Associations between eHealth literacy, mental health-seeking attitude, and mental wellbeing among young electronic media users in China during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective This study aimed to examine the associations among mental health related eHealth literacy (eHL), mental health-seeking attitude, and wellbeing among Chinese young electronic media users during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in Guangzhou, China. The modified eHealth literacy Scale, Mental Help-Seeking Attitudes Scale, and Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale were used. Structural equation modeling (SEM) examined the associations between them and was adjusted by several controlled variables. Results Totally, 1,008 participants completed the questionnaire and provided valid responses. The eHL showed a statistically significant and direct effect on mental wellbeing in this sample. The higher the level of eHL, the better wellbeing of the participants. The mental health-seeking attitude is also positively correlated with mental wellbeing, indicating that the more positive attitude toward seeking mental health services, the better the wellbeing participants reported. The higher level of eHL is significantly associated with a more positive attitude toward seeking mental health services. Conclusion Training to improve eHL may optimize young electronic media users' mental health outcomes. Development and use of a mental health specific eHL instrument in future studies should be encouraged.

Associations between eHealth literacy, mental health-seeking attitude, and mental wellbeing among young electronic media users in China during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the associations among mental health related eHealth literacy (eHL), mental health-seeking attitude, and wellbeing among Chinese young electronic media users during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in Guangzhou, China. The modified eHealth literacy Scale, Mental Help-Seeking Attitudes Scale, and Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale were used. Structural equation modeling (SEM) examined the associations between them and was adjusted by several controlled variables. Results: Totally, 1,008 participants completed the questionnaire and provided valid responses. The eHL showed a statistically significant and direct effect on mental wellbeing in this sample. The higher the level of eHL, the better wellbeing of the participants. The mental health-seeking attitude is also positively correlated with mental wellbeing, indicating that the more positive attitude toward seeking mental health services, the better the wellbeing participants reported. The higher level of eHL is significantly associated with a more positive attitude toward seeking mental health services. Conclusion: Training to improve eHL may optimize young electronic media users' mental health outcomes. Development and use of a mental health specific eHL instrument in future studies should be encouraged.

Associations among eHealth literacy, social support, individual resilience, and emotional status in primary care providers during the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate eHealth literacy among primary care providers (PCPs) and explore its association with social support, individual resilience, anxiety, and depression during an outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in Guangzhou, China. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted in 18 community healthcare centers in Guangzhou, China. The responses of 600 PCPs were tagged as valid responses. Information pertaining to their background, eHealth literacy, anxiety, depression levels, social support, and individual resilience was also collected. Multilevel analysis was used to determine the association among the measures to account for the nested random effect of community health centers in different districts. Results: Participants showed a moderate self-perceived level of eHealth literacy (M = 30, SD = 5.8). Participants who reported higher levels of eHealth literacy were more likely to exhibit lower levels of anxiety and depression, higher social support, and greater resilience. After adjusting for background characteristics, the results of the multilevel logistic analysis showed that eHealth literacy was significantly associated with anxiety and depression, social support, and individual resilience. Younger participants and those who were highly educated reported enhanced eHealth literacy. Conclusions: This study presents a baseline reference for eHealth literacy among Chinese PCPs. Improving their ability to search for and use reliable web-based information was beneficial for facilitating perceived social support and raising resilience during the pandemic. Strategies to provide high-quality web-based information to PCPs to self-assess and identify psychological distress at an early stage should be encouraged.

The Impact of COVID-19-Related Work Stress on the Mental Health of Primary Healthcare Workers: The Mediating Effects of Social Support and Resilience.

OBJECTIVE: The psychological condition of healthcare workers since the COVID-19 pandemic has attracted the attention of many studies. However, few have reported on psychosocial problems of primary healthcare workers in the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine the mediating roles of social support and resilience in COVID-19-related work stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression. METHODS: A total of 840 primary healthcare workers in 17 community health centers in Guangzhou, China, were recruited from May to July 2021. Data on demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related work stress, social support, resilience, anxiety and depression were collected. A structural equation model was used for mediation analysis. RESULTS: More than half of participants reported mild or more severe (at least borderline abnormal) symptoms of anxiety (68.1%) and depression (55.6%). Social support and resilience mediate the association between COVID-19-related work stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. Furthermore, the association between work stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression was also mediated by an accumulation of social support and resilience. The indirect effect of COVID-19-related work stress on anxiety and depression through resilience was much greater than other indirect effects. CONCLUSION: Anxiety and depression were prevalent among primary healthcare workers. This study highlights the psychological impact of the COVID-19-related psychosocial work environment on primary healthcare workers. There is an urgent need to improve working conditions for primary healthcare workers in the COVID-19 and to implement intervention strategies aimed at increasing individual resilience alongside the establishment of external supportive work environments.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on intention to use traditional Chinese medicine: A cross-sectional study based on the theory of planned behavior.

OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become an increasingly severe public health emergency. Although traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has helped to combat COVID-19, public perception of TCM remains controversial. We used the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to identify factors that affect the intention to use TCM. METHODS: A cross-sectional web-based survey of 10,824 individuals from the general public was conducted between March 16 and April 2, 2020. The participants were recruited using a snowball sampling method. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, based on the TPB. The questionnaire consisted of demographic characteristics and TPB structures. Structural equation modeling was used to identify predictors of intention. RESULTS: The results indicated the model explained 77.5% and 71.9% of intention and attitude variance. Intention to use TCM had the strongest relationship with attitude (P < 0.001), followed by past behavior (P < 0.001), subjective norms (P < 0.001) and perceived behavioral control (P < 0.001). Attitudes toward TCM were significantly affected by perceived behavioral control (P < 0.001), subjective norms (P < 0.001) and cognition of TCM (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Attitude is a key factor in determining the intention to use TCM, followed by past behaviors, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Our results offer important implications for health policy makers to promote the use of TCM.