Hwa-Byung (Anger Syndrome) in the MZ Generation of Republic of Korea: A Survey
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Background/Objectives: Hwa-byung (HB), traditionally observed in middle-aged Korean women, was investigated among the MZ generation in Republic of Korea to investigate its prevalence, associated factors, and perceptions. Methods: An online survey was conducted with 449 Korean adults in the Republic of Korea born between 1980 and 2005. The participants completed questionnaires that assessed HB symptoms, emotional labor, psychological distress, and HB perceptions. Data were analyzed using Chi-squared tests, t-tests, and bivariate logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of HB in the MZ generation was 36.3%. Significant HB predictors included female sex (odds ratio [OR] = 2.314), poor subjective health (OR = 3.207), higher HB trait scores (OR = 1.155), depression (OR = 1.145), and state anger (OR = 1.087). Only 44.54% of the participants were aware that HB is a diagnosed mental disorder and 34.97% knew that it could be treated at traditional Korean medicine (TKM) clinics. Despite the limited awareness, 49% expressed interest in TKM treatment for HB, in which acupuncture, herbal medicine, and mind–body medicine are the preferred modalities. Conclusions: This study revealed a high HB prevalence among the MZ generation in the Republic of Korea, which challenges traditional perceptions of this syndrome. These findings highlight the need to reevaluate HB conceptualization and treatment approaches for younger generations. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies, qualitative investigations of the evolving HB cultural context, and the development of targeted awareness and intervention programs to address this significant mental health issue in contemporary Korean society.
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Recent epidemiological data indicate a 36.3% prevalence of HB among the MZ generation in Korea, linked to female sex, poor subjective health status, HB trait, depression, and state anger.
“While HB has traditionally been associated with middle-aged women experiencing domestic and social stressors, recent epidemiological data indicate a 36.3% prevalence among the MZ generation in Korea, linked to female sex, poor subjective health status, HB trait, depression, and state anger [2].”
From User Experience and Clinical Utility of a Smartphone-Based Application for Hwa-Byung Treatment: a protocol for a single-arm prospective pilot study. (2026) · cites this paper as [2]
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“While HB has traditionally been associated with middle-aged women experiencing domestic and social stressors, recent epidemiological data indicate a 36.3% prevalence among the MZ generation in Korea, linked to female sex, poor subjective health status, HB trait, depression, and state anger [2].”
InfluentialSelf-citation
- Authors
- Kwon, C.-Y., Kim, J. Y., & Park, S. Y.
- Affiliations
- Dong-Eui University (KR)
- Corresponding author
- Kwon, Chan-Young
- Venue
- Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2024-11-06
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 22
- Pages
- 6667
- ISSN
- 2077-0383 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC11595142
- OpenAlex
- W4404089722
- Cited by
- 2
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2
- FWCI
- 0.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Clinical Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Innovative Human Resource Development for Local Intellectualization program through the Institute of Information and Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation (IITP) (IITP-2024-RS-2020-II201791, RS-2023-KH139364)
- Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (IITP-2024-RS-2020-II201791, RS-2023-KH139364)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Emotional Labor in Professions
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Burnout
- Keywords
- Hwa-byung, Generation Z, Korean youth, prevalence, risk factors, depression, state anger, emotional labor, psychological distress, traditional Korean medicine, acupuncture, herbal medicine, mind-body medicine, awareness of mental disorder
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