Associations among Solo Dining, Self-Determined Solitude, and Depression in South Korean University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Although solo dining motivated by self-determined solitude can be a positive and healthy experience for individuals, solo dining that is not motivated by self-determined solitude can trigger physical and mental health problems. This study examined the associations among solo dining, self-determined solitude, and depression in university students. Accordingly, an online survey was conducted on 372 university students. The results show that students who live alone, those in poor health, and those with more frequent solo dining experiences had higher depression scores than others. Whereas satisfaction with solo dining was high when voluntary solitude was high, female students displayed higher depression scores when they had low self-determined solitude or high non-self-determined solitude, and when they had a higher frequency of eating lunch alone, compared to their male counterparts. University undergraduates who live and dine alone, owing to non-self-determined solitude, are highly vulnerable to mental health problems, including depression. Hence, interventions that foster social connectedness and entail the identification of factors accounting for students' non-self-determined solitude should be developed.

Changes in Core Competencies among Korean University Students Due to Remote Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study aimed to determine the academic performance and learning skills of students who studied through remote teaching methods during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It was conducted in February 2021 with 398 university students in South Korea. Data were collected through online surveys. Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) with an autoregressive correlation structure were employed to distinguish differences in core competencies, academic performance, satisfaction, and usefulness of teaching methods before 2019 and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings revealed that the overall core competencies of participants were significantly lower in 2020 than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, knowledge construction, responsibility practice, and socialization were significantly low during the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas information management and identity value did not show a significant difference. However, problem-solving was higher during the COVID-19 pandemic. Enhancing the core competencies of university students is integral in the new learning environment of the post-COVID-19 era. It is necessary to devise approaches that improve the effectiveness of remote teaching methods and simultaneously augment student satisfaction.