The Moderating Effect of Flexible Work Option on Structural Empowerment and Generation Z Contextual Performance

Leading and managing Generation Z can be a daunting task due to the distinct expectations, behaviours, and preferences they bring with them compared to prior generations. As such, when managing Gen Z workers, it is essential that leaders are aware of these variations to effectively manage their teams. Hence, this research endeavours to investigate the role of flexible work options on strengthening the relationship between structural empowerment and contextual work performance among Generation Z. This study employed a quantitative approach via an online questionnaire distributed to full- or part-time employed Gen Z workers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia working within the wholesale and retail sectors. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to determine the impact of the moderating effect of flexible work options on the relationship between structural empowerment and Gen Z employee work performance. The findings suggest that H1, the moderating effect of the flexible work option on the opportunity and contextual work performance relationship, is not supported, while H2 and H3, the moderating effect of the Flexible work option on the relationships of support as well as information and contextual work performance, are both supported. However, it has a negative effect on the relationship between access to support and Gen Z contextual work performance and a positive effect on the relationship between access to information and Gen Z contextual work performance. The study's findings highlight the necessary structural empowerment for enhancing Generation Z's contextual work performance, offering useful information to management, policy makers, and the business as a whole.

Predictors of Anxiety in Romanian Generation Z Teenagers

Adolescence is a very complex period of life, full of challenges, and explorations that young people have to face on the path to becoming adults. In adolescence, specific deviations from the everyday lifestyle, as well as emotional failures or imbalances, may also occur. When things tend to become more and more unclear, adolescents come to directly face some form of anxiety. The present study concerns the relationship of Romanian adolescents with their fathers from the perspective of anxiety issues. For this, an anonymous questionnaire was applied using a sample of availability of 558 teenagers and a complementary second questionnaire was intended for their fathers (N2 = 114 subjects). The questionnaire addressed to Generation Z Romanian adolescents included items regarding the self-assessment of one's own behaviour and relationship with one's father, as well as the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7). The questionnaire addressed to the fathers included mirror questions regarding the relationship with their children. The main results showed that the relationship between adolescents and their fathers has an ambivalent impact on anxiety: if it is a strong relationship, the risk to develop anxiety decreases, while if it is a weak relationship, it increases the risk of anxiety.

Optimizing teaching effectiveness in dental education for a new generation of learners

PURPOSE

Today's dental students, Generation Z (Gen Z), are said to learn differently than those of previous generations. As generations of dental students vary, our teaching styles must keep up with unique and changing groups of individuals.

METHODS

This article discusses learner-focused teaching methods including techniques that address the characteristics of Gen Z learners. Blended learning methods that combine online media with traditional face-to-face sessions, team-based learning, and a flipped classroom format have previously been suggested as ways to increase learning effectiveness and student satisfaction.

RESULTS

In this paper, the characteristics and preferences of Gen Z students are described along with the challenges they create with conventional teaching methods. An implementation strategy using principles from organizational agility and Bolman and Deal's Four Frames Model is proposed for dental schools to transition to a more learner-centered teaching approach.

CONCLUSIONS

The suggested strategy can be customized and could be useful to schools that wish to enhance their teaching methods to meet the learning needs of Gen Z dental students and beyond.

A concept for adapting medical education to the next generations via three-staged digital peer teaching key feature cases

While the core principles of medical education remain the same, the students' socioecological backgrounds, values and learning requirements are constantly changing. Bridging the generation gap between teachers and students is a key challenge of medical didactics. To meet the demands of today's classroom, we piloted a novel three-stage peer teaching and key feature concept. First, an on-demand key feature video case was presented. Second a background video was launched, followed by a self-assessment tool. Third, a live case discussion webinar focusing on clinical reasoning was held. The contents were created by near-peers experienced in medical didactics and checked by clinical experts. The elective format resonated with 652 participating graduate students and 1250 interactions per webinar, suggesting that students' strengths and weaknesses were addressed adequately. We aim to provide educators with input for creating a flexible and integrative learning environment utilising modern technological and didactic tools that shape the healthcare workers of tomorrow.

Parenting Pre-teens During COVID-19 in a Rural Midwestern Community: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study

To uncover the experiences of parenting Generation Z pre-teen children in rural communities impacted by the Stay Home Missouri order from April through May 2020. Researchers have focused on urban parents, leading to gaps in understanding the impact of the COVID-19 quarantine on rural parents and children. A qualitative study employing interpretive phenomenology. 14 white cis-male-sexed fathers and cis-female-sexed mothers living in midwestern rural communities participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews with 14 participants parenting pre-teen children were conducted. The interviews were analyzed using interpretive phenomenology. The COREQ checklist was followed. One theme that emerged from the narratives was the study participants' understandings of parenting, discovered when their routines were disrupted by the Stay Home Missouri order. This theme involved three sub-themes: 1) responding to the challenges of protecting pre-teen children; 2) coping with disrupted social relationships; and 3) renegotiating responsibilities. Professionals who work with families need to find ways to assist parents during and after a health emergency that requires quarantine. COVID-19 is not the first pandemic to endanger humanity, and the next pandemic-or a future variant of SARS-could require an additional period of local, regional, or national quarantine. Implications for professionals supporting parents during periods of severe disruption-such as future public health crises as well as large scale quarantines-are offered to assist with preparation for and coping with severe disruptions to parenting.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40653-022-00507-9.

Do urban tourists prefer vegetarianism? An urban-rural comparison of vegetarian consumption in China

The adoption of a vegetarian diet might have public health and environmental benefits. However, little is known about urban and rural Generation Z tourists' attitudes toward vegetarianism or vegetarian consumption within the Chinese urban and rural settings. Hence, to address this gap, the present study adopted a sequential and mixed research approach based on a survey (n = 212) and laddering interviews (n = 20) to validate post-millennial tourists' motives for adopting a vegetarian diet. The results identified the top four motives as environmental protection and resource conservation, ethical consideration, personal taste and choice, and personal healthcare issues. The top four barriers to vegetarianism were unavailability and limited choice, peer pressure, traditional prejudice/habit, and the inability to change. The results also demonstrated that both rural and urban tourists adopt vegetarianism mainly for environmental protection and ethical consideration, a subtle difference between them is that urban vegetarians emphasized ethical considerations more but rural ones emphasized food and variety. Urban consumers considered unavailability and limited choice as the topmost barriers to being vegetarian, while rural vegetarians found traditional prejudice to be restricting. Due to traditional dietary habits and peer influence, rural tourists face many more challenges when adopting a vegetarian diet. Understanding the perceived benefits and barriers to being vegetarian in different regions will not only enrich the theory of food nutrition but also expand Generation Z tourists' consumption behavior and practices.

Teleconsultations Quality During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland in the Opinions of Generation Z Adults

Introduction: The aim of the study was to collect and evaluate the opinions of representatives of Generation Z on their satisfaction with medical teleconsultation services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. Methods: An online survey was conducted from April to June 2021. We received replies from 424 students. The research tools used comprised a validated Doctor-Patient Communication (DPC) questionnaire, the Telehealth Satisfaction Scale (TeSS), and a self-authored questionnaire. Results: About 60% of the respondents rated communication with a doctor during the remote visit as medium, with a DPC score value in the intermediate range (36-50). Only 7.5% of students rated DPC as high (DPC score over 50). Also, satisfaction with telemedicine measured by the modified Telehealth Satisfaction Scale was assessed as intermediate by 61.3% of respondents. DPC and satisfaction with telemedicine services are better assessed by students living in large cities and those who used paid telemedicine services. Conclusions: The need to improve the quality of DPC has been observed. Also, the functioning of telemedicine platforms, with the possibility of using images in teleconsultations would be welcome, with the concomitant leveling out of the disproportions in the quality of telemedicine services and DPC between urban and rural areas, as well as between commercial and noncommercial services. This could improve the service delivery process and, consequently, be beneficial for the competitiveness of telemedicine, which will be based on medical rather than organizational aspects.

British Gen Z perceptions of sustainable fisheries: developing a measurement instrument

With continued pressure upon fisheries, alongside improved fisheries management in some places, there has been a decline in fish catches with changes in the structure of the ecosystem affecting its' functionality. The use of scientific based indicator frameworks in an attempt to pursue sustainable fisheries is a common trend, however the management decisions are often socially driven and can deviate, or even, conflict with the science. This study aimed to investigate British Gen Z perceptions upon what creates a sustainable fishing industry through a series of three studies. A compilation of 82 statements, derived from practitioner indicator systems, was used by 23 participants in a concept mapping process consisting of five steps; create statements, sort & rate statements, multi-dimensional scaling of sorted units, cluster analysis, and label the clusters. The next stage of the study looked to refine the large number of statements by statistically verifying them with exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory composite analysis using split halves of a sample containing 657 participants and generating a three-factor solution of Community, Ecological Management and, Economic. The domain was then switched to the descriptive typology and a further 179 British Gen Z evaluated the fisheries at Hastings and Brixham based upon case studies which further validated the three-factor solution. The significance of this study demonstrates that consumers, who influence policy and management of fisheries through their purchasing behaviour, interpret sustainable fisheries differently to science which is evidenced by the merging of the elements of ecologically and management.

Facing the future of transit ridership: shifting attitudes towards public transit and auto ownership among transit riders during COVID-19

Public transit agencies face a transformed landscape of rider demand and political support as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes. We explore people's motivations for returning to or avoiding public transit a year into the pandemic. We draw on a March 2021 follow-up survey of over 1,900 people who rode transit regularly prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada, and who took part in a prior survey on the topic in May 2020. We investigate how transit demand changes associated with the pandemic relate to changes in automobile ownership and its desirability. We find that pre-COVID frequent transit users between the ages of 18-29, a part of the so-called "Gen Z," and recent immigrants are more attracted to driving due to the pandemic, with the latter group more likely to have actually purchased a vehicle. Getting COVID-19 or living with someone who did is also a strong and positive predictor of buying a car and anticipating less transit use after the pandemic. Our results suggest that COVID-19  may have increased the attractiveness of auto ownership among transit riders likely to eventually purchase cars anyway (immigrants, twentysomethings), at least in the North American context. We also conclude that getting COVID-19 or living with someone who did is a positive predictor of having bought a car. Future research should consider how having COVID-19 transformed some travelers' views, values, and behaviour.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11116-022-10344-2.

Factors influencing attitudes toward cyber-counseling among China's Generation Z: A structural equation model

Information technology developments have combined traditional face-to-face counseling with online- or cyber-counseling. As digital natives, Generation Z has easy access to cyber-counseling. However, their attitudes toward cyber-counseling remain unknown. This study explored these attitudes and relevant influencing factors among 1216 Chinese adolescents using self-report questionnaires. Descriptive analyses and structural equation modeling were used for data analysis. The model explained 27.7 % of the total variance, attitudes toward psychological help was the most influential, followed by attitudes toward the Internet and perceived behavioral control. The model was effective in explaining attitudes toward cyber-counseling, emphasizing the influence of attitudes toward psychological help.

A Behavioral Approach to the Tourism Consumer Decisions of Generation Z

The main objective of our research is to identify the impact of recycling and waste reduction behavior on the sustainable tourism decisions of Romanian youngsters (18–25 years old). We used the PLS-SEM method and introduced four variables in the model: sustainable tourism decisions, the interest in recycling, the interest in waste reduction, and the interest in natural and less polluted touristic destinations. The main results emphasize the direct influence of recycling and waste reduction behaviors on the decisions made by Generation Z regarding sustainable tourism and on their preference for destinations that are better preserved and less touched by human intervention. The novelty of our research consists of the fact that we introduced variables such as waste reduction from the perspective of tourists because most studies address it as a management approach of the companies in the tourism sector. The findings are useful for managers in the tourism sector to create better strategies for attracting the younger generation who are preoccupied by environmental issues and sustainability in general.

Ambivalent professional identity of early remedial medical students from Generation Z: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Supporting professional identity development in medical students undergoing remediation in the first few years of their studies is an important topic. However, there is a lack of research on developing an effective and individualised process for successful remediation that targets learner identities. This study examined the identities of Generation Z remedial medical students through the lens of professional identity formation, focusing on the difficulties they faced and the support they sought.

METHODS

An exploratory qualitative case study was conducted within a constructivist paradigm. Twenty-two medical students (14 males and 8 females) who had experienced remediation in their first few years of medical university participated in this study. All participants were members of Generation Z. Qualitative data were collected through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Medical students undergoing remediation in the first few years experienced resistance to the medical profession and conflict due to the gap between the ideal and the reality they experienced after entering medical university. Students' professional identities were closely intertwined with their pre-university identities; this affected the process of professional identity formation after entering medical university. They preferred assurances of confidentiality as a prerequisite and immediately sought advice through social networks to support their professional identity development.

CONCLUSIONS

When planning professional identity development support for Generation Z medical students undergoing remediation in the first few years, it is necessary to carefully select integrative interaction methods, focus on the context of individual learners, and collaboratively discuss specific responses between students and faculty. The results of this study could be useful to faculty in developing support systems for future remedial medical students that focuses on professional identity development and mentoring of remedial medical students.

Analysis of the Generation Z's Viewpoint from the Faith-Based Educational Institutions on the Toxic Positivity Phenomena: How and Why?

Toxic positivity is indicated by encouraging words spoken in difficult situations that force someone to feel good about themselves. It becomes a current issue around the Generation Z because of the realization that toxic positivity could have a negative impact on mental health and individual social relationships. This study aims to analyze the views of Generation Z on the phenomena of toxic positivity. The approach of this study was quantitative using descriptive methods.

Influence of COVID-19 Crisis on Motivation and Hiking Intention of Gen Z in China: Perceived Risk and Coping Appraisal as Moderators

People’s lives have drastically changed since the outbreak of COVID-19. One concern during the pandemic has been the level of inactivity among people. Compared to various generations (e.g., baby boomers, generation alpha), Generation Z (Gen Z) traditionally spends much less time in outdoor spaces. Due to the pandemic, their inactiveness is assumed to be even more severe. Hiking, an outdoor activity, has become a possible remedy for young people to exercise in a safer sport environment compared to traditional facility-based activities. Although various studies have supported the link between motivations and hiking intention, the relationship may be altered based on psychological influences unique to the pandemic situations—perceived risk and coping appraisals. The current study was conducted to investigate the relationship between Gen Z’s motivations and hiking intention and moderating roles of perceived risk and coping appraisals in a pandemic environment. Data were collected from Gen Z between 18 and 24 in China (N = 407). The validity and reliability of all the constructs were assessed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), average variance extracted (AVE), and composite reliability. For testing hypotheses, PROCESS Macro 4.0 was used. The findings proposed that the appraisals of the pandemic situation (i.e., perceived risk and coping ability) moderated the relationship between two of the motivations—intellectual and destination motivations—and hiking intention. As a result, organizers of outdoor sports programs can implement viable strategies and take valid measurements to minimize the fear and worries among people in the time of the crisis.

Fake News through the Eyes of Three Generations of Russians: Differences and Similarities in Social Representations

Background

The problem of fake news becomes especially prominent during periods of social exacerbation, such as the coronavirus pandemic, wherein the events have a significant impact on many lives. Generational differences are considered as a factor affecting perceptions of the reliability of news.

Objective

The aim of this study was to reveal and compare the social representations of information reliability and news verification criteria among people belonging to the Generation of Reforms (born 1968-1981), the Millennial Generation (1982-2000) and Generation Z (2001 and later) in Russia.

Design

The study involved 431 participants and was comprised of two stages: focus groups and a survey. The data analysis methods employed were thematic analysis, qualitative and quantitative content analysis, coefficient of positive answers (according to J. Abric), Kruskal-Wallis H test, Pearson's chi-square test, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, and Kendall's t-rank correlation coefficient.

Results

We have found significant differences between the Generation of Reforms (CPA: 80,5; p = 0,000) and Generation Z (CPA: 90,2; p = 0,000), and similarities between the Millennial Generation (CPA: 90,3; p = 0,000) and Generation Z, in the structure and content of social representations regarding "fakes". Notably, Generation Z favors a fact-checking strategy to identify news reliability, while "Reformists" rely on offline contacts.

Conclusion

Generations in Russia differ with respect to their tolerance of "fakes" and their strategies for news verification. The results advance our understanding of "fakes" as purely social constructs. The attribution of media incompetence to older and younger cohorts by each other was discussed as the generational conflict.

Generation Z Within the Workforce and in the Workplace: A Bibliometric Analysis

This article aims to improve the knowledge on Generation Z as employees within workforce and in the workplace, as well as on the main thematic trends that drive the research on the topic. To this end, and using bibliometric techniques, a sample of 102 publications on this subject from Web of Science between 2009 and 2020 is analyzed. Research discusses the most published and most cited authors and journals to have a broad view of the context of the subject. Later, through a longitudinal view, the study mainly focuses on analyzing the evolution of thematic clusters, to assess the progress of the themes, as well as the network around the principal motor cluster of each period. The obtained results suggest a hardly developed topic, which started to draw attention in 2018, while still having a wide margin for growth. The core of research on the topic has evolved around “Generation-Z” “generations,” “workplace,” “management” and “attitudes,” “leadership,” “career,” or “learning-teaching-education,” although a low keyword stability among periods was noted. There is a need for further development on a variety of aspects regarding this generation and the labor market, as the study shows a clear orientation toward management and generational diversity within the workplace.

Motivation and personality factors of Generation Z high school students aspiring to study human medicine

BACKGROUND

A new generation of medical students, Generation Z (Gen Z), is becoming the predominant population in medical schools and will join the workforce in a few years' time. Medicine has undergone serious changes in high-income countries recently. Therefore, it is unclear how attractive the medical profession still is for high school students of Gen Z. The aim of this study was to investigate what motivation leads Gen Z students in their choice to study human medicine, and how they see their professional future. Our study was guided by motivation theory and the influence of personality traits and other personal factors on students' choice of university major.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional online survey, we included third- and fourth-year high school students in Northern Switzerland. We examined the importance of criteria when choosing a university major: personality traits, career motivation, life goals, and other considerations influencing the choice of human medicine versus other fields of study. Results Of 1790 high school students, 456 (25.5%) participated in the survey (72.6% women, mean age 18.4 years); 32.7% of the respondents aspired to major in medicine at university. For all respondents, the foremost criterion for selecting a field of study was 'interest in the field,' followed by 'income' and 'job security.' High school students aiming to study human medicine attached high importance to 'meaningful work' as a criterion; supported by 36.2% of those students answering that helping and healing people was a core motivation to them. They also scored high on altruism (p < 0.001 against all groups compared) and intrinsic motivation (p < 0.001) and were highly performance- (p < 0.001) and career-minded (p < 0.001). In contrast, all the other groups except the law/economics group had higher scores on extraprofessional concerns.

CONCLUSIONS

Swiss Gen Z students aspiring to study human medicine show high intrinsic motivation, altruism, and willingness to perform, sharing many values with previous generations. Adequate work-life balance and job security are important issues for Gen Z. Regarding the current working conditions, the ongoing shortage of physicians, and recent findings on physicians' well-being, the potential for improvement and optimization is high.

Impact of COVID-19 on Teaching the Tooth Morphology Course to the New Generation of Learners: A Cross-sectional Study

AIM

The purpose of the study was two-fold. First, to evaluate students' learning style and relate it to their academic performance. Second, to highlight changes implemented in the tooth morphology (TOMO) course as a response to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was performed during 2021-2022 with 101 dental students. Didactic lectures were delivered online and students challenged with nine quizzes and one final examination. Didactic score was calculated by averaging the scores of quizzes and the final exam. Lab score was a combination of five lab projects and the final competency. At course completion, students received a survey on their learning style and how they would like to receive feedback. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to assess differences in didactic and lab scores among groups.

RESULTS

Many students perceived themselves as visual learners (39%) followed by kinesthetic (24%), aural (19%), and reader (18%). There was no difference among learning style groups in performance of didactic (p = 0.340) and lab scores (p = 0.845). Students preferred that the instructor talks them through the questions for feedback on quizzes (41%) while they preferred demonstrations when receiving feedback on their wax-ups (51%). Most students (75%) preferred a TOMO teacher that uses demonstrations. 2020-2021 marked the year of the pandemic where all lectures were delivered online and waxing projects were performed at-home. A postpandemic transformation occurred during 2021-2022, reverting to conventional in-person lab sessions while keeping online didactic lectures.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that TOMO should be delivered by using various teaching styles rather than focusing on a single method while providing more demonstrations.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Teaching tooth morphology to the new generation type of learners efficiently will affect the clinical work of dental graduates.

Relations of Conspicuous Consumption Tendency, Self-Expression Satisfaction, and SNS Use Satisfaction of Gen Z through SNS Activities

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relations of conspicuous consumption tendency, self-expression satisfaction, and SNS use satisfaction of Gen Z through SNS activities. For a week from 17–23 March 2021, an online survey was conducted targeting the enrolled students of university in Chungcheongnam-do. Out of a total of 398 questionnaires, a total of 394 questionnaires (98.9%) were used for the final analysis after excluding four questionnaires with low reliability. This study was analyzed using SPSS by IBM 23.0(New York, NY, USA) and AMOS 21.0 (New York, NY, USA). In the results of this study, first, the factors such as imported goods/famous brands, high-priced articles, and status symbol except for pursuit of trend of conspicuous consumption tendency had significant effects on the self-expression satisfaction. Second, the factors such as imported goods/famous brands, high-priced articles, and status symbol except for pursuit of trend of conspicuous consumption tendency of Gen Z through SNS activities had significant effects on the SNS use satisfaction. Third, the self-expression satisfaction of Gen Z through SNS had significant effects on the SNS use satisfaction.

Twelve tips for interfacing with the new generation of medical students: iGen

iGen, or Generation Z, is the newest generation of health professions students to enter the classroom. This generation represents the first cohort of students in which technology has been present in all aspects of their lives. Since birth, they have been influenced by the boom of social media and wide-spread internet availability, leading to decreased face-to-face interactions and a desire for immediate access to information. Health professions educators should recognize the unique attributes of iGen students in order to foster student success and create a more positive learning environment. The following twelve tips examine the research-based distinctive characteristics of iGen students and highlight important concepts to consider when modifying current pedagogy to better support their needs. Incorporating these tips as an educator can promote lifelong learning and skill development for iGen students and empower this generation to thrive.

Learning styles, preferences and needs of generation Z healthcare students: Scoping review

AIM

This scoping review aimed to consolidate evidence of the learning styles, preferences and needs of Generation (Gen) Z healthcare students.

BACKGROUND

It is essential to update the educational framework and pedagogy to meet each generation's distinct learning styles and preferences.

DESIGN

A scoping review of published and unpublished data.

METHODS

Six electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest and Scopus) were searched for studies written in English from June 2016 to July 2021. The Arksey and O'Malley (2005) five-stage framework was adopted to guide this review: (1) identifying the research question; (2) identifying relevant studies; (3) study selection; (4) charting the data; and (5) collating, summarising and reporting the results using a thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Seventeen studies were included and based on the thematic analysis, four themes were identified: (1) attributes of Gen Z healthcare students; (2) learning styles of Gen Z healthcare students; (3) learning preferences and needs of Gen Z healthcare students; and (4) teaching the Gen Z healthcare students: future directions and recommendations for educators. The findings implied more culturally diverse studies that adopt the mixed-methods or qualitative design are needed to capture deeper insights about Gen Z and in examining the effectiveness of technology integration and digital storytelling to boost students' learning and confidence in their future careers.

CONCLUSIONS

Technology, campus resources and self-care strategies must be carefully integrated and planned to ensure an optimal and a safe learning environment for the students. The specific preferences and needs of the unique healthcare disciplines and educational subjects could be examined. A theory-based framework could be considered in designing future pedagogy. These future directions could allow educators to initiate vital change agents in guiding, supporting and nurturing students across generations.

Exploring Coping Strategies of Different Generations of Students Starting University

Introduction: Coping strategies and adaptation skills are key features in successfully adjusting to university challenges. Coping skills are an essential part of the Psychological immune system, which leads to successful adaptation. Due to COVID-19 most universities have changed their face-to-face teaching for online education. Nevertheless, there is little concrete empirical evidence on how this generation of students with the ongoing impacts of disruptive changes can cope with it. Colleges and universities need to make changes in order to retain this new generation of students. Our aim was to explore the characteristics and changes in coping skills of university students from three different age groups.

Method: Psychological coping skills were measured by the Psychological Immune Competence Inventory (PICI). Differences were detected between generations. Group comparisons (pre-2004, pre-Covid, and post-Covid) groups were compared) using PICI subscales using independent sample analysis of variance. The sample consisted of 4,731 university students, 2,768 (58.5%) were men and 1,730 (36.56%) were women.

Results: Students from 2004 showed significantly higher scores in the Self-regulation subsystem scale compared to students in the pre-Covid and post-Covid groups. Self-regulation subsystem: F(2, 2,569.607) = 444.375, p < 0.001, η² = 0.27: small effect, ω² = 0.27; Resilience: F(2, 2,372.117) = 1171.855, p < 0.001, η² = 0.14: small effect, ω² = 0.14. Based on the results, the explained variance ratio was at least 10% based on self-regulation and resilience.

Conclusions: Psychological immune capacity of students seems to decrease through the years. Nonetheless, interventions may have a further facilitating role in the maintenance and development of psychological immunity during college years.

Determination of Health Literacy in Different Generations

BACKGROUND

The development of health literacy (HL) is critical in reducing lifestyle-related diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine levels of HL and related variables among members of Generations X and Z.

METHODS

This study was a descriptive survey conducted in the city of Antalya, Turkey. Participants were 350 Generation Z students and 150 Generation X parents. We created a personal data form for both students and parents, and used the Secondary Education HL Scale and Adult HL Scale for data collection.

RESULTS

The average HL score of Generation Z was 20.98 ± 6.19 and that of Generation X 17.38 ± 3.54. The HL levels of 75% of the Generation Z were low to marginal and those of 33.1% of the Generation X were below average.

CONCLUSIONS

More than half of the Generation Z students and about one-third of Generation X parents were found to have low HL. Health professionals and nurses can give direction to the different generations to improve overall HL.

An investigation into the relationship between climate change anxiety and mental health among Gen Z Filipinos

Climate change and mental health concerns are both defining issues of the generation of today. It has been established that the worsening climate causes many environmental disasters and physical health problems. However, its psychological impacts are still not well understood. Climate change has brought about an emerging psychological phenomenon termed ‘climate anxiety’ or ‘eco-anxiety,’ which has been described as a "chronic fear of environmental doom" (Clayton et al., 2017, p. 68) due to the impact of climate change. This predictive cross-sectional study investigated the link between climate change anxiety and mental health among 433 Filipinos. A total of 145 males and 288 females aged 18 to 26 completed the Climate Change Anxiety Scale and the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-38). Results show a significant relationship between climate change anxiety and mental health, with climate change anxiety predicting 13.5% of the overall Mental Health Index variance. Significantly, climate change anxiety was associated with the MHI-38’s global scale of Psychological Distress but not with the global scale of Psychological Well-being. The findings are discussed concerning the broader context of research on the mental health impacts of climate change.