Impact of COVID-19 on the change in work conditions and career choices in general Vietnamese population.

Objectives: The onset of COVID-19 has resulted in both morbidity and mortality. It also has a consequential impact on the Vietnamese economy. Prior studies have examined the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare professionals' career decisions. However, no study remains to have examined the work conditions and career choices in a general Vietnamese population. Our study aims to identify factors associated with the change in work conditions and career choices in general Vietnamese population. Methods: An online cross-sectional study between September 2021 through to November 2021 (during the Omicron COVID-19 pandemic). Snowball sampling method was utilized in recruiting the participants. The questionnaire used in this study included the following questions: (a) Socio-demographic information; (b) impact of COVID-19 on personal habits/daily expenses; (c) Current nature of work and impact of COVID-19 on work; (d) Impact of COVID-19 on career decisions. Data analysis was performed using STATA version 16. Descriptive analysis followed by Ordered logit regression was performed, to identify potential covariates. Results: Six hundred and fifty participants were recruited, of which only 645 completed the survey. The completion rate was 99.2%. This study demonstrated the impact that COVID-19 has on finances, as only 32% of those sampled reported that they were able to pay in full. 46.6% of the respondents have had a decrease in their overall household income. With regards to their employment and work characteristics, 41.0% reported a decrease in their work satisfaction and 39.0% reported having reduced motivation for work. Females were less likely to consider transiting from their current job to another field than male participants. Respondents who were married, had a higher level of commitment to their current job, and lower inclination to transition to another field. Respondents experiencing financial difficulties were more likely to consider a transition to another field/work. Conclusion: This is perhaps one of the first studies to have examined the impact of COVID-19 on work intentions regarding career choices and transitions in the general Vietnamese population. Future financial policies must take into consideration these factors.

Economic burden and financial vulnerability of injuries among the elderly in Vietnam.

Falls are a leading cause of death among elderly people. However, research on the cost of fall-related injuries is limited in Vietnam. We estimated treatment costs and associated factors among 405 elderly patients in Thai Binh hospitals. Costs were estimated through self-reported data on medical and non-medical expenses. Logistic regression and GLM were used to identify payment and affordability factors. Inpatient and outpatient care costs for fall-related injuries were US$98.06 and US$8.53, respectively. 11.85% of participants couldn't pay for treatment. Payment ability and cost decline were linked to family income, medical history, and hospital stay length. Elderly with fall-related injuries in Vietnam experienced high costs and severe health issues. Primary healthcare services and communication campaigns should be strengthened to reduce disease burden and develop effective fall injury prevention strategies.

A reverse pattern in work motivation among Vietnamese health care workers during the prolonged COVID-19 outbreak of 2021: Determinants and implications.

Background: The workload burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on health systems requires not only financial support but also long-term and contextualized policies. We assessed the work motivation and its determinants among health workers at Vietnamese hospitals and facilities during the prolonged COVID-19 outbreaks in 2021. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2814 health care professionals across all three regions of Vietnam from October to November 2021. An online questionnaire, including the Work Motivation Scale, distributed by the snowball method to a subgroup of 939 respondents, investigated changes in working characteristics due to COVID-19, work motivation, and occupational intention. Results: Only 37.2% of respondents committed to their current job and about 40% reported a decrease in their job satisfaction. The Work Motivation Scale scored the lowest in "financial motivation" and the highest in "perception of work value". Participants who were in the north region, of younger age, unmarried, and who had a low level of adaptability to external work pressure, shorter experience, and less job satisfaction tended to be less motivated and committed to their current job. Conclusions: Intrinsic motivation has increased in importance during the pandemic. Therefore, policymakers should develop interventions that raise intrinsic, psychological motivation instead of only focusing on salary raises. Issues about intrinsic motivations of health care workers such as low adaptability to stress and professionalism in routine work should be prioritized during the pandemic preparedness and control.

Social Media Addiction among Vietnam Youths: Patterns and Correlated Factors.

BACKGROUND: Prior research has investigated how the excessive use of social media has an impact on one's functioning. Youths are among the most vulnerable subjects to the impacts of social media overuse, especially in Vietnam (a developing country). However, very little evidence has been provided on social media addiction. This work aims to determine the prevalence of social media addiction amongst Vietnamese individuals and the factors associated with social media addiction. METHOD: An online cross-sectional study was conducted from June to July 2020 in Vietnam. Participants completed the structured questionnaire, which comprised four main components: (1) social characteristics; (2) The Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale; (3) stress associated with neglect and negative reactions by online peers and fear of missing out (FOMO); and (4) status of social media platform usage. RESULTS: Some demographic factors, such as gender, the locality of accommodation, and relationship status affected the overall scores. The results also indicated Facebook, Zalo, and Youtube to be the most popular social media platforms among Vietnamese youths. Individuals who used social media for gaming also had higher BSMAS scores. FOMO and stress associated with neglect by online peers had a high correlation with social media addiction. CONCLUSIONS: This study is one of the first studies to examine social media addiction and its associated factors in Vietnam. Interventions for social media addiction need to be developed in different fields: clinical research, policy, and education.

Factor Structures of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Instruments in Exploring Depressive Symptoms of Suburban Population.

Background: This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and assess the relationship between the PHQ-9 domain and demographics and health behaviors in Vietnamese people. Materials and Methods: The PHQ9 was administered to 899 participants. Exploratory factor and reliability analyses were performed. Tobit regression and Ordered logistic regression were further performed to determine factors associated with the PHQ-9 score and characteristics of depression. Results: The 2-factor model of PHQ-9, including factor 1 "Somatic" and factor 2 "Cognitive/Affective," showed good psychometric properties. The Cronbach's alpha value showed high internal consistency in two factors (0.84 and 0.80, respectively). Gender, health behavior exercising, drinking, and health status had associations with both factors of the PHQ-9 model. Conclusion: The PHQ-9 scale is a valid and reliable instrument to assess depression in the Vietnam population. This scale can be a useful screening tool for depression; however, further validation studies in other populations are required.

Determinants of mental health among youths and adolescents in the digital era: Roles of cyber and traditional bullying, violence, loneliness, and environment factors.

Introduction: Although the pathogenesis of depressive disorders is not fully elucidated, untreated adolescent depression can lead to serious sequelae such as impaired academic performance and social functioning, substance use disorders, poor self-esteem, and increased risk for suicidal ideation and attempts. Literature on adolescent mental health in Vietnam is limited, despite increased international awareness of this critical issue. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associations of depressive symptoms in Vietnamese adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administered survey was conducted in five provinces of Vietnam among adolescents aged 14 to 24 years. In addition to collecting participants' demographics, a structured questionnaire was developed to examine depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, loneliness, and cyberbullying victimization. Depressive symptoms and loneliness were assessed via the PHQ-9 and UCLA Loneliness Scale, respectively. Two-tailed Chi-squared, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed to examine associations between variables. Multivariate Logistic regression models were conducted to examine the associations between prior-defined variables and positive depressive symptoms. Results: Among 1,600 respondents, 31.8% of participants reported having mild-moderate or severe depressive symptoms. Participants within the moderate-severe depressive symptom group had significantly lower community cohesion scores than those of participants in normal and mild depressive symptom groups (p < 0.05). Youths living alone were more likely to have moderate-severe depressive symptoms (OR 2.16; 95% CI: 1.09-4.25). Cyberbullying had significant associations with depressive severity (OR 1.93; 95% CI 1.38-2.70). Conclusion: The findings of this study characterize various risk and protective factors for depression in Vietnamese youths and adolescents. The results highlight the importance of raising awareness and increasing access to educational resources for depression and other mental health illnesses. With the rising prevalence of depression, parents, teachers, and community leaders play a vital role in addressing mental health problems in adolescents.