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The article explores the results of mental health screening in association with the amount of extracurricular education among 761 Korean first graders. The study revealed that Korean children from Gunpo-si, South Korea receiving more than four hours of extracurricular education daily showed a sharp increase in depressive symptoms and a decrease in the amount of time spent with parents or caregivers. The findings have relevance for mental health screening and educational policy.

The article discusses the results of the study conducted at the two middle schools in Korea concerning the causal relation between psychopathologic behavior and school bullying. It was discovered that psychopathologic behavior which include social problems, aggression, and externalizing behavioral problems is a consequence rather than a cause of bullying experiences. Moreover, it was revealed that bullying preceded the appearance of psychopathologic behavior.

Recently, there has been growing enthusiasm for exploring biological approaches to personality, especially in the area of genetic research into the identification of those genes responsible for particular personality traits. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the serotonin transporter-linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR) polymorphism and personality traits. We recruited 211 unrelated, normal subjects. The Korean version of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was used to assess certain personality traits. From blood samples taken from the subjects, DNA was isolated using standard techniques and the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism was genotyped by means of polymerase chain reaction and electrophoresis. We classified the subject into the s/s, s/l, and l/l groups according to their genotype. The differences in the temperament factors of the TCI between group S (s/s genotype) and group L (s/l + l/l genotype) were assessed, after the inclusion of gender and age as covariates in the analysis of variance. After controlling for gender and age, there were no associations between the harm avoidance, novelty seeking, and reward dependence scores and the genotypes. However, the persistence score of group S was significantly higher than that of group L. Our results suggest that the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism may be associated with the persistence score of the TCI in a normal Korean population. Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background School bullying is the most common type of school violence. Victimization by or perpetration of school bullying has frequently been associated with a broad spectrum of behavioral, emotional, and social problems. Objective To investigate the prevalence and demographic characteristics of victims, perpetrators, and victim-perpetrators in a Korean middle school sample. Methods We evaluated 1756 middle school students in this cross-sectional study. Students provided demographic information and completed the Korean-Peer Nomination Inventory. Descriptive statistics and the Pearson χ2 test were used. Results We found that 40% of all children participated in school bullying. By category, the prevalence of victims, perpetrators, and victim-perpetrators was 14%, 17%, and 9%, respectively. The most common subtypes of victimization were exclusion (23%), verbal abuse (22%), physical abuse (16%), and coercion (20%). Boys were more commonly involved in both school bullying and all 4 types of victimization. The prevalence of bullying was greater in students with either high or low socioeconomic status and in nonintact families. Conclusions School bullying is highly prevalent in Korean middle school students. Demographic characteristics can help identify students at greater risk for participation in school bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]