Subjective mental well-being among higher education students in Finland during the first wave of COVID-19

Adaptation and Validation of the Post-Pandemic Health Promotion Behavior of Young Adults in the Digital Age (PS-SGD) Scale in the Turkish Population

BACKGROUND

Young adulthood is a critical developmental period in which individuals establish life-long health behaviors and take responsibility for their own health care. Health promotion strategies tailored to young adults, leveraging digital tools, and addressing challenges exacerbated by events like the COVID-19 pandemic are needed. The aim of this study was to adapt the post-pandemic health promotion behavior of young adults in the digital age (PS-SGD) scale to the Turkish population in order to assess and compare the health behavior of young adults after the pandemic.

METHODS

A total of 312 participants, aged between 19 and 29 years, were included in the study via non-probabilistic criterion sampling, while the Turkish adaptation process started with translation and back translation methods performed with three language and two health science experts. For statistical analysis, EFA and CFA were conducted to evaluate internal consistency and structural validity. Confirmatory factor analysis was utilized to confirm the structure of the six sub-dimensions. Additionally, measurement invariance was examined regarding participants' gender to determine if the scale accurately captured similar traits across diverse groups. The relationship between the test-retest data was tested by Pearson correlation to measure consistency and its invariance over time.

RESULTS

The gender distribution of the sample was found to be 61.3% female and 38.7% male. According to the results of EFA, items 8 and 18 were removed from the Turkish-adapted version. As a result of the reliability analysis conducted with the Turkish version of the scale, the Cronbach alpha coefficient was obtained as 0.851 for the post-pandemic health promotion behavior. Additionally, the scale was rated as reliable with the following Cronbach alpha values: 0.79 for the "personal hygiene", 0.78 for "dietary habits", 0.72 for "using mobile devices", 0.70 for "emotional health", 0.68 for "health care and physical activity", and 0.51 for "social health" sub-dimensions. To examine the six sub-dimension factor structures of the scale, fit indices were calculated as χ2/df (1.722), GFI (0.894), IFI (0.908), TLI (0.892), CFI (0.907), RMSEA (0.048), and SRMR (0.057) and were within acceptable limits. Findings of the multi-group confirmatory factor analysis for measurement invariance were less than or equal to 0.01 for the ∆CFI and ∆RMSEA values across all indices. Consequently, it was observed that the item-factor structure, factor loadings, variances, covariances, and error variances of the scale were equivalent for both male and female young adults, while test-retest results showed a high positive correlation.

CONCLUSIONS

The Turkish version of the post-pandemic health promotion behavior scale of young adults in the digital age scale, consisting of 25 items and six subscales, was proven to be a valid and reliable tool to measure health promotion behavior in young adults aged 19-29 years.

Online health information-seeking behaviour and mental well-being among Finnish higher education students during COVID-19

Online health information-seeking behaviour has increased since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020. This study examined whether health-related information on COVID-19 searched on the internet was associated with mental well-being among higher education students. A cross-sectional internet survey was conducted among 18- to 34-year-old students in Finland (N = 2976; mean age 24.61 years and median 24) in the spring of 2020. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's chi-square tests, Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric H tests, and a two-way ANOVA. The results indicated that most students (86% of females, 82% of males) used the internet to search for information on COVID-19. Students' self-perceived abilities to determine the relevance of online information on COVID-19 were associated with mental well-being.

Bouncing back from COVID-19: a Western Australian community perspective

Introduction

This study explored the behavioral profiles of residing Western Australians during a COVID-19 lockdown period and transitions in behavior post-lockdown.

Methods

A total of 313 participants (76% female, age: M = 50.1, SD = 15.7 years) completed behavioral and mental health questionnaire items ~2 months after a 3-month COVID-19 lockdown in October 2020, using a retrospective recall to assess their experience during the lockdown period. Latent transition analysis (LTA) was used to identify behavioral profiles and transitions. Indicators were identified by assessing during-post-lockdown group differences (Kruskal-Wallis, chi-square tests) and profiles described using qualitative open-ended questions.

Results

Significant indicators included changes in physical activity, leisure screen time, alcohol intake, psychological distress, and loneliness, but not fast food consumption. The significant indicators were used to form LTA models. The five latent class model showed the best model fit (Log-likelihood = -1301.66, AIC = 426.12, BIC = 609.68). Approximately one in four participants reported a change in their behavior profiles after the lockdown ceased. Key differences between the profiles were age, household income, education, resilience, sense of control, existing mental health issues, and social relations. Washing hands and social distancing were the most recalled and effective health campaigns across the classes, with health campaigns encompassing physical activity/alcohol consumption, or domestic violence having the least attention.

Discussion

Overall, while most participants recovered relatively well after the lockdown period, LTA did identify subgroups such as those who were inactive and lonely experienced more difficulties than other groups, and engagement with public health campaigns differed. The results provide important insights for future public health campaigns on how these campaigns might be diversified to effectively target more people and particular groups to maximize engagement for maintaining people's mental health with additional focus on physical activity, alcohol consumption, and domestic violence.

Exploring the Well-Being of Slovenian and Serbian Sport Science Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic of Summer 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly changed everyday life of social actors, which inferred mental health and well-being concerns. As students of health-related studies tend to adapt better to difficult circumstances, in this study, we explored the effect of the pandemic on sports science students' well-being during the summer of 2022. The research was conducted in Slovenia and Serbia. The sample comprised n = 350 students. The PERMA-Profiler, a 15-item self-reported questionnaire, was adapted to assess well-being across five elements: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. Data were collected with a questionnaire through the summer of 2022 (from May to July) and analyzed in SPSS, AMOS 26.0. The results revealed normal functioning (M = 7.72, SD ± 1.38) for the overall well-being of the students. Although all dimensions indicated high scores, relationships (M = 7.95, SD ± 1.63), meaning (M = 7.76, SD ± 1.69), and engagement (M = 7.73, SD ± 1.36) rated the highest. Furthermore, the instrument was acceptable, as the confirmatory factor analysis showed adequate reliability based on Cronbach's alpha (15 items, α = 0.94) and strong internal correlations between the PERMA dimensions. This study contributes to the previously published research, emphasizing the positive responses and successful coping of sports science students in times of complex situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of COVID-19 on the lives and mental health of children and adolescents

Student mental health is an integral part of the fight against disease, and health was an evolving concern during the spread of COVID-19. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, physical distancing and social restrictions were introduced, and because of these, it was found a great impact on students' lives and their mental health. Adolescent mental health is focused on prevention, early detection, therapeutic innovation, and service development. In these circumstances, service providers can expand telemedicine Digital services that may help provide future mental health services to young people, particularly students. This study collects and analyzes data from students on the impact of these new online learning techniques, and by collecting and analyzing the challenges and issues faced by college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire was based on and extended the European Students' Union Survey and targeted higher education students concerning what student life looked like during the pandemic, including teaching and learning, their social contacts, habits/routines, as well as how they were coping with the situation emotionally and financially. The case of universities and distance learning education units in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic process. This article highlighted the impact of COVID-19 on students of all ages and their time schedules such as online learning and reflection, study environment, sleep habits, routines, and outcomes. It was found that the students generally require greater self-discipline and motivation to complete online classes. It was also reflected that the pandemic adversely affected student mental health, leading to an increased prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). This may have a significant impact on their mental health issues such as frustration, stress, and sadness. This will significantly lead to cooperation between various local authorities and the private sector.