COVID-19 pandemic and factors influencing depression in residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Background: The COVID-19 outbreak caused the border closure, martial law declaration, and lockdown to prevent the spread of the disease. These policies caused reduced interaction among people,social isolation, and higher levels of anxiety and depression. Objectives: This study aimed to examine changes in depressive symptoms of residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that may have arisen due to the COVID-19 and lockdown measures and to identify relevant influencing factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 300 residents of the DRC. An online survey tool investigated general and public health characteristics and included the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for measuring depressive symptoms. The study was conducted from April 7­30, 2020. Results: The average depression score was low at 2.74±3.33. Factors influencing depression were the number of family members, probability of death due to COVID-19, knowledge of COVID-19, and time at home. The factor that most significantly influenced depression and these variables accounted for 26.9% of the influence of COVID-19 on depression (F= 9.936, p<.001). Conclusion: This study investigated the influence of COVID-19 outbreak on depression in DRC. Levels of depression increased for individuals who were living alone, had low levels of knowledge of COVID-19 and awareness of the disease severity, and spent a long time at home.

Does work passion benefit or hinder employee's career commitment? The mediating role of work-family interface and the moderating role of autonomy support.

Based on the dualistic model of passion, this study explored the relationship between distinct types of work passion and career commitment, as well as the mediating role of work-family interface and the moderating role of autonomy support. A two-wave study was conducted among South Korean workers (N = 250) over a 5-month time period. Results showed that harmonious work passion was positively associated with career commitment, whereas obsessive work passion was not significantly associated with career commitment. Moreover, work-family enrichment partially mediated the positive effect of harmonious work passion on career commitment, and work-family conflict fully mediated the negative effect of obsessive work passion on career commitment. Results further indicated that autonomy support strengthens the positive effect of harmonious work passion on work-family enrichment. Furthermore, this study expanded the understanding of the underlying psychological mechanisms of effects of work passion. The implications and limitations of the study and potential topics for future research are discussed.

The relationship between trends in COVID-19 prevalence and traffic levels in South Korea.

OBJECTIVE: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a COVID-19 pandemic on March 12, 2020. Several studies have indicated that densely populated urban environments and the heavy dependence on traffic could increase the potential spread of COVID-19. This study investigated the association between changes in traffic volume and the spread of COVID-19 in South Korea. METHODS: This study analyzed the daily national traffic and traffic trend for 3 months from January 1, 2020. Traffic data were measured using 6307 vehicle detection system (VDS). This study analyzed the difference in traffic levels between 2019 and 2020. Non-linear regression was performed to analyze the change in traffic trend in 2020. The relationship between traffic and confirmed COVID-19 cases was analyzed using single linear regression. RESULTS: The mean daily nationwide level of traffic for the first 3 months of 2020 was 143 655 563 vehicles, which was 9.7% lower than the same period in 2019 (159 044 566 vehicles). All regions showed a decreasing trend in traffic in February, which shifted to an increasing trend from March. In Incheon there was a positive, but insignificant, linear relationship between increasing numbers of newly confirmed cases and increasing traffic (ß = 43 146; p = 0.056). CONCLUSIONS: Numbers of newly confirmed COVID-19 patients have been decreasing since March, while the traffic has been increasing. The fact that traffic is increasing indicates greater contact between people, which in turn increases the risk of further COVID-19 spread. Therefore, the government will need to devise suitable policies, such as total social distancing.