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Objective@#The impact of the government-initiated senior employment program (GSEP) on geriatric depressive symptoms is underexplored. Unearthing this connection could facilitate the planning of future senior employment programs and geriatric depression interventions. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the possible association between geriatric depressive symptoms and GSEP in older adults. @*Methods@#This study employed data from 9,287 participants aged 65 or older, obtained from the 2020 Living Profiles of Older People Survey. We measured depressive symptoms using the Korean version of the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. The principal exposure of interest was employment status and GSEP involvement. Data analysis involved multiple linear regression. @*Results@#Employment, independent of income level, showed association with decreased depressive symptoms compared to unemployment (p<0.001). After adjustments for confounding variables, participation in GSEP jobs showed more significant reduction in depressive symptoms than non-GSEP jobs (β=-0.968, 95% confidence interval [CI]=-1.197 to -0.739, p<0.001 for GSEP jobs, β=-0.541, 95% CI=-0.681 to -0.401, p<0.001 for non-GSEP jobs). Notably, the lower income tertile in GSEP jobs showed a substantial reduction in depressive symptoms compared to all income tertiles in non-GSEP jobs. @*Conclusion@#The lower-income GSEP group experienced lower depressive symptoms and life dissatisfaction compared to non-GSEP groups regardless of income. These findings may provide essential insights for the implementation of government policies and community-based interventions.
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Background@#Long commuting times have a negative impact on mental health. However, few studies have explored the relationship between commuting time and well-being based on urbanization by region. Our study examines this relationship as well as the effect of regional differences on Korean workers. @*Methods@#We used data from the sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey. Commuting time and occupational factors were assessed using a questionnaire, and subjective well-being was assessed using the World Health Organization-5 Well-Being Index. Regions were divided into the cities and the provinces based on Korea’s administrative divisions. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between commuting time and wellbeing. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for well-being were estimated, using participants commuting time of < 20 minutes as a reference group. @*Results@#The total number of workers was 29,458 (13,855 men, 15,603 women). We found higher aORs for low well-being among workers with long commuting times (aOR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.11–1.36 and aOR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.16–1.42 for 60–79 and ≥ 80 minutes, respectively). When stratified by sex and region, higher aORs for low well-being were found only in the workers who lived in cities. @*Conclusion@#Long commuting time was negatively associated with well-being in Korean wage workers living in the cities. Policies for reducing commuting time should be discussed to address the mental health of workers, especially those living in metropolitan cities.
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Objective@#Contact frequency with adult children plays a critical role in late-life depression. However, evidence on possible moderators of this association remains limited. Moreover, considering alterations in contact modes after the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic, there is a need to investigate this association post-pandemic to develop effective therapeutic interventions. @*Methods@#This study included 7,573 older adults who completed the Living Profiles of the Older People Survey in Korea. Participants’ contact frequency and depressive symptoms were analyzed. Regression analysis was performed after adjusting for covariates. The moderating effects of variables were verified using a process macro. @*Results@#Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that infrequent face-to-face (odd ratio [OR]=1.86, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.55–2.22) and non-face-to-face contact (OR=1.23, 95% CI=1.04–1.45) in the non-cohabitating adult children group was associated with a higher risk of late-life depression compared to that in the frequent contact group. Linear regression analysis indicated consistent results for face-to-face and non-face-to-face contact (estimate=0.458, standard error [SE]=0.090, p<0.001 and estimate=0.236, SE= 0.074, p=0.001, respectively). Moderation analysis revealed that the association between late-life depression and frequency of face-toface contact was moderated by age, household income quartiles, number of chronic diseases, physical activity frequency, presence of spouse, nutritional status, and whether the effect of frequency of non-face-to-face contact on late-life depression was increased by participation in social activity, frequent physical activity, and good cognitive function (p for interaction<0.05). @*Conclusion@#Frequent contact with non-cohabitating children lowers the risk of depression later in life. Several variables were identified as significant moderators of contact frequency and depression symptoms.
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Objectives@#This study determines the effects of comorbidity of mood disorder and alcohol use disorder on suicide behavior. @*Methods@#We converted data from the electronic medical records of one university hospital into a common data model and utilized it in our analysis. We selected 9551 patients with diagnosis codes of mood disorders or alcohol use disorders and divided them into three groups: mood disorder (MD) only, alcohol use disorder (AUD) only, and comorbidity of mood disorder and alcohol use disorder (MD+AUD). The mood disorder group was also subgrouped with depressive (DD) or bipolar affective disorder (BD) groups, and the comorbidity group was classified in the same way. Then, we applied logistic regression analysis to assess the risk of suicide attempts between the diagnostic groups. Subgroup analysis according to age also was conducted. @*Results@#The MD+AUD group had 2.7 (odd ratio [OR]=2.70, 95% confidence intervals [CI]=1.91– 3.81, p<0.0001) and the DD+AUD group had 2.78 (OR=2.78, 95% CI=1.95–3.98, p<0.0001) times higher risk of suicide attempts than the MD only and DD only group, respectively. Furthermore, according to the age subgroup, the risk of suicide attempts was the highest (OR=5.17, 95% CI=2.35–11.40, p<0.0001) in the DD+AUD group for those aged 40–59. There were no significant results in BD. @*Conclusion@#The results showed that the comorbidity of mood disorder and alcohol use disorder could increase suicide risk. This study suggested that alcohol use behavior needs to be assessed as well as mood symptoms for suicide prevention.
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Objectives@#This study determines the effects of comorbidity of mood disorder and alcohol use disorder on suicide behavior. @*Methods@#We converted data from the electronic medical records of one university hospital into a common data model and utilized it in our analysis. We selected 9551 patients with diagnosis codes of mood disorders or alcohol use disorders and divided them into three groups: mood disorder (MD) only, alcohol use disorder (AUD) only, and comorbidity of mood disorder and alcohol use disorder (MD+AUD). The mood disorder group was also subgrouped with depressive (DD) or bipolar affective disorder (BD) groups, and the comorbidity group was classified in the same way. Then, we applied logistic regression analysis to assess the risk of suicide attempts between the diagnostic groups. Subgroup analysis according to age also was conducted. @*Results@#The MD+AUD group had 2.7 (odd ratio [OR]=2.70, 95% confidence intervals [CI]=1.91– 3.81, p<0.0001) and the DD+AUD group had 2.78 (OR=2.78, 95% CI=1.95–3.98, p<0.0001) times higher risk of suicide attempts than the MD only and DD only group, respectively. Furthermore, according to the age subgroup, the risk of suicide attempts was the highest (OR=5.17, 95% CI=2.35–11.40, p<0.0001) in the DD+AUD group for those aged 40–59. There were no significant results in BD. @*Conclusion@#The results showed that the comorbidity of mood disorder and alcohol use disorder could increase suicide risk. This study suggested that alcohol use behavior needs to be assessed as well as mood symptoms for suicide prevention.
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Methods@#Using a common data model of electronic medical records at a university medical center in South Korea, the study populations were extracted if the depressive patients were treated either with antidepressants only or along with antipsychotics. The suicidal risks were compared with the Kaplan-Meier plot and log-rank test, and the risk factors were accessed using the Cox proportional hazard model. @*Results@#All demographic characteristics were similar in the monotherapy group taking only antidepressants and the combination therapy group taking antipsychotics with antidepressants, except for the smoking characteristic (p=0.023). The combination therapy group showed a lower suicidal risk [hazard ratio=0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.282–1.190] compared to the monotherapy group, which was not significant (p=0.138). @*Conclusion@#The combination therapy had no beneficial effects on reducing the suicidal risk in patients with depressive symptoms. This study is meaningful in that it is the first attempt to explore a psychiatric behavior/symptom using real-world data based on a common data model of general electronic medical records as well as narrative textual data.