The COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse impact on the mental health of frontline workers including firefighters. To better understand this occurrence, this cross-sectional study evaluated the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among 105 operational team and elite team firefighters in Kota Bharu, Kelantan State, Malaysia before and after the pandemic. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), a validated self-reporting survey tool, was used to assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among the survey respondents. Findings revealed that firefighters had an increased level of anxiety and depression during the post-pandemic period compared to the pre-pandemic period. However, there was a decrease in the stress levels (20%) reported by study participants. Respondents belonging to the operational team had a higher reported level of depression, anxiety, and stress than those from the elite team. This may be attributed the operational team being more exposed to the risk of COVID-19 infection on account of their routine and more voluminous workload. The findings of this study suggest that firefighters, in general, are at an increased risk of mental health problems as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Knowing this, it is important to consider these findings when addressing the prevention and management of mental health among firefighters. This includes providing additional support and devoting more resources to those who are most at risk for experiencing symptoms of mental health such as firefighters performing functions aligned with that of an operational team.

This study investigated changes in lifestyles and psychological anxiety among Koreans during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic using the 2020 data from the nationwide Korean Community Health Survey. The study outcomes were psychological anxiety about the infection and death, due to COVID-19. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the relationship between psychological anxiety and lifestyle changes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people who practiced healthy behaviors and followed social distancing and quarantine regulations experienced increased psychological anxiety for infection and death. Daily life changes during the COVID-19 pandemic were not associated with psychological anxiety. The result of this study can provide baseline measures for further study on psychological anxiety during re-infection of COVID-19 and future pandemics in Korea.

This study examines aggressive behavior among adolescents in school settings, focusing on its associations with mental health dimensions such as dysfunctional negative emotions and anxiety. A total of 403 adolescents (234 girls and 169 boys) aged 12 and 13 years participated in the study. Self-report questionnaires assessed aggressive tendencies and mental health symptoms, while demographic variables such as age and gender were also collected. Data analysis revealed a non-normal distribution, as determined by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests. Consequently, non-parametric statistical methods were employed, including the Spearman correlation coefficient to explore relationships between variables and the Mann-Whitney U test to analyze gender differences. The results demonstrated significant positive correlations between aggressive behavior and dysfunctional negative emotions (r = 0.191, p < 0.01) and between aggression and anxiety (r = 0.275, p < 0.01). Additionally, gender differences emerged, with females reporting higher levels of mental health symptoms than males (p < 0.05). These findings highlight the complex relationship between mental health challenges and aggression, emphasizing the significant roles of gender and emotional regulation in shaping these dynamics. The study calls for the development of tailored psychological interventions that not only address aggressive behaviors but also consider the unique mental health needs and emotional profiles of adolescents, ensuring a more personalized and effective approach to support their well-being.

The aim of this study was to make a quantitative contribution to the impact of COVID-19 and Mental on consumer behavior. For this purpose, the data in the Scopus and WoS databases until 5 February 2024 were examined using bibliometric analysis. The data obtained within the scope of this study were classified and analyzed using the VOSviewer program developed for scientific mapping analysis. In the evaluations, 180 studies in the Web of Science database and 371 documents in the Scopus database were identified, and when duplicate studies were combined, 426 studies were included in the analysis. According to the results of the analysis, the journal with the highest number of publications is “Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services”; the organization with the highest number of publications is “Department of management sciences, University of Okara” and “North-West University”; the authors with the highest number of publications and citations are “Wang, Xueqin” and “Yuen, Kum Fai”; and the most cited studies are “Laato et al.” and “Goolsbee and Syverson”. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the studies on the impact of COVID-19 and mental factors on consumer behavior and makes a qualified contribution to the literature with an important opening.

The competencies of public health professionals serve as the cornerstone for curriculum development ensuring that educational programs are pertinent efficient and attuned to the requirements of both the public health workforce and the communities they serve. This study endeavors to investigate the knowledge competency of public health professionals in Thailand with the intention of refining the suitability of knowledge competency for curriculum development tailored to the needs of public health professionals in Thailand. Employing a qualitative study, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 university lecturers in public health programs in Northeastern Thailand. The data collected were transcribed and analyzed using content analysis. The findings elucidate that the lecturers articulated a core knowledge content pertinent to public health professionals in Thailand delineated across five principal themes and thirteen subjects within the public health curriculum. These themes encompassed: 1) Epidemiology and disease prevention (comprising two subjects), 2) Health promotion and community health (comprising four subjects), 3) Research methods in public health and biostatistics (comprising two subjects), 4) Public health administration, health system, and laws (comprising three subjects), and 5) Environmental health and occupational health and safety (comprising two subjects). Subsequently, this study scrutinized five core courses to formulate a model curriculum for public health. The proposed model curriculum is intended for application in both planning and the development of the public health workforce, fostering interdisciplinary learning and nurturing public health professionals rooted in the authentic context of Thailand.