No abstract

No abstract

The aim of the study is to determine the incidence and remission rates for Internet addiction and the associated predictive factors in young adolescents over a 1-year follow-up. This was a prospective, population-based investigation. Five hundred seventeen students (267 male and 250 female) were recruited from three junior high schools in southern Taiwan. The factors examined included gender, personality, mental health, self-esteem, family function, life satisfaction, and Internet activities. The result revealed that the 1-year incidence and remission rates for Internet addiction were 7.5% and 49.5% respectively. High exploratory excitability, low reward dependence, low self-esteem, low family function, and online game playing predicted the emergency of the Internet addiction. Further, low hostility and low interpersonal sensitivity predicted remission of Internet addiction. The factors predictive incidence and remission of Internet addiction identified in this study could be provided for prevention and promoting remission of Internet addiction in adolescents.

No abstract

No abstract

The purpose of the present study was to explore the suicidal ideation of community-dwelling elderly and the factors associated with their intention to commit suicide. Using a multilevel stratified sampling strategy, 1000 elderly subjects were recruited (aged 65-74 years old) in Taiwan during the year 2001. The degree of depression and its correlates were assessed. Suicidal ideation was measured by asking respondents if they had had any suicidal thoughts in the previous week. In all, 16.7% of respondents reported suicidal ideation within the past week; its occurrence was related to sex, religious belief, employment status, marital status, average family monthly income, physical health status, depressive symptoms, and community activity participation. Further multivariate logistic regression revealed that, aside from depressive symptoms and a lower level of education, no community participation in the past 6 months was significantly associated with the appearance of suicidal ideation. The prevalence of suicidal ideation among the elderly in Taiwan is higher than in Western countries. Participation in social activities is negatively associated with elderly suicidal ideation. The dimension of social participation deserves further exploration and should be considered in community mental health promotion interventions for elderly people.

The aims of the present study were to compare the quality of life (QoL), depression and stress between patients with malignant breast cancer and those with benign breast tumors. The present study also examined the factors related to QoL among the patients who were receiving active treatment for breast cancer. Among the 97 patients participating in the study, 73 patients were diagnosed as having malignant breast cancer (malignant group) and 24 as having benign tumors (benign group). All the participants completed the World Health Organization Questionnaire on Quality of Life to determine their QoL. The level of depression, stress, and demographic characteristics were also collected. Quality of life, depression and stress were compared between the malignant and benign groups, and the factors related to QoL were also examined. It was found that the malignant group had poorer physical and psychological QoL and higher life stress. Depression was significantly associated with QoL for both the malignant and benign groups, and the stress from health problem was the most significant predictors for QoL among the malignant group. The breast cancer patients suffered more severe psychological difficulty under active treatment than did the benign group patients. This will have great impact on their QoL, as in Western society. Depression and stress need to be recognized and aggressive psychological and/or medical intervention needs to be carried out in order to diminish the impact on QoL.

The attending of religious activities is a protective factor for geriatric depression.