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 aims to investigate the impact of dance training on the mental health of college students. Utilizing experimental research methods, we established an experimental group and a control group to compare changes in mental health dimensions—including anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and social skills—between the two groups before and after 12 weeks of dance training. The findings indicate that dance training significantly reduces levels of anxiety and depression, while also improving self-esteem and social skills, thereby enhancing social adaptability. These results provide empirical support for the use of dance as an intervention for mental health and offer new insights for mental health education in colleges and universities.

This study explored the relationships between college students’ indecisiveness, anxiety, and career decision-making ability. Using the convenience sampling method, 1072 college students at a college in Hunan Province, China completed a questionnaire online that included the Indecisiveness Scale, Career Exploration and Decision Self-Efficacy Scale, and Generalized Anxiety Scale-7. Participants reported their gender and place of origin (rural or city). They indicated whether they were an only child, were left behind, and liked the major they were studying. The t-test was used to identify differences in indecisiveness, career decision-making ability, and anxiety according to demographic characteristics. Correlations were calculated between the main variables of interest. Regression analysis was conducted to test the mediation model. Participants who liked their major were significantly more indecisive than those who did not like their major. Career decision-making ability was significantly higher among men than women, participants from urban areas than those from rural areas, participants who were an only child than those with siblings, and among non-left-behind participants than those who were left behind. Anxiety was significantly lower in participants who liked their major than those who did not like their major. In addition, anxiety partially mediated the relationship between indecisiveness and career decision-making ability. College students’ indecisiveness and career decision-making ability are affected by sociocultural background, gender, family background, and career interest. Anxiety partially mediates the relationship between indecisiveness and career decision-making ability. Implications of the findings for counseling college students are discussed.

This study aimed to explore the indirect effects of appearance-related anxiety (ARA) on Instagram addiction (IA) through sequential mediators, namely social media activity intensity (SMAI) and Instagram feed dependency (IFD). The study also aimed to provide theoretical explanations for the observed relationships and contribute to the understanding of the complex interplay between appearance-related concerns, social media usage, and addictive behaviors in the context of IA. A sample of 306 participants was used for the analysis. The results of the sequential mediation analysis (SMA) revealed several important findings. Firstly, the mediation model demonstrated that SMAI mediated the relationship between ARA and IA. However, there was no direct relationship observed between ARA and SMAI. Secondly, the analysis showed that IFD acted as a second mediator in the relationship between ARA and IA. Both ARA and SMAI had significant direct effects on IA, indicating their individual contributions to addictive behaviors. Furthermore, the total effect model confirmed a positive relationship between ARA and IA. This finding suggests that ARA has a direct influence on the development of IA. The examination of indirect effects revealed that ARA indirectly influenced IA through the sequential mediators of SMAI, IFD, and ultimately IA itself. The completely standardized indirect effect of ARA on IA through these mediators was found to be significant. Overall, this study provides evidence for the indirect effects of ARA on IA and highlights the mediating roles of SMAI and IFD. These findings contribute to our understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying the complex relationship between appearance-related concerns, social media usage, and the development of IA.

Objective: This study assessed the prevalence of psychological disorders and their correlation with health-promoting lifestyles among Chinese college students. Method: We used the Chinese version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) and the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II) questionnaires. Gender and major differences were analyzed with the chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression explored the relationship between HPLP and psychological disorders. Results: Among 17,636 students, low prevalence rates were observed for stress (4.0%), depression (7.2%), and anxiety (15.4%). Females and students in humanities and social sciences reported higher rates of multiple psychological disorders. Higher HPLP scores were inversely correlated with depression (OR = 0.479, 95% CI: 0.376–0.609), anxiety (OR = 0.480, 95% CI: 0.408–0.565), and stress (OR = 0.821, 95% CI: 0.636–1.060) after adjusting for confounders. Conclusions: The study found low overall prevalence of psychological disorders, with higher rates among females and humanities/social sciences majors. Higher HPLP scores, particularly in interpersonal relationships and nutrition, are associated with a lower risk of mental disorders.

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.