ObjectivesThe aims of the present study were to assess the prevalence of bullying victimization among Korean adolescents by sex and age and to investigate the correlates of this phenomenon.MethodsOf 3,200 eligible subjects, 2,936 (91.8%) adolescents were recruited from four elementary schools (6th grade, age range: 10–12 years), five middle schools (8th grade, age range: 13–14 years), and three high schools (10th grade, age range: 15–17 years) located in the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Republic of Korea. This study used a self-administered questionnaire to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics and experiences of bullying victimization and employed the Korean form of the Children’s Depression Inventory to evaluate depressive symptoms.ResultsOf the total sample of 2,936 students, 1,689 were boys (57.5%) and 1,247 were girls (42.5%). The prevalence of bullying victimization by age group was as follows: 10–12 years, 9.5%; 13–14 years, 8.3%; and 15–17 years, 6.4%. A significant difference in the prevalence of bullying victimization was observed by sex (boys: 45.0%, girls: 55.0%). Overall, the prevalence decreased with age. After adjusting for age and sex, bullying victimization was significantly associated with lower socioeconomic status (odds ratio [OR] =1.67; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–2.67), lower than average academic achievement (OR =1.77; 95% CI 1.25–2.50), more depressive symptoms (OR =1.88; 95% CI 1.38–2.55), and poorer perceived relationship with parents (OR =1.46; 95% CI 1.00–2.14).ConclusionOur findings will provide researchers and public health practitioners with data on the prevalence of bullying victimization and help to identify the risk factors for later behavioral and emotional problems.

Hospice volunteers are a high-risk group for anxiety and depression owing to their frequent exposure to patients at the end of life and their subsequent deaths. Resilience is known to be a powerful factor that affects the occurrence of anxiety and depression; however, research on this subject is scarce. We investigated the relationship of resilience with anxiety or depression in hospice volunteers. A total of 145 volunteers were included in the analysis. Participants completed self-reported scales, including the Korean version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Professional Quality of Life Scale version 5. Pearson correlation coefficients were analyzed to identify the relationship of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue with anxiety or depression. A PROCESS macro mediation analysis was used to investigate the mediation effects of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue on the relationship between resilience and anxiety or depression. There were significant associations of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue with anxiety and depression. The relationship between resilience and anxiety/depression was mediated by compassion fatigue, which had indirect effects on anxiety and depression. Efforts to reduce compassion fatigue and increase resilience could help prevent anxiety and depression in hospice volunteers.

Background: This study aimed to examine the occupational stress and quality of life of mental health welfare center workers and to identify the impact of occupational stress on compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Methods: This study included 588 employees working at 15 provincial/municipal/regional mental health welfare centers. Demographic and psychosocial factors were surveyed. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, Pearson's correlation test, and multiple regression analysis. Results: The high-risk group for occupational stress showed low compassion satisfaction, high burnout, and high secondary traumatic stress. Compassion satisfaction showed a significant negative correlation with occupational stress. Burnout and secondary traumatic stress showed a significant positive correlation with occupational stress. Occupational stress factors affecting compassion satisfaction included lack of reward (β=−0.155, p<0.001), whereas those affecting burnout included physical environment (β=0.028, p<0.01), job demand (β=0.042, p<0.001), relationship conflict (β=0.033, p<0.01), job instability (β=0.016, p<0.01), lack of reward (β=0.051, p<0.001), and occupational climate (β=0.024, p<0.01). Additionally, occupational stress factors affecting secondary traumatic stress included physical environment (β=0.063, p<0.001) and job instability (β=0.020, p<0.05). Conclusion: Occupational stress had a significant impact on compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Therefore, active interventions against occupational stress factors are necessary to improve the quality of life of mental health welfare center workers.