Background: The prevalence of anxiety among college students is a growing global concern, with a median prevalence of 32%. This study addresses the need for effective interventions within an educational policy framework to alleviate anxiety and promote mental health among college students. Objective: The study aims to evaluate the impact of breathing relaxation exercises and tactile art therapy on college students’ self-understanding and psychological well-being, providing reference information for policies and practices in mental health education. Methods: We enrolled 10 college students from X University in South Korea, dividing them into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group underwent 10 sessions of breathing exercises and tactile art therapy, while the control group received standard psychological counseling. Pre- and post-tests assessed breathing function, self-understanding, and psychological well-being. Results: The experimental group demonstrated significant improvements in breathing function, particularly in forced vital capacity (FVC), and in psychological well-being, as measured by the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS). Sub-factors such as safety, goal orientation, and self-acceptance within self-understanding, self-acceptance, positive relationships, purpose in life, and environmental mastery within psychological well-being, showed notable enhancements. In contrast, the control group did not show significant effects in terms of FVC and FEV1（p > 0.05）, and there were no statistically significant differences in the various sub-factors of self-understanding and psychological well-being. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that integrating breathing relaxation exercises and tactile art therapy into educational policy can significantly reduce anxiety and enhance the psychological well-being of college students. These findings suggest that such interventions can be effective components of a comprehensive educational policy aimed at improving student mental health.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted global crises and enforced strict measures like the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia, significantly impacting societal norms, particularly affecting secondary school students. The current study employs a qualitative methodology to determine how COVID-19 affects the life stress experienced by secondary school students. Secondary school students were recruited in Sabah, Malaysia, from April to August 2022, after Malaysia entered the endemic phase on 1 April 2022. As part of a larger survey, students were asked to respond to an open-ended question about life stressors they face as a result of the pandemic COVID-19 or during home-based teaching and learning (PdPR). A total of 1069 secondary school students from various backgrounds were included in the study. However, only 714 students responded to the open-ended question. The pattern of meaning across the texts was determined using Birks and Mills’s method of multilevel coding. The students’ perspectives on life stressors were classified into five broad categories: restriction stress, emotional stress, online study stress, family-related stress, and others-related stress. Restriction stress, which refers to being confined at home, restricted movement, hampered family, friendship, and outdoor activities, and no freedom were rated as the most significant life stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic by students. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers, educators, and parents, emphasizing the profound effect of pandemic-induced restrictions on student life and the essential role of targeted interventions in fostering resilience among students.

Introduction: In contemporary healthcare education, the integration of technology has emerged as an essential factor in enhancing the efficiency and efficacy of training methodologies. Particularly within the domain of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training, the adoption of technology-driven approaches holds considerable potential for enriching the skills and proficiencies of healthcare practitioners. Through the utilization of innovative technologies, such as simulation software and leveraging smartphones as primary tools, CPR training programs can be customized to provide immersive, interactive, and authentic learning experiences. This study aims to validate a comprehensive CPR training module tailored explicitly for healthcare professionals, to integrate it into smartphones as a medium for delivering CPR training. Methods: Two validity tests, namely content validity and face validity were conducted to evaluate the validity of the Smart-CPR training module. A self-constructed measurement scale was utilized to assess four parameters: consistency, representativeness, clarity, and relevancy. Content validity employed the content validity ratio, with scores ranging between 1 and −1, indicating the level of consensus among experts regarding the significance of each item. Face validity was assessed using two indices: the item face validity index and the scale face validity index. Ratings of 3 or 4 were given a score of 1, while ratings of 1 or 2 received a score of 0. Result: The content validity shows that CVI values for ‘consistency’ and ‘representativeness’ were 0.99 for the module and questionnaire, and 0.96 and 0.97, respectively. ‘Clarity’ scored 0.99 for the module and 0.96 for the questionnaire, while ‘relevance’ achieved 0.99 for both. All 44 items exceeded the 0.83 threshold for face validity. The Lawshe’s content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI) value were used to evaluate the content validity of both the CRSTP module and questionnaire, with CVR values result ranging from 0.80 to 0.99 across dimensions. These findings demonstrate robust content validity. Additionally, high CVI scores, mostly exceeding 0.95, suggest favorable outcomes and indicate no need for revisions. In face validity method, all 44 items surpassed the minimum threshold of 0.83, signifying a favourable outcome. Thus, all items were deemed acceptable. Conclusion: The Smart-CPR training module and questionnaires were meticulously developed to meet both face and content validity standards. All 44 items demonstrated appropriate levels of validity, ensuring they effectively enhance and maintain CPR competency among healthcare providers and potentially benefit the broader community. The positive results of the Smart-CPR training module confirm the high validity of the CPR competency assessment. Content validity, evaluated by experts, received a perfect score, demonstrating agreement on the relevance of each module component. Similarly, face validity, assessed by healthcare professionals, also received a flawless score, indicating consensus on the module’s clarity and relevance. These findings validate the module’s effectiveness in teaching CPR techniques to a diverse audience and ensuring compliance with established standards. With such strong validity, digitizing the module becomes more straightforward, facilitating easier sharing and use across digital platforms. Ultimately, the module’s high validity facilitates its integration into digital platforms, thereby enhancing CPR education and improving outcomes during real emergencies.

COVID-19 is among the tremendous negative pandemics that have been recorded in human history. The study was conducted to give a breakdown of the effect of post-COVID-19 mental health among individuals residing in a developing country. The two scales, namely DASS-21 and IES-R, were employed to collect the essential related data. The findings indicated that anxiety was a typical and common mental issue among the population, including up to 56.75% of the participants having extremely severe anxiety, 13.18% reporting severe anxiety. Notably, no one has anxiety and depression under moderate levels. Additionally, there is 51.92% depression and 43.64% stress ranging from severe to extremely severe levels. Furthermore, there were significant statistical differences among the data on stress, anxiety, and depression according to gender (males and females) and subgroups (students, the elderly, and medical healthcare workers). Besides, the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in the study was relatively high, especially when compared to the figures reported by the World Health Organization. Moreover, stress, anxiety, and depression all displayed positive correlations with post-traumatic stress disorder. This is big data on the mental health of the entire population that helps the country’s government propose policy strategies to support, medical care and social security for the population.

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.