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The ICD is a common therapy for treatment of ventricular arrhythmias and prevention of sudden cardiac death. After ICD therapy, 50% of survivors are known to have significantly elevated anxiety, depression, anger, and fear in getting back to normal physical activities. Despite these problems, few interventions to improve adjustment have been rigorously evaluated within a clinical trial format. This article reports the short-term efficacy of a structured weekly educational telephone intervention (8 weeks) delivered by expert cardiovascular nurses to recipients of an ICD. To test these effects, a two-group (n = 84/group) randomized clinical trial design was used with measures at baseline (hospital discharge), 1 month, and 3 months after ICD therapy. The study sample were first time ICD recipients for secondary prevention of sudden cardiac arrest. Primary outcomes included (1) physical functioning (Patient Concerns Assessment [PCA], Short-Form Health Survey [SF-12], ICD shocks), (2) psychological adjustment (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI]), Centers for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D), (3) knowledge (Sudden Cardiac Arrest [SCA] knowledge assessment), and (4) health care use (emergency room visits, outpatient visits, hospitalizations). The intervention group, as compared to the control group, significantly reduced mean PCA symptoms at 1 month (11.3-8.8 vs 9.7-9.3, respectively, P < 0.02), and reduced state anxiety (36.1-31.9 vs 33.1-33.0, respectively, P < 0.08), and enhanced knowledge (21.8-22.4 vs 21.4-21.7, respectively, P < 0.02) at 3 months. The intervention did not significantly impact short-term health care use. A structured telephone intervention delivered during the first 8 weeks after ICD therapy by expert cardiovascular nurses decreased ICD related physical symptoms and anxiety, and increased SCA knowledge over 3 months.

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Recently South Korean society has experienced an increase in alcohol use related problems, as well as alcohol use among women. The purpose of this paper is to describe the cultural context of and to summarize the current state of knowledge of women's drinking in South Korea. Subscribing to Confucian principles, traditional Korean society has allowed drinking for men, but not for women. However, as society has changed, contemporary women drink at a younger age and consume larger amounts of alcohol than their prior generations. The current trends suggest an urgent need for research on the etiology and trajectory of women's alcohol use among various populations and the need to develop intervention programs tailored to the specific needs of women.Recently, South Korean society has witnessed a rapid increase in women's alcohol use. National statistics show that the rate of drinking among women has increased from 33.0% in 1993 to 59.5% in 2001 (Ministry of Health and Welfare [MOHW], 2002). Contemporary Korean women start drinking at an earlier age and consume more alcohol than did women in earlier generations. Along with the increase in the number of female drinkers, the number of problem female drinkers is also on the rise.The problem has started to receive public attention. In the popular discourse in South Korea, women's alcohol-use-related problems have been framed as a threat to family life. Since 2000, the popular media, including major newspapers and television stations, have created special editions and programs on women's drinking, especially the alcohol-use-related problems of stay-at-home mothers. One popular newspaper title reads, "Housewife alcoholism, 550,000 women alcoholics-Families are reeling" (Hurh, 2005a). Another popular newspaper presented couples struggling with changing expectations and norms for women's drinking at work and offered different sets of "ten commandments" for men and women. The first commandment for men was "do not drink competitively," whereas, for women, it was "do not use alcohol to cope with depressive feelings" (Yu, 2005).Culture provides the context in which we can understand women's drinking in South Korea. Due to social expectations and norms, women and men may present a completely different set of motivations, problems, and help seeking behaviors. This study presents a brief description of the meaning of drinking for South Korean women, provides a discussion on the increasing use of alcohol among women, particularly in comparison to use among men, and reviews the current status of knowledge on women's drinking. Throughout this

The public health implications for behavioral health include the need to educate health-care providers working with Asian Americans regarding the benefits derived from seeking services and making interpreter services available in a culturally sensitive environment.