Technostress, Coping, and Anxious and Depressive Symptomatology in University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introversion, Alexithymia, and Hostility: A Path Analysis From Personality to Suicidal Ideation Among University Students

PURPOSE

The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between state (i.e., hostility) and trait (i.e., social detachment, alexithymia) psychological constructs associated with suicidal ideation among university students.

METHODS

A group of 190 university students was consecutively recruited in the period between September 2022 and March 2023. After a clinical interview, a series of psychological tests were administered: the Cattell's 16-Personality Factors Questionnaire (16PF), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), and the anamnestic form of the Cognitive Behavioral Assessment (CBA2.0), which contains a specific question regarding the suicidal ideation.

RESULTS

The analyses demonstrated that alexithymia fully mediated the relationship between a particular aspect of introversion (social detachment or low warmth) and hostility which, in turn, seemed to be a significant predictor of suicidal ideation.

CONCLUSIONS

The path analysis conducted seemed to highlight the importance of personality traits, such as social detachment and the ability to recognize and express one's internal states, on the mental health of university students in terms of hostility and suicidal ideation. Considering that the reduction of suicide mortality has been prioritized as a global target in the 15-19 age group, identifying the psychological factors associated with it is fundamental.

Factors Associated with the e-Health Literacy Among Older Adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The telemanagement model in chronic diseases needs older patients to have a certain level of e-Health literacy. According to Electronic Health Literacy model, factors associated with the e-Health literacy among older patients could be comprehensively investigated from individual, situational, and environmental aspects. Objectives: To investigate the e-Health literacy levels among older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and explore associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among older patients with COPD. The e-Health Literacy Scale was used to measure individuals' e-Health literacy. The multiple linear regression was applied to identify factors associated with e-Health literacy. Results: A total of 230 responses were included in the final analysis. The average score of e-Health literacy for older COPD patients was 24.66 (6.86). After adjusting the model, the results of multiple linear regression demonstrated that aging attitudes (B = 0.067, p < 0.001), technophobia (B = -0.285, p < 0.001), and self-efficacy (B = 0.431, p < 0.001) accounted for 68.3% (p < 0.001) of the total variation in e-Health literacy. Conclusion: This study identifies significant correlations of technophobia, aging attitudes, and self-efficacy, respectively, with e-Health literacy, and self-efficacy and technophobia may be constant predictive factors of e-Health literacy. In the future, intervention research on e-Health literacy should be conducted from a social psychology perspective, with particular emphasis on addressing negative aging attitudes and technophobia. That will promote the tele-management model of chronic diseases. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR): ChiCTR1900028563; http://apps.who.int/trialsearch/default.aspx.

COVID-19-Related Stressors and Psychophysical Health Conditions among Italian University Students: A Post Pandemic Insight

The COVID-19 medical emergency has ended worldwide, yet the psychological impact of these years of unprecedented changes on students' lives still needs to be deepened.

METHODS

This study aims to assess and compare COVID-19-related stressors (relationships and academic life; isolation; and fear of contagion) and psychophysical symptoms reported by 637 university students at three times, i.e., April 2020 (n = 197), April 2021 (n = 200), and April 2022 (n = 240). The impact of COVID-19-related stressors on psychophysical symptoms within each time was also tested.

RESULTS

In April 2022, perceived isolation and fear of contagion decreased from the peak registered in April 2021, but stress related to relationships and academic life remained high. An ongoing increase in psychophysical symptoms was found. More than 50% of students reported clinical levels of sleep disorders, depression, psychoticism, and interpersonal sensitivity. In April 2022, students still perceiving stress related to relationships and academic life and isolation were at risk for anxiety, somatization, and sleep disorders. Students still perceiving stress related to fear of contagion were also at risk for depression, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and psychoticism.

CONCLUSION

The findings emphasized the long-lasting effects of COVID-19-related stress on students' psychophysical health. Interventions must aim at supporting students in dealing with the complex post-pandemic adjustment process.

Social support as a mediator in the relationship between technostress or academic stress and health: analysis by gender among university students

Introduction

This research aims to study the role of social support as a mediator in the relationship between technostress or academic stress and health in university students.

Methods

A descriptive, quantitative cross-sectional study has been carried out through a self-reported survey answered by 389 students during March and April 2022. The current level of health was the outcome variable. Technostress and academic stress were the criterion variables. Perceived social support was the mediator variable. The sociodemographic variables and ICT use at the educational level were the independent variables.

Results

Women have higher levels of technostress and academic stress than men. Social support significantly and positively mediates the relationship between academic stress and self-perceived health in men.

Discussion

There is a clear need to develop new social management strategies that assist students in developing stable and long-lasting social networks, which can reduce stress during the student period and provide personal tools for later working life.

Technostress and academic motivation: direct and indirect effects on university students' psychological health

Introduction

Research has well demonstrated that the pandemic entailed several implications among university students worldwide in terms of increased use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), technostress, disruptions in academic goals and motivation processes, and growing psychological suffering. Responding to the new research need to go in-depth into the processes linking technostress and motivation dimensions to inform current research/interventions, the present study aimed to explore the direct effects of perceived Technostress dimensions (Techno-Overload, Work-Home Conflict, Pace of Change, Techno-Ease, Techno-Reliability, and Techno-Sociality) and Academic Motivation dimensions (Amotivation, Intrinsic, and Extrinsic Motivation dimensions) on students' perceived levels of Anxiety/Depression and test the potential indirect effect (mediating role) of Academic Motivation dimensions in the associations between Technostress and psychological health conditions.

Methods

Overall, 1,541 students from five European countries (Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Serbia, United Kingdom) completed a survey comprising a Background Information Form, the Technostress Scale, the Academic Motivation Scale-College, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Hayes' PROCESS tool was used to test direct and indirect (mediating) effects.

Results

Data revealed that Techno-Overload, Work-Home Conflict, Amotivation, and Extrinsic Motivation-Introjected had a direct negative effect, whereas Techno-Ease, Techno-Reliability, Techno-Sociality, all Intrinsic Motivation dimensions, and Extrinsic Motivation-Identified had a direct protective role for students' psychological health. The significant indirect role of motivation dimensions in the associations between Technostress dimensions and Anxiety/Depression was fully supported.

Discussion

Findings allow gaining further insight into the pathways of relationships between technostress, motivation, and psychological health, to be used in the current phase, featured by the complete restoration of face-to-face contacts, to inform the development of tailored research and interventions, which address lights and shadows of the technology use, and which take into account the necessity to enhance its potentials yet without impairing students' motivation and psychological health.

Statistical methods to estimate the impact of remote teaching on university students' performance

The COVID-19 pandemic manifested around the World since February 2020, leading to disruptive effects on many aspects of people social life. The suspension of face-to-face teaching activities in schools and universities was the first containment measure adopted by the Governments to deal with the spread of the virus. Remote teaching has been the emergency solution implemented by schools and universities to limit the damages of schools and universities closure to students' learning. In this contribution we intend to suggest to policy makers and researchers how to assess the impact of emergency policies on remote learning in academia by analysing students' careers. In particular, we exploit the quasi-experimental setting arising from the sudden implementation of remote teaching in the second semester of academic year 2019/2020: we compare the performance of the cohort 2019/2020, which represents the treatment group, with the performance of the cohort 2018/2019, which represents the control group. We distinguish the impact of remote teaching at two levels: degree program and single courses within a degree program. We suggest to use Difference-In-Differences approach in the former case and multilevel modeling in the latter one. The proposal is illustrated analysing administrative data referred to freshmen of cohorts 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 for a sample of degree programs of the University of Florence (Italy).

Technostress of students during COVID-19 - a sign of the time?

University students are considered digital natives but they often have difficulties in the effective integration of information technology (IT) into their study routine. To unravel this puzzle we proposed a model of IT effects on students' well-being, based on the Job Demands-Resources theory, one of the most widely used models of human well-being in organizational contexts. We described three processes affecting students’ well-being. A techno-stress process generates strain via an increase in study demands. A techno-enrichment process sparks motivation through the creation of energizing study techno-resources. A dual-nature techno-challenge process sparks motivation but also creates strain. Our elaboration might help to reconcile conflicting findings on the role of IT in remote learning and contribute to a better understanding of the effect of IT on students. The proposed theoretical model might also spark further empirical research and provide guidelines for research on IT use in university learning.

Persistence of Lockdown Consequences on Children: A Cross-sectional Comparative Study

Lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant psychological impact on children and adolescents. This study compared lockdown effects on children aged 1-10 years in 2020 and 2021. Two structured questionnaires were administered to 3392 parents in 2020, and 3203 in 2021. Outcomes considered for the data analysis included sleep changes, episodes of irritability, attention disturbances, distance learning and number of siblings. For data analysis, children were divided into two groups: pre-scholar (1-5 years old) and older ones. The lockdown was associated with a significant increase in sleep disturbances in 2020 and persisted after a year. The high prevalence of mood changes persisted unchanged in children under the age of 10 in 2020 and in 2021. Even if strengthened family ties seemed to mitigate the negative impact of lockdowns in 2020, this effect appeared absent or at least reduced in 2021. Irritability and rage in children were perceived to have increased in 2021 compared to 2020. A significant reduction in digital device use was observed in 2021 compared to 2020. Overall, the most harmful consequences of the lockdown in 2020 were still observed in 2021. Further studies are needed to analyze possible psychological effects that the generation who experienced the pandemic during early childhood may have, particularly in their future adolescence, in order to identify possible intervention practices to support families.

Technology-Enhanced Learning and Well-being: a Contribution to the Validation of a Measure to Assess University Students' Technostress in the Italian Context

COVID-19 has forced many universities to adopt widely technology-enhanced learning (TEL), highlighting the role of technostress as a risk factor for detrimental outcomes that may be prevented through the assessment with reliable tools. Thus, the present study aimed to test the psychometric characteristics of the Italian validation of the technostress scale by Wang, Tan, and Li. A self-report online questionnaire was completed by 915 participants (aged 18-33 years) attending an online university course during the health emergency. A subsample of 301 subjects (M Age = 20.91, SD = 1.93) filled out the same questionnaire after a 3-month time interval to evaluate the test-retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis verified the one-factor structure of the scale, which was confirmed across academic courses considered (first-year and senior students). Moreover, the findings showed significant associations with the Italian Technostress Creators Scale and the Italian Mental Health Continuum-Short Form, as well as a satisfactory test-retest coefficient value supporting its validity and reliability. In light of the above, the study provides a useful instrument to evaluate technostress related to TEL and indications to implement preventive interventions for this type of stress by improving students' experience with learning technologies.