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Additionally, we ascertain the mediation effect of resilience and public service motivation on this association.Methods A total of 300 public workers participated in this online survey. Their demographic characteristics and responses to survey items were collected using the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics–6 items Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire–9 items Scale, the Public Service Motivation (PSM) Scale, the Nine-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the Korean Occupational Stress Scale–Short Form, and the Brief Resilience Scale.Results Work engagement of public workers was expected by PSM (β=0.28, p<0.001), resilience (β=0.30, p<0.001), and work-related stress (β=-0.40, p<0.001) (F=57.4, p<0.001). Depression was expected by fewer years of employment (β=-0.12, p=0.02), viral anxiety (β= 0.21, p<0.001), and low resilience (β=-0.42, p<0.001) (F=22.1, p<0.001). Resilience and PSM partially mediated the effects of work-related stress on work engagement. Depression was influenced by COVID-19–induced viral anxiety, and their resilience—but not PSM—mediated the association.Conclusion Public workers’ resilience and PSM partially mediated the effects of work-related stress on work engagement. The influence of viral anxiety on public workers’ depression was mediated by their resilience but not PSM.

Objective In this study, we aimed to develop a Korean version of the Coronavirus Reassurance-Seeking Behaviors Scale (CRBS) and to explore its reliability and validity among the general population in South Korea.Methods Using an online survey conducted during November 9–15, 2021, we collected the demographic data of 400 individuals and their responses to rating scales such as the CRBS, the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 items (SAVE-6), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items (GAD-7), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9). We conducted factor analyses and utilized item response theory to confirm the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the CRBS.Results Factor analyses revealed that the single factor model of the Korean version of the CRBS showed a good fit with the CRBS (χ2=5.475, df=5, p value=0.361, χ2/df=1.095, CFI=0.999, TLI=0.998, RMSEA=0.015). Multigroup CFA results indicated that the CRBS measures reassurance-seeking behaviors consistently across variables of sex, depression, general anxiety, and viral anxiety. The CRBS also exhibited good convergent validity with the SAVE-6 (r=0.431, p<0.001), GAD-7 (r=0.574, p<0.001), and PHQ-9 (r=0.575, p<0.001).Conclusion The CRBS is a reliable and valid rating scale that measures reassurance-seeking behavior in relation to viral epidemics.

Objective The aim of this study was to explore the factors that can influence the severity of insomnia in the general population. We also aimed to examine whether sleep effort mediates the association between dysfunctional beliefs about sleep or the discrepancy between desired time in bed and desired total sleep time (DBST) and insomnia severity in individuals.Methods A total of 387 participants enrolled in this e-survey study. The symptoms were rated using the insomnia severity index (ISI), Patients Health Questionnaire-9 items, Dysfunctional Beliefs about Sleep-2 items, Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale, and Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 items. In addition, we defined a new sleep index named the DBST index. A linear regression analysis was performed to explore the factors predicting ISI scores, and mediation analysis was implemented to explore whether persistent preoccupation with sleep mediated the influence of dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and DBST on insomnia severity.Results A linear regression analysis investigated depression (β=0.17, p<0.001), sleep effort (β=0.50, p<0.001), dysfunctional beliefs about sleep (β=0.13, p=0.001), and DBST (β=0.09, p=0.014) (adjusted R2=0.50, F=65.7, p<0.001). Additionally, we observed that persistent preoccupation with sleep partially mediated the influence of dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and DBST on insomnia severity.Conclusion Depression, preoccupation with sleep, dysfunctional beliefs about sleep, and DBST influenced the insomnia severity of the general population. We also observed that a persistent preoccupation with sleep partially mediated the influence of dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and the DBST index on insomnia severity.

Objective We investigated the influence of the time to take hypnotics and daytime activity on patient satisfaction with sleeping pills. Methods Ninety-six cancer patients who were currently taking benzodiazepine or z-drug as hypnotics were grouped into satisfied and dissatisfied groups. The subjects' symptoms, time to take sleeping pills, bedtime, sleep onset time, wake up time, and time in bed within 21 hours (TIB/d) were obtained. Results The satisfied group had significantly late sleeping pill ingestion time (p=0.04); significantly early , ake up time (p=0.01); and significantly shorter sleep latency, TIB/d, duration from the administration of pills to sleep onset, and duration from the administration of pills to wake up time (PTW). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the significant predictors of patient satisfaction to hypnotics were less severity of insomnia [odds ratio (OR)-0.91] and the time variables, including late sleeping pill administration time (OR=1.53) and early wake up time (OR-0.57). Among the duration variables, short PTW (OR-0.30) and short TIB/d (OR-0.64) were significantly related with the satisfaction to hypnotics. Conclusion Reducing the duration from the administration of hypnotics to wake up time and TIB/d can influence the satisfaction to sleeping pills.

Soyoung Youn, Suyeon Lee, Changnam Kim, Seockhoon Chung. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci 2019;17:542-6. https://doi.org/10.9758/cpn.2019.17.4.542