Exploring the Impact of COVID-19-Related Changes on the Well-Being of Korean Adolescents: An Analysis Using a Serial Mediation Model.

PURPOSE: Few studies have investigated both the positive and negative impacts of perceived changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents' wellbeing. This study aimed to comprehensively identify the factors associated with the overall wellbeing of the youth population. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was employed using data from the 2020 Korean Survey of Children and Youth. Data were collected from N = 7,170 adolescents (aged 9-24 years) during the implementation of social distancing measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants provided self-reported data about their COVID-19-induced perceived changes, wellbeing, parental support, and self-esteem between November 2020 and February 2021. The effect of COVID-19-induced perceived changes on adolescents' wellbeing during the pandemic was assessed by evaluating the mediating roles of parental support and self-esteem. RESULTS: The findings highlighted a serial mediating effect of parental support and self-esteem on the relationship between adolescents' COVID-19-related perceived changes and wellbeing. DISCUSSION: This study deepens the understanding of the intricate interplay between pandemic-related perceived changes, mediating factors, and wellbeing among adolescents. The findings imply that a comprehensive approach combining interventions aimed at enhancing self-esteem at the individual level with parental support may be most effective in improving adolescents' wellbeing.

Factors Associated with Aging in Place among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Korea: Findings from a National Survey.

Ever since baby boomers started turning 65 years old in 2020, Korea is set to become a super-aged society by 2025. This makes it the world's fastest-aging society. Aging in place (AIP) has become a policy direction to prepare for an aging society and improve older adults' quality of life. It refers to the ability of older adults to remain in their homes and communities as they age, allowing them to reside in their place of preference and access the services they require to promote their quality of life. A cross-sectional study design was employed using data sampled from the 2020 National Survey of Older Koreans. In total, 9930 older adults (aged between 65 and 99 years old) participated. The results confirmed that the intention to pursue AIP is related to personal factors (education, income, house ownership, smoking, exercise, depression), interpersonal and communal factors (unmet healthcare needs, need for home care services, family contact), and policy level factors (basic pension beneficiary, long-term care services) using an ecological model. The findings may promote individual health behaviors and help fill the gap between unmet healthcare needs and community care services that positively influence older adults' AIP.

Abuse and risk factors among community-dwelling elderly in South Korea during COVID-19.

Elder abuse is a serious social problem in South Korea. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and identify risk factors of elder abuse during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. By using the 2020 Living Profiles of Older People Survey in Seoul Metropolitan City and considering sociodemographic, health-related, social support, and isolation factors as independent variables, a logistic regression model was established. Among 3,106 samples, the overall rate of elder abuse was 8.5%, with emotional abuse being the most frequent. Social isolation (OR = 1.47, p = .018) and recognition of abuse (OR = 0.90, p = .003) were associated with having experienced abuse. Seniors with a greater number of diseases, higher levels of dependency, depressive symptoms, and/or cognitive impairments were more likely to suffer abuse, as were those who smoked or drank alcohol. To prevent elder abuse by social isolation during and after COVID-19, more active health promotion programs and healthy aging policies should be implemented.

Factors Associated with Cigarette, E-Cigarette, and Dual Use among South Korean Adolescents.

Dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes has become common among Korean adolescents but has decreased among adults. Dual use refers to using two tobacco products; however, in this study, it is defined as using both e-cigarettes and cigarettes. We assessed the prevalence of dual use among Korean adolescents and its relationship with socio-demographic, smoking-related characteristics, and other risk behaviors. The 2019 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey's data on 57,303 adolescents were analyzed using logistic regression. Overall, 13.8% had recently (in the past 30 days), used some type of cigarette, 3.3% were dual users, 3.4% exclusively smoked conventional cigarettes, and 0.6% exclusively vaped e-cigarettes. After adjusting for socio-demographic and psychological factors, substance use, smoking initiation by 13 years, secondhand smoke in school and public, and amount of cigarette consumption proved significant for all cigarette user types. Dual use was strongly associated with younger age (≤15 years), cigarette smoking initiation before 13 years, secondhand smoke exposure at school, and heavy cigarette smoking. Limited smoking cessation attempts, secondhand smoke exposure in public, and ease of cigarette purchases decrease the odds of adolescents becoming dual users. Thus, surveillance and enforcement of the juvenile protection measures need updating to prevent a shift into dual use.

Use of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Caffeine and Suicide Attempts: Findings From a Nationally Representative Cross-sectional Study.

In this study, the association between students' substance use and suicide attempts in the past 1 year was examined using secondary data from the 13th Korea Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. Participants were 7th- to 12th-grade students and 50.9% were male. A binominal logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between past experience of substance use (alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine) and suicide attempts after controlling for sociodemographic and psychological factors. Compared with no use, daily use of alcohol (odds ratio [OR] = 8.00), caffeine (OR = 2.13), and tobacco (OR = 1.41) was associated with increased odds of suicide attempts. These results indicate that school-based suicide prevention programs should cover awareness, surveillance, and treatment referral for these 3 substances. Moreover, mental health professionals should monitor intake of these substances when evaluating risk of suicide attempts in youth.