A trend of Korean older adults’ awareness as a threat to society during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background Unlike ageism that consists of one’s prejudice, stereotype, and discrimination toward older adults, age-based threats are one’s negative cognition (Levy, 2001). Previous studies indicated that the younger generation stigmatizes the older generation as unworthy during the COVID-19 pandemic (Meisner, 2021). However, there is no study looking at how older adults perceive themselves as threats to society during this time of the pandemic. Thus, our study aimed to understand the varying trend of older adults’ awareness as a threat to society in association with socio-economic profiles before and during the pandemic. Method: This study included 637 Korean older adults who answered the older generation’s threats to society from 2018 to 2020. We used Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to categorize participants into different subgroups that shared distinct patterns of threats to society. Multinomial logistic regression examined how the subgroups in threats to society were associated with socio-demographic characteristics in each year. Results For three waves, three clusters of threats to society (low, mid, and high) were identified. Although the mid-level of threat remained the same (60% of the sample for three years), the high level of threats has been doubled in 2019 (25%) compared to 2018 (11%) and 2020 (13%). Regarding the associated socio-demographic characteristics with threats to society, those who being female in 2018 and younger age in 2020 were more likely to be associated with mid-level of threats to society. Discussion Further study needs to identify the relationship between awareness as a threat to society and health outcomes.

The Relationship Between Quarantine Length and Negative Affect During the COVID-19 Epidemic Among the General Population in China: The Roles of Negative Cognition and Protective Factors

Quarantine and isolation at extended length, although considered as highly effective countermeasures for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) which started at the end of 2019, can have great impact on individual's mental health, especially emotional state. The present research recruited 5,115 participants from the general public across 32 provinces and autonomous regions in China in an online survey study, about 20 days after the lockdown of the epicenter (Wuhan), to investigate the relationship between the length of the quarantine and negative affect (including depression and anxiety), as well as the mediating roles of negative cognition (including worry and anticipation), and the moderating roles of dispositional optimism, tolerance of uncertainty, social support, and healthy behavior. The results showed that: (1) Worry and anticipation mediated the relationship between quarantine length and depression and anxiety; (2) Dispositional optimism moderated the path coefficients of quarantine length to worry, worry to anxiety, and anticipation to depression; (3) Tolerance of uncertainty moderated the path coefficient of worry to anxiety; (4) Social support moderated the path coefficient of anticipation to anxiety. In conclusion, during quarantine, dispositional optimism, uncertainty tolerance, and social support can buffer the direct or indirect effects of quarantine length on depression and anxiety. These findings could have profound implications on the societal responses to COVID-19 and future pandemics.

Depressive Symptoms and Negative Experiences in School: A Network Analysis

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDSNegative experiences in school predict youth’s depression. However, the dynamic interactions of depressive symptoms with adolescents’ negative experiences in school remain unclear. This study aimed to applied network analysis to detect the complex relationships between early adolescents’ depressive symptoms and negative experiences in school.METHODSWe adopted the data from a Chinese national survey conducted in 2018. Eight hundred ninety-seven adolescents from 10 to 15 years old were included. The measurements included an 8-item depression screener scale and a 14-item scale assessing negative experiences in school.RESULTSThe centrality analysis suggested that Chinese adolescents’ core depressive symptoms were negative affections and negative cognition that “ I felt that everything I did was an effort. “ Regarding “negative experiences in the school,” the most central nodes were poor academic performance and peer relationships. The bridge-centrality results showed negative emotions in school and difficulties in peer relationships were significantly linked to depression.CONCLUSIONNegative emotional experiences in school and peer relationships were the two most important factors linked to depression.

The Mediation Effect of Hyperarousal Symptoms on the Relationship Between Childhood Physical Abuse and Suicidal Ideation of Patients With PTSD

Objective: This study examined the relationship of childhood physical abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and suicide in patients with PTSD through path analysis.Materials and Methods: A total of 114 patients with PTSD (36 men and 78 women) were recruited and completed psychological assessments including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the scale for suicidal ideation, the clinician-administered PTSD scale for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, the PTSD checklist, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the results. We developed a model including childhood physical abuse experience as the causal variable, suicidal ideation as a result variable, and PTSD and depression as mediation variables. PTSD symptoms were divided into four clusters [intrusion, avoidance, negative cognition and mood, and altered arousal and reactivity (hyperarousal)] to determine predictive power for suicide.Results: PTSD symptoms fully mediated the relationship between childhood physical abuse and suicidal ideation. Furthermore, PTSD symptoms fully mediated the relationship between childhood physical abuse and depression. Among the PTSD symptoms, hyperarousal was the only symptom cluster that mediated the relationship between childhood physical abuse and suicidal ideation. The symptom clusters of negative cognition and mood as well as hyperarousal mediated the relationship between childhood physical abuse and depression.Conclusions: This study presents a link between childhood physical abuse and current symptoms in patients with PTSD, and highlights specific PTSD symptom clusters (i.e., hyperarousal, negative cognition and mood) that may increase the risk for psychopathology later in life.

ANALISIS KOGNITIF PESERTA PELATIHAN VOKASIONAL RENCANA USAHA DAN MANAJEMEN KEUANGAN KELOMPOK SWADAYA MASYARAKAT (KSM) BINAAN BDC SRIWIJAYA PALEMBANG

The purpose of the analysis is to find out the cognitions that appear in the cognitive system of vocational training participants in business plans and financial management of self-help groups (KSM) assisted by BDC Sriwijaya Palembang through the pre-test and post-test answers.There are 3 groups of knowledge behavior modes in participants' memories, namely positive mode 73%, negative 17% and doubtful 10%.Through the statement "I believe being able to understand the material of business plans and financial management" 83% positive and 17% negative cognitions are generated in the cognitive structure.These cognitions integrate with cognitive functions namely new cognitive notions, emotions, attitudes and motivations.New cognitive understanding results from integration with emotions, namely positive cognition 74% and negative 26%, a change in 9% positive cognition switches to negative.Integration of cognition with attitudes produces positive cognition 44%, negative 7% and neutral 49%, here there is a transition between positive and negative cognition to neutral cognition or no opinion at all. Integration with motivation by asking KSM motives / hopes, generated business capital assistance motives positive cognition 89% negative 11%, marketing assistance motives, 70% positive cognition 30%, and guiding motives to developing KSM efforts, positive cognition 92% negative 8%.Conclusion Changing habits that have been practiced for years will take time, energy and great breakthroughs about training methods that they are easy to understand.

Attention Bias Modification in Remitted Depression Is Associated With Increased Interest and Leads to Reduced Adverse Impact of Anxiety Symptoms and Negative Cognition

Using a computational network approach, we reanalyzed data from a randomized controlled trial of attention bias modification (ABM) tasks on residual depression symptoms. The main aim was to characterize the symptom-to-symptom changes following ABM. ABM was associated with improvements in interest, which was in turn associated with improvements in other depression symptoms. Although there were no changes in the global network strength following ABM, the comparison with symptom change in the ABM and control group suggests that ABM leads to a reduction of the association between anxiety, depressed mood, and guilt. Findings suggest that reduction in depression symptoms following ABM may have been set in motion by increased interest and involvement in everyday activities, leading to a reduction of the adverse impact of anxiety and negative cognition. ABM may be more effective in patients in whom these symptoms are prominent.