Protecting mental health of young adults in COVID-19 pandemic: Roles of different structural and functional social supports

Association Between Electronic Device Use at Bedtime and COVID-19 Vaccine-Related Adverse Events During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korean Adults: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Population-Based Study

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to heightened mood disturbances linked to increased electronic device use at bedtime (EUB). General anxiety may contribute to an increased likelihood of experiencing nocebo responses, which have been reported to be associated with COVID-19 vaccine-related adverse events (CAEs). However, no related studies have been conducted to examine this association to date.

METHODS

We executed a nationwide cross-sectional study to explore these correlations during the pandemic. Using data from the 2022 National Sleep Survey of South Korea, we analyzed the sleep health of 4,000 adults aged 20-69 years between January and February 2022. Shift workers and those with severe sleep disorders were excluded. Participants with EUB more than four days a week were labeled as high frequency EUB, and those reporting CAEs after both vaccine doses were marked as having a presence of CAEs. The survey also included details about anthropometric data, socioeconomic status, and sleep status.

RESULTS

Of the 3,702 participants, 92.6% had received two or more vaccine doses, with 41.2% experiencing CAEs. Furthermore, 73.7% had a high EUB frequency. Factors associated with CAE reporting included younger age, female sex, and high EUB frequency, while heavy alcohol use was found to be less likely to be associated with CAE reporting. Notably, a high EUB frequency was significantly associated with reported CAEs (odds ratio, 1.223; 95% confidence interval, 1.028-1.455; P = 0.023).

CONCLUSION

A nationwide online survey conducted in South Korea during the pandemic found that individuals who engaged in the relatively frequent use of electronic devices during bedtime had worse sleep quality and increased COVID-19-related adverse events compared with those using these devices less frequently. These findings have the potential to enhance our understanding of the impact of the use of electronic devices at bedtime on health.

Coping with COVID-19 Pandemic and Sustained Health Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study in Bangladesh

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people's health behavioral changes have been transposed into a new dimension. Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic may have an impact on sustained health behavior (SHB). Therefore, this study aimed to explore the validity and reliability of the COVID-19 Coping Scale among working-age individuals and to assess whether coping with COVID-19-related stress could influence SHB in this population. A cross-sectional study was conducted based on the population of the city of Dhaka in Bangladesh. A total of 263 working-age individuals (19-65 years) participated in the study. The present study results confirmed the COVID-19 Coping Scale was a valid and reliable instrument for this population. Moreover, the present finding indicated decreased odds of SHB for individuals who rated lower scores on coping with COVID-19 compared to individuals who rated higher scores; the result remained significant after controlling for gender and education (OR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.54-0.87). The present study suggests two important findings: (i) the instrument used in this study was valid and reliable in this population, and (ii) coping with COVID-19-related stress may be an important aspect of practicing SHB. Policymakers may use the highlighted findings to facilitate sustainable health behavior for long-term health benefits and to tackle future pandemics like COVID-19 or in a similar context.