The availability of a wide range of online health-related information on the internet has made it an increasingly popular source of health information, particularly for people in their 20s. This study aimed to explore possible multistep and indirect pathways of association between e-health literacy and health-promoting behaviors through social media use for health information, online health information-seeking behaviors, and self-care agency among nursing students. The study included 558 nursing students from three different universities in South Korea. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from 2 August to 29 August, 2019. The results show that e-health literacy had a significant direct effect on health-promoting behaviors through the three mediators. Moreover, the overall model explained 46% of the total variance in health-promoting behaviors. Based on these findings, it is necessary to introduce interventions that improve e-health literacy and develop a strategy to promote healthy behaviors. It is also necessary to develop programs to improve e-health literacy competency in nursing students. Moreover, health interventions that improve health-promoting behaviors should be developed, and research to evaluate the effect of the interventions should be conducted.

As the number of older adults with dementia increases, early diagnosis and intervention are crucially important. The purpose of this study was to conduct dementia screening on older adults to determine whether there are differences in depression, loneliness, social support, daily activities of living, and life satisfaction between older adults at high-risk for dementia compared with low-risk older adults. We hypothesized a negative relationship between high-risk older adults and these factors. This study also hypothesized a moderating effect for social support on the relationship between daily living activities and life satisfaction. This study used a cross-sectional design with survey data. Participants were recruited at 15 public community health centers in South Korea. A total of 609 older adults (male 208, female 401) living in the community were screened for early dementia, and 113 participants (18.9%) were assigned to the high-risk group. As hypothesized, participants in the high-risk group showed significantly more negative results in terms of activities of daily living, depression, loneliness, social support, and life satisfaction compared with participants in the low-risk group. The findings of this study provide a theoretical basis for the importance of early screening for dementia and policies for effective dementia prevention.

Hope is essential in rehabilitating persons with schizophrenia, though scales to measure hope are not appropriate for this population. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to identify the psychometric properties of the Schizophrenia Hope Scale-9 (SHS-9) using data from 83 people with schizophrenia in four mental health centers and 762 healthy persons from two universities in South Korea. The total SHS-9 score is calculated by adding all items’ scores and ranges from 0 to 18. The mean (standard deviation) SHS-9 score of the participants with schizophrenia and healthy participants was 11.53 (SD = 4.78) and 14.78 (SD = 3.19), respectively. Lower scores indicate a lower level of hope. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.92 with a four-week test-retest reliability of 0.89. Criterion-related construct validity was established by examining the correlation between the SHS-9 and the State-Trait Hope Inventory scores. Divergent validity was identified through a negative relationship of SHS-9 with the Beck Hopelessness Scale. In persons with schizophrenia and healthy college students, Bartlett’s test of sphericity yielded χ2 = 465.03 (p < 0.001) and χ2 = 2679.24 (p < 0.001) respectively. The values of the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy were 0.89 and 0.90, respectively. The construct validity of the SHS-9 was confirmed through principal component analysis with extraction methods, which resulted in a one-factor solution, accounting for 61.83% of the total item variance. This study provides evidence for the validity and reliability of the SHS-9; therefore, it could be used to study the relationships between hope and other variables (e.g., depression and recovery) in persons with schizophrenia and measure the effect of psychosocial interventions on their hope.

Background This study aimed to examine the effects of psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and emotional eating behaviors on the health-related quality of life of middle-aged Korean females. This study provides primary data for developing an intervention program to improve the health-related quality of life of middle-aged females. Methods Middle-aged females between 35 and 64 years old, from July 22 to August 10, 2021, were included in this study. The mediating effects of depressive symptoms and emotional eating behaviors on the relationship between psychological distress and health-related quality of life were investigated. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 325 subjects. Researchers conducted questionnaires measuring psychological distress, depressive symptoms, emotional eating behavior, and health-related quality of life. Results The findings of this study demonstrated a correlation between the severity of a female’s depressive symptoms and the degree of their psychological distress, indicating that severe depressive symptoms were associated with negative emotions, which increased emotional eating behaviors. Additionally, more severe depressive symptoms indicated a lower health-related quality of life. Higher psychological distress was associated with increased emotional eating behaviors and lower health-related quality of life. The total and direct effects of psychological distress on the health-related quality of life were statistically significant. Conclusions In this study, psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and emotional eating behaviors affected the health-related quality of life of middle-aged Korean females. This study also confirmed that psychological distress had a direct effect on health-related quality of life. These findings serve as primary data for evidence-based intervention programs that alleviate emotional health problems, such as psychological distress and depressive symptoms in middle-aged females. Moreover, nurses can help develop effective treatment strategies to improve health-related quality of life by identifying and assessing potential symptoms of psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and emotional eating behaviors.

Aim To investigate how personal protective equipment with an attached powered air‐purifying respirator worn by intensive care unit nurses caring for COVID‐19 patients in Korea impacts nursing‐skill performance and psychosocial stress. Design A cross‐sectional descriptive study was designed using purposive sampling. Review Methods Online data collection was conducted from 3 March 2021–20 March 2021on 181 nurses who had worked for more than 1 month in COVID‐19 critical care settings wearing personal protective equipment with a powered air‐purifying respirator. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data on sociodemographic characteristics, attitude toward personal protective equipment, nursing‐skill performance wearing personal protective equipment and psychosocial stress. Data Sources Data was sourced from structured questionnaire responses. Results Nursing skill performance decreased to 63.4%, compared with normal performance. Subjects' perceptions and attitudes related to PPE scored 3.56 out of 5; 44.7% of subjects reported severe psychosocial stress, which was significantly affected by attitude toward personal protective equipment usage, nursing performance, experience caring for COVID‐19 patients and length of personal protective equipment usage per shift. Conclusion Greater negative attitude toward usage of personal protective equipment with a powered air‐purifying respirator, results in lower nursing‐skill performance and higher the psychosocial stress of nurses responding to COVID‐19 outbreaks. Implications for the profession and/or patient care High negative attitude toward PPE and low nursing‐skill performance due to PPE with an attached PAPR results in significant and debilitating psychosocial stress in ICU nurses responding to COVID‐19 outbreaks. To respond effectively to future infectious disease outbreaks and improve nursing performance, minimising the inconvenience and restrictions experienced by nurses wearing personal protective equipment is critical. Reporting Method We adhered to relevant EQUATOR guidelines to report. Patient or Public Contribution No patient or public contribution.