Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Lifetime risk and age of onset distributions of psychiatric disorders: analysis of national sample survey in South Korea

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

The present study represents the first attempt at examining variation across Korean cohorts with respect to lifetime risk of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders.

Aims

To present data on lifetime prevalence and projected lifetime risk, as well as age of onset (AOO) and demographic correlates of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders as assessed in the nationwide survey of a representative sample of Korean adults.

Method

The survey was based on a multistage area probability sample of non-institutionalized Koreans aged 18–64 years. The Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 2.1 (K-CIDI 2.1) was administered by lay interviewers.

Results

Lifetime prevalence of any disorder was 24.6%. Alcohol abuse (9.2%), alcohol dependence (7.0%), major depressive disorder (5.6%), specific phobia (3.8%), and GAD (1.6%) were the most common disorders. The median AOO was earliest for anxiety disorders (age 29), latest for mood disorders (age 47), and intermediate for alcohol use disorders (age 31). Compared to observed lifetime prevalence (24.6%), 35.0% of Koreans will eventually experience one of these disorders. Further, half of the population who present with a psychiatric disorder do so by the age of 32 and younger cohorts are at greater risk for most disorders.

Conclusions

About one-third of the Korean adult population will meet the criteria for a DSM-IV psychiatric disorder at some time during their life. The median age of onset varies from disorder to disorder and younger cohorts appear to be at greater risk for most disorders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lee HY (1986) Industrialization and mental health in Korea. Yonsei Med J 27(4):245–249

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Kang M-G (1998) Understanding urban problems in Korea: continuity and change. Dev Soc 27(1):99–120

    Google Scholar 

  3. Shin K-Y (2005) Economic crisis and social change in South Korea. Korean J 45(3):4–7

    Google Scholar 

  4. Kim H, Song YJ, Yi JJ, Chung WJ, Nam CM (2004) Changes in mortality after the recent economic crisis in South Korea. Ann Epidemiol 14(6):442–446

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Kleinman A, Kleinman J (1999) The transformation of everyday social experience: what a mental and social health perspective reveals about Chinese communities under global and local change. Cult Med Psychiatry 23(1):7–24

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Lee CK, Kwak YS, Yamamoto J, Rhee H, Kim YS, Han JH, Choi JO, Lee YH (1990) Psychiatric epidemiology in Korea. Part II: urban and rural differences. J Nerv Ment Dis 178(4):247–252

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Cho MJ, Kim JK, Jeon HJ, Suh T, Chung IW, Hong JP, Bae JN, Lee DW, Park JI, Cho SJ, Lee CK, Hahm BJ (2007) Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders among Korean adults. J Nerv Ment Dis 195(3):203–210

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Cho MJ, Chang SM, Hahm B-J, Chung I-W, Bae A, Lee YM, Ahn JH, Won S-H, Son J, Hong JP, Bae JN, Lee D-W, Cho S-J, Park J-I, Le J-Y, Kim JY, Jeon HJ, Lee HW (2009) Prevalence and correlates of major mental disorders among Korean adults:a 2006 national epidemiologic survey. J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc 48(3):143–152

    Google Scholar 

  9. Bonnewyn A, Bruffaerts R, Vilagut G, Almansa J, Demyttenaere K (2007) Lifetime risk and age-of-onset of mental disorders in the Belgian general population. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 42(7):522–529

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Kessler RC, Angermeyer M, Anthony JC, de Graaf R, Demyttenaere K, Gasquet I, de Girolamo G, Gluzman S, Gureje O, Haro JM, Kawakami N, Karam A, Levinson D, Medina Mora ME, Oakley Browne MA, Posada-Villa J, Stein DJ, Adley Tsang CH, Aguilar-Gaxiola S, Alonso J, Lee S, Heeringa S, Pennell BE, Berglund P, Gruber MJ, Petukhova M, Chatterji S, Ustun TB (2007) Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of mental disorders in the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Survey Initiative. World Psychiatry 6(3):168–176

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Lee S, Tsang A, Zhang MY, Huang YQ, He YL, Liu ZR, Shen YC, Kessler RC (2007) Lifetime prevalence and inter-cohort variation in DSM-IV disorders in metropolitan China. Psychol Med 37(1):61–71

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Medina-Mora ME, Borges G, Benjet C, Lara C, Berglund P (2007) Psychiatric disorders in Mexico: lifetime prevalence in a nationally representative sample. Br J Psychiatry 190:521–528

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Cho MJ, Hahm BJ, Bae JN, Suh T, Lee DW, Cho SJ, Kim JK (1999) Development of the Korean version of Composite International Diagnostic Interview, in Annual Meeting of the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association. Korean Neuropsychiatric Association, Seoul

    Google Scholar 

  14. World Health Organization (1997) Procedures for the Development of New Language Versions of the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WHO-CIDI). Geneva. World Health Organization, Switzerland

    Google Scholar 

  15. Cho MJ, Hahm BJ, Suh DW, Hong JP, Bae JN, Kim JK, Lee DW SJC (2002) Development of a Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (K-CIDI). J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc 41:123–137

    Google Scholar 

  16. Halli SS, Rao KV (1992) Advanced techniques of population analysis. Plenum, New York

    Google Scholar 

  17. Efron B (1988) Logistic regression, survival analysis, and the Kaplan-Meier curve. J Am Stat Assoc 83:414–425

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Christie KA, Burke JD Jr, Regier DA, Rae DS, Boyd JH, Locke BZ (1988) Epidemiologic evidence for early onset of mental disorders and higher risk of drug abuse in young adults. Am J Psychiatry 145(8):971–975

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas KR, Walters EE (2005) Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry 62(6):593–602

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. WHO International Consortium in Psychiatric Epidemiology (2000) Cross-national comparisons of the prevalences and correlates of mental disorders. Bull World Health Organ 78(4):413–426

    Google Scholar 

  21. Borges G, Wang PS, Medina-Mora ME, Lara C, Chiu WT (2007) Delay of first treatment of mental and substance use disorders in Mexico. Am J Public Health 97(9):1638–1643

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. World Health Organization: WHO Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004. Geneva, 2004

  23. Chun SS, Sohn AR (2005) Correlates of problem drinking by the alcohol use disorders identification test on Korean college campus. J Prev Med Public Health 38(3):307–314

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Alonso J, Angermeyer MC, Bernert S, Bruffaerts R, Brugha TS, Bryson H, de Girolamo G, Graaf R, Demyttenaere K, Gasquet I, Haro JM, Katz SJ, Kessler RC, Kovess V, Lepine JP, Ormel J, Polidori G, Russo LJ, Vilagut G, Almansa J, Arbabzadeh-Bouchez S, Autonell J, Bernal M, Buist-Bouwman MA, Codony M, Domingo-Salvany A, Ferrer M, Joo SS, Martinez-Alonso M, Matschinger H, Mazzi F, Morgan Z, Morosini P, Palacin C, Romera B, Taub N, Vollebergh WA (2004) Prevalence of mental disorders in Europe: results from the European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD) project. Acta Psychiatr Scand Suppl 109(420):21–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Chang SM, Hahm BJ, Lee JY, Shin MS, Jeon HJ, Hong JP, Lee HB, Lee DW, Cho MJ (2008) Cross-national difference in the prevalence of depression caused by the diagnostic threshold. J Affect Disord 106(1–2):159–167

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Pang KY (1998) Symptoms of depression in elderly Korean immigrants: narration and the healing process. Cult Med Psychiatry 22(1):93–122

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Park SY, Bernstein KS (2008) Depression and Korean American immigrants. Arch Psychiatr Nurs 22(1):12–19

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Hahm BJ, Cho MJ (2005) Prevalence of alcohol use disorder in a South Korean community—changes in the pattern of prevalence over the past 15 years. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 40(2):114–119

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Kim H-O, Hoppe-Graff S (2001) Mothers roles in traditional and modern korean families: the consequences for parental practices and adolescent socialization. Asia Pacific Education Review 2(1):85–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Yoo KS, Jang HK, Jeon HJ, Kim YJ, Min SH, Park EM (2007) Family policy. Sigma Press, Seoul

    Google Scholar 

  31. Korean Statistical Informattion Service: family structure, Korean Statistical Office, 2010

  32. Song S-H: alcohol abuse rampant among college students, survey says in The Korea Herald. Seoul, 2008

  33. de Graaf R, Bijl RV, Spijker J, Beekman AT, Vollebergh WA (2003) Temporal sequencing of lifetime mood disorders in relation to comorbid anxiety and substance use disorders—findings from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 38(1):1–11

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Eaton WW, Anthony JC, Tepper S, Dryman A (1992) Psychopathology and attrition in the epidemiologic catchment area surveys. Am J Epidemiol 135(9):1051–1059

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Andrews G, Anstey K, Brodaty H, Issakidis C, Luscombe G (1999) Recall of depressive episode 25 years previously. Psychol Med 29(4):787–791

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Patten SB (2003) Recall bias and major depression lifetime prevalence. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 38(6):290–296

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Wells JE, Horwood LJ (2004) How accurate is recall of key symptoms of depression? A comparison of recall and longitudinal reports. Psychol Med 34(6):1001–1011

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Patten SB, Gordon-Brown L, Meadows G (2010) Simulation studies of age-specific lifetime major depression prevalence. BMC Psychiatry 10:85

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Korean Ministry of Health & Welfare, Seoul National University: the epidemoilogical survey of psychiatric illness in Korea 2006, Korean Ministry of Health & Welfare, 2007, pp 317–321

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their gratitude to 12 local investigators, 79 interviewers, and the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare for their support and cooperation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine and Hospital, Seoul, South Korea

    Maeng Je Cho & Bong-Jin Hahm

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Kyungpook National University Hospital and School of Medicine, 200 Dongduk-ro, Jung-Gu, Daegu, 700-721, South Korea

    Sung Man Chang & Seunghee Won

  3. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Dongguk University International Hospital, Goyang, South Korea

    In-Won Chung & Jin Yeong Kim

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Naju National Hospital, Naju, South Korea

    Ahn Bae

  5. Medical Humanities and Social Medicines, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea

    Young Moon Lee

  6. Department of Psychiatry, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan Univeristy Hospital, Ulsan, South Korea

    Joon Ho Ahn

  7. Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, South Korea

    Jungwoo Son

  8. Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Jin Pyo Hong

  9. Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, South Korea

    Jae Nam Bae

  10. Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Inje University, Seoul, South Korea

    Dong-Woo Lee

  11. Department of Psychiatry, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon, South Korea

    Seong-Jin Cho

  12. Department of Psychiatry, Kangwon National University College of Medicine, Chunchon, South Korea

    Jong-Ik Park

  13. Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Boramae Hospital, Seoul, South Korea

    Jun-Young Lee & Hae Woo Lee

  14. Department of Pyschiatry, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Hong Jin Jeon

Authors
  1. Maeng Je Cho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sung Man Chang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Bong-Jin Hahm
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. In-Won Chung
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ahn Bae
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Young Moon Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Joon Ho Ahn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Seunghee Won
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Jungwoo Son
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Jin Pyo Hong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Jae Nam Bae
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Dong-Woo Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Seong-Jin Cho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. Jong-Ik Park
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  15. Jun-Young Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  16. Jin Yeong Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  17. Hong Jin Jeon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  18. Hae Woo Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sung Man Chang.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 5.

Table 5 Sociodemographic characteristics
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cho, M.J., Chang, S.M., Hahm, BJ. et al. Lifetime risk and age of onset distributions of psychiatric disorders: analysis of national sample survey in South Korea. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 47, 671–681 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0381-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0381-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation