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After the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled that the provision of involuntary admissions was unconstitutional, as it violates personal freedom, the Mental Health and Welfare Act was amended in 2016. The current study explores involuntary admission and discharge experiences, after the law's revision, from a patient-centered perspective and suggests future directions to protect human rights. Data were collected from seven persons with mental illness and three family members through in-depth individual interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Persons with mental illness were still not guaranteed full autonomy and the right to receive proper treatment due to lack of mental health resources. The burden on family caregivers was amplified by stricter admission requirements. These results indicate the need for human rights–friendly emergency services, including peer crisis shelters and procedural assistance services. The government should develop community-based mental health services to ensure continuity of care without imposing public responsibility on family members. [ Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 60 (8), 27–35.]

We explored the characteristics of the food environment and its influence on weight management in Seoul, Korea. Photo elicitation interviews were conducted with 73 participants who took three photographs per topic related to their food environment and discussed these photographs in groups. Through thematic analysis, we identified four themes concerning participants’ perceptions of the food environment and weight management: (1) “convenience comes first,” (2) “tempting food environment,” (3) “alcohol and anju,” and (4) “burden of individual effort to manage weight.” A systematic change toward an environment supportive of healthy eating and weight management is recommended.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the differences in personality, defense style, and coping styles among patients with depression according to age groups. MethodsA total of 211 participants ranging from 19 to 81 years old were recruited for the study. To assess participants’ five dimensions of personality, the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R) was administered. In addition, the Korean-Defense Style Questionnaire and the Korean version of the coping checklist were administered to examine the defense and coping style. ResultsIn the analysis of NEO-PI-R, the mean value of Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism showed significant differences between the young adult age group (20–34 years) and the late middle age group (50–64 years) (p<0.05). The young age group used more immature defense styles and made less use of problem-focused coping strategy than the old age patients (65 years and older) (p<0.05). ConclusionIn the young age group associations with lower Agreeableness and Conscientiousness, as well as higher Neuroticism than the late middle age group were observed. Moreover, the young age group had a higher usage of immature defense style, and restricted use of problem-focused coping style than other age groups.

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