Burn or Balm?: Exploring University Students' Experiences With Social Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The impact on perceived burnout experiences among university students from the intensification of social media use during the earliest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet fully understood. In total, 516 university students (430 females) in a midsized city in Ontario, Canada completed one online survey that explored student characteristics (i.e., personality, life satisfaction, perceived stress, and basic psychological needs) as well as frequency and perceived purpose of social media use. Approximately 80% indicated an increase in their social media use with iMessage/Text messaging, Instagram, and Snapchat being the three most frequently accessed platforms. Social media use was associated with higher levels of perceived stress, extraversion, satisfaction and frustration of psychological relatedness needs, and frustration of competence need. Most students (87%) reported experiencing burnout. Greater burnout was associated with individuals who reported higher perceived stress, scored high in extroversion, and greater use of Instagram. Overall, intensified social media use during the pandemic yielded both positive and negative outcomes.

Exploring interface design to support caregivers' needs and feelings of trust in online content.

INTRODUCTION: Family caregivers of people living with dementia require a range of accurate, current, and reliable information throughout the care trajectory. Much of this information is available online, however it can be difficult for caregivers to identify and decide what content is relevant to them. Little is known about how online design cues impact family caregivers' decision to assess how trustworthy information is and whether to engage with it. METHODS: Our exploratory research focused on the interface design of CARE-RATE, an online search tool intended to support more effective information searches for family caregivers seeking dementia care-related resources. Data from focus groups were coupled with design literature to inform the development of three mockups that were evaluated by seven dementia caregiver experts. RESULTS: Participants preferred a search bar design because of its simplicity, familiarity, and functionality. Design elements that impact trust included logos from reputable organizations, transparency of content author, and ratings from other caregivers. CONCLUSION: Feelings of trust regarding information, including the ability to ascertain trustworthiness, is a major aspect of caregivers' willingness to engage with online content. Transparency and familiarity appear to be key elements that impact caregivers' trust in online information, which agrees with current web design research.

Level of choice in older women's decisions to retire or continue working and associated well-being.

Retirement is a complex life transition. Women's retirement, like their work lives, may be further complicated, for example, by family or financial obligations; they may feel forced to retire or to continue working or feel they have the choice to do so. This study examines the role of voluntary versus involuntary retirement or continued work participation among retirement-age women; specifically, the relationships between choice, work status, and well-being. Compared to women forced to retire, women who chose retirement or continuing to work had higher levels of life satisfaction. Findings highlight the importance of examining retirement within the life course context.

Effects of Pre-Retirement Personality, Health and Job Lock on Post-Retirement Subjective Well-being.

Retirement can be difficult, and experiences vary greatly. Although health, financial status, and family responsibilities have been associated with retirement adjustment, individual psychosocial characteristics may also play a role. Moreover, relatively little is known about the impact of perceived 'job lock'-the belief that retirement is impossible due to financial or health constraints-and its relationship with later retirement adjustment. The current study addresses these limitations in the literature by examining the retirement transition over four years in a large sample of U.S. adults, with a particular focus on the ways in which personality may affect this transition. Data collected at baseline (2008/2010) and again four years later (2012/2014) included the Big Five personality traits, pre-retirement job lock, self-rated health, and multiple indicators of post-retirement well-being, such as global and experienced well-being (anchored within activities in a single day). Participants were drawn from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 716; Mage = 61.9 at baseline). Results indicated that experienced positive affect was the only post-retirement well-being outcome with a significant association with job lock, although only for those with low conscientiousness. Findings also suggest that pre-retirement personality and subjective health play an important role for post-retirement well-being. Thus, the current study highlights the importance for researchers and practitioners to consider both pre-retirement personality and health when evaluating individuals' management of the retirement transition. Word Count: 224.