How Did People Cope During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Structural Topic Modelling Analysis of Free-Text Data From 11,000 United Kingdom Adults

Comparative analysis of stress level and coping strategies due to COVID-19 pandemics among dental students in Indonesia and Vietnam

Objective

This study investigated and compared the perceived stress levels and coping strategies of dental students in Indonesia and Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials and methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted online in 2022 for dental students from the University of Indonesia and Can Tho University, Vietnam (n = 304). Perceived stress levels and coping strategies were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire about student sociodemographic factors, learning experiences, coping strategies, stress-related factors, and stress levels. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney, Kruskal Wallis, and Spearman correlation tests.

Results

This study showed the overall mean stress level was 23.9 (SD = 5.63), with a significant difference observed between Indonesian (24.44, SD = 5.14) and Vietnamese students (23.32, SD = 6.13) (p = 0.016), indicating potential variations in stress experiences. Key findings include a correlation between living arrangements and stress, as students living independently report higher stress (23.96, SD = 6.24) compared to those living with family (23.95, SD = 5.29) (p = 0.018). Fifth-year students exhibit lower stress levels (21.17, SD = 6.12) than other grades (p = 0.026). Multiple training sessions about COVID-19 are associated with better coping strategies (9.95, SD = 0.91, p < 0.001). The study also revealed different perceptions of COVID-19 learning experiences among dental students in Indonesian and Vietnamese dental students, with significant correlations observed between stress levels, coping strategies, and specific concerns such as graduation time and COVID-19-induced changes (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

This study shows students experience moderate stress levels, but the significant differences in stress experiences and coping strategies between the two countries highlighted the need for tailored approaches. Providing social support from faculty, family, friends, and peer dental students was one of the students' strategies to cope and minimize stress levels.

How do patients' perceptions and doctors' images impact patient decisions? Deconstructing online physician selection using multimodal data

In the post-pandemic era, medical resources are uneven, and access to healthcare is complicated. Online medical platforms have become a solution to bridge the information gap and reduce hospital pressure. This study uses the stereotype content model and signaling theory to explore the impact of patient perception of patient decision making (PDM) on online medical service platforms. Also, it tests the moderating effect of physician image. We collected information on 12,890 physicians and 746,981 patient reviews from online medical platforms in China. Unsupervised machine learning was used to construct a topic model to extract patients' perceptions of physicians' competence and warmth. Meanwhile, the facial features of physicians, such as age, smile, and glasses, are recognized by convolutional neural networks. Finally, the influence of PDM concern on decision-making and the moderating effect of physician image were analyzed by multiple linear regression. The results of the study showed that (1) patients' perceptions of physicians' competence and warmth had a positive effect on decision-making; (2) physicians' age and wearing glasses enhanced the positive effect of perception on decision-making; and (3) however, physicians' smiles weakened the positive effect of perception on decision-making. This study provides new insights into patients' online physician selection, guides the construction and promotion of medical service platforms, and provides an effective avenue of exploration to alleviate the problem of uneven distribution of offline medical resources.

Who Engaged in Home-Based Arts Activities During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Data From 4,731 Adults in the United States

Arts engagement is a health-related behavior that may be influenced by social inequalities. While the COVID-19 pandemic provided new opportunities for some people to engage in the arts, it might have created barriers for others. We aimed to examine whether there was social patterning in home-based arts engagement during the pandemic in the United States, and whether predictors of engagement differed according to the type of arts activity. We included 4,731 adults who participated in the United States COVID-19 Social Study between April and July 2020. Three types of home-based arts engagement were considered: reading for pleasure, arts or crafts activities, and digital arts activities. Using logistic regression models, we tested cross-sectional associations between a broad range of demographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial, and health-related factors as well as adverse events and worries during lockdown and each type of arts engagement. The factors most strongly associated with all three types of arts engagement were social support, social network size, age, race/ethnicity, keyworker status, and experiencing physical or psychological abuse during the pandemic. However, most socioeconomic and health-related factors were not associated with arts engagement, including household income and mental and physical health problems. Overall, our findings indicate that the social gradient in arts engagement was reduced in the first 4 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Given the health benefits of arts engagement, the potential diversification of arts audiences during the pandemic is promising for both population-level health and wellbeing and the future of the arts and cultural sector.

Respite and connection: Autistic adults' reflections upon nature and well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic

LAY ABSTRACT

The Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns provided opportunities to spend time in nature, with many people reporting that this benefitted their well-being. However, existing research from the pandemic period has focused on the way general populations experienced nature; less is known about how autistic people used nature to support their well-being during the pandemic. We created a survey that invited autistic adults living in the United Kingdom to reply to text box questions. A total of 127 people responded to our survey; we analysed their responses using a method called reflexive thematic analysis and developed themes based on patterns among all the responses. We developed two themes: respite in nature and connecting amid widespread disconnection. For some autistic adults during the pandemic, nature provided physical distance from others or from crowded homes, which helped them reduce their stress. In addition, some participants felt more psychologically connected to nature itself during the pandemic, while for others, nature served as a way of connecting with others during a potentially isolating time. These findings are important for autistic people and their families and carers who may want to seek out nature-based activities to support well-being in the wake of the pandemic.

Positive and negative experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic among lonely and non-lonely populations in Germany

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing an epidemic of loneliness. Previous studies have shown the differences in positive and negative experiences of lonely and non-lonely people in a non-pandemic setting. However, it is unclear how the drastic alteration of the COVID-19 pandemic may influence peoples' reactions and beliefs, especially among those who feel lonely. Our study aims to examine the positive and negative experiences among lonely and non-lonely people. We undertook a cross-sectional online survey of the general population in Germany (N = 1,758) from May 2020 to May 2022. We assessed their feelings of loneliness with the short eight-item UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-8), their positive and negative experience of living in the COVID-19 pandemic as well as their psychological distress regarding the pandemic with the COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI). We found lonely individuals (ULS-8 score ≥ 16) reported fewer positive experiences of living in the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, less time with loved ones [z _{(1, 756)} = -2.5, p = 0.012] and less sense of togetherness [z _{(1, 756)} = -2.39, p = 0.017] as compared to non-lonely individuals. Meanwhile, they experienced more negative experiences, for example, worry and fear [z _{(1, 756)} = 6.31, p < 0.001] compared with non-lonely individuals. Interestingly, lonely people were less likely to view the pandemic as a conspiracy than non-lonely people were [z _{(1, 756)} = -3.35, p < 0.001]. Our results may give insight into attribution bias and the negative affect of lonely people during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as highlight the experience of non-lonely people and raise the question of differences in conspiracy beliefs. For pandemic preparedness and response, decision-makers may focus on interventions to foster social cohesion, empower people, build resilience, and most importantly provide timely social care.