Fear Related to COVID-19, Mental Health Issues, and Predictors of Insomnia among Female Nursing College Students during the Pandemic

Elevated Arterial Blood Pressure as a Delayed Complication Following COVID-19-A Narrative Review

Arterial hypertension is one of the most common and significant cardiovascular risk factors. There are many well-known and identified risk factors for its development. In recent times, there has been growing concern about the potential impact of COVID-19 on the cardiovascular system and its relation to arterial hypertension. Various theories have been developed that suggest a connection between COVID-19 and elevated blood pressure. However, the precise link between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the long-term risk of developing hypertension remains insufficiently explored. Therefore, the primary objective of our study was to investigate the influence of COVID-19 infection on blood pressure elevation and the subsequent risk of developing arterial hypertension over an extended period. To accomplish this, we conducted a thorough search review of relevant papers in the PubMed and SCOPUS databases up to 3 September 2023. Our analysis encompassed a total of 30 eligible articles. Out of the 30 papers we reviewed, 19 of them provided substantial evidence showing a heightened risk of developing arterial hypertension following COVID-19 infection. Eight of the studies showed that blood pressure values increased after the infection, while three of the qualified studies did not report any notable impact of COVID-19 on blood pressure levels. The precise mechanism behind the development of hypertension after COVID-19 remains unclear, but it is suggested that endothelial injury and dysfunction of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system may be contributory. Additionally, changes in blood pressure following COVID-19 infection could be linked to lifestyle alterations that often occur alongside the illness. Our findings emphasize the pressing requirement for thorough research into the relationship between COVID-19 and hypertension. These insights are essential for the development of effective prevention and management approaches for individuals who have experienced COVID-19 infection.

Unleashing the link between the relaxation of the COVID-19 control policy and residents' mental health in China: the mediating role of family tourism consumption

Objective

COVID-19 has negatively influenced industrial development, family consumption, and residents' mental health. Unfortunately, it has not yet been studied whether this adverse situation can be alleviated after the relaxation of the COVID-19 control policy (RCC). Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the effect of the RCC on the resident's mental health and the mediating effect of family tourism consumption.

Methods

By using the PSM and mediating effetc model to research the panel data of two periods (April 2021 and April 2023) for Shaanxi province, China.

Results

The RCC negatively inhibited the mental health severity of residents, and the mental health severity decreased by 0.602. In particular, the RCC showed the most substantial negative effect on residents' stress, followed by anxiety and depression. Meanwhile, it is found that the impact of the RCC on the mental health of residents is highly heterogeneous. The RCC indicates a linear significant effect on the mental health of residents under 60 years of age, while the results were found insignificant for residents above 60 years of age. Meanwhile, the RCC's improvement effect on urban residents' mental health is greater than that of rural residents. In addition, mechanism analysis showed that tourism consumption plays a mediating role in the influence of the RCC on the mental health of residents, and the mediating effect accounted for 24.58% of the total effect.

Conclusion

Based on the findings, the study proposes that government and policymakers should strengthen mental health intervention, improve access to mental health counseling, stimulate economic development, expand the employment of residents, and track the mutation of the novel coronavirus.

Fear and Stigma of COVID-19 Reinfection Scale (FSoCOVID-19RS): New Scale Development and Validation

BACKGROUND

The advent of COVID-19 and its impacts have prompted fear and stigma among people all across the world. Because of stigma, there was often a delay in diagnosis and treatment, which resulted in a poor prognosis. As a result, a reliable scale is required to measure the level of fear and stigma of COVID-19 reinfection.

AIM

To develop and validate a scale for determining the level of fear and stigma of COVID-19 reinfection.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study including 200 nursing-college students who had previously tested positive for COVID-19 was conducted. The scale's reliability was evaluated by external and internal consistency methods. Construct, convergent, and discriminant validity were evaluated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

RESULTS

The scale's mean score was 24.85 ± 11.35, and no floor or ceiling effects were detected. The scale items' reliability, measured by Cronbach's alpha coefficient if an item was deleted, ranged from 0.76 to 0.95, with a total score value of 0.86. The range of convergent validity coefficients was between 0.37 and 0.64. Pearson's correlation coefficients for test-retest validity ranged from 0.71 to 0.93, with a total score of 0.82. The coefficient of split-half correlation was 0.87, while the coefficient of reliability was 0.93. According to the factor analysis, two components had latent roots larger than 1. The rotated component matrix of the two factors revealed that all items had R values over 0.30, indicating that none of them should be excluded. In addition, CFA results revealed that χ² = 3524, df = 1283, χ²/df ratio = 2.74, p < 0.001, GFI = 0.86, CFI = 0.92, AGFI = 0.88, and RMSEA = 0.05. The scale's convergent and discriminant validity was confirmed.

CONCLUSIONS

The 14-item, two-dimensional Fear and Stigma of COVID-19 Reinfection Scale (FSoCOVID-19 RS) was demonstrated to have reliable psychometric properties.