• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.162-174
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the changed parenting experiences of mothers of elementary school kids living in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak in Korea. Methods: From July to August in 2020, 10 mothers parenting elementary school students under the COVID-19 were interviewed in depth. For data analysis, a phenomenological research methodology suggested by Colaizzi was used. Results: According to the analysis, the experiences of mothers consisted of four categories: the 'pain from the uncontrollable COVID-19', 'the problem of family relations due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation', 'standing firm against the drastic changes', and 'accepting the world changed by the COVID-19'. Conclusion: The findings in this study vividly represent the parenting experiences of mothers of elementary school students after the outbreak of COVID-19. As the pandemic persists, mothers parenting elementary school students feel complex emotions and experience exhaustion, but in the process, they found family members growing positively and trying to adjust to each other to overcome the crisis. To support positive adaptation to catastrophic situations, an institutional and political foundation is needed to develop a systematic crisis management program customized for mothers and families of elementary school students. The results of this study can be used as basic data when establishing national policies and support systems so that mothers parenting elementary school students can better adapt to and overcome crisis situations.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.11
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• pp.301-310
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• 2021

This study is qualitative research with an aim of assessing experience of prospective social work student enrolled in social welfare field practice during COVID-19 pandemic. The results are shown below. First, the major negative answers of responders were the work-study imbalance of the student, the institution's concern for spread of infection, limited experience due to low-quality-of supervision, the difficulty on choosing institution, and worries on stop of practice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, the key positive answers of responders were awareness of true meaning of social welfare, a major of them, significance of field practice, importance of human rights in their field, and finally, dearness of rapport building between social workers and clients in social welfare practice settings.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.336-342
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• 2022

Background: This study aims to identify the safety and health risk perceptions toward the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic based on gender in Korean university students who work and study during the pandemic. Methods: A nationwide convenient sampling method was implemented to eliminate any regional characteristics in 757 university students, including those who studied while working. The participants answered the online questionnaire for one week. The collected data were analyzed using the R version 3.4.1 program. Results: The results comparing the safety and health risk perceptions toward COVID-19 based on the gender of the subjects who work while studying, "I often use the Internet to obtain information on COVID-19 infection control" are females appeared to use the internet more often (t = -2.18, p = 0.031) than males. "Compared to pre-COVID-19, I am currently feeling safe after the outbreak" is females felt less safe (t = 3.43, p < 0.001). Although COVID-19 infection control awareness is high among Korean university students and officials, males reported higher scores over females in all the questions, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: There should be prioritized psychological measures for prevention against COVID-19 for vulnerable groups with high mental health risks. A network must be established to protect the mental health of such groups, and candidates who require intervention must be actively identified and supported. Therefore, there must be efforts to deliver accurate information based on scientific evidence of the infectious disease, and the actions should be supported through such active communication.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.63-68
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• 2023

Objectives: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had various effects on mankind, especially children and adolescents. Because children and adolescents spend a lot of time at school, COVID-19 has had a great impact on school mental health. In this study, we investigated the effect of prolonged COVID-19 on school mental health. Methods: We prepared self-report questionnaires for depression (Children's Depression Inventory, CDI), anxiety (Korean version of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children; Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, GAD-7), and post-traumatic stress (Primary Care Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, PC-PTSD) for administering to students aged between 7 and 18 years, recruited by a COVID-19 psychological prevention support group in the Gwangmyeong Mental Health Welfare Center for 2 years, in 2020 and 2021. Results: For children aged 7-12 years, there was no significant difference between the years 2020 and 2021 in the assessment of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. Conversely, for adolescents aged 13-18 years, there was a significant increase in the scale scores (CDI, PC-PTSD, and GAD-7). Conclusion: Prolonged COVID-19 might have had a significant impact on the mental health of adolescents who spent a lot of time at school. When comparing the years 2020 and 2021, middle and high school students were more affected by COVID-19 than elementary school students.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.356-369
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• 2024

Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore healthcare providers' experiences in managing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on healthcare services. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted with 34 healthcare professionals across 15 districts in Bangladesh. Among the participants, 24 were health managers or administrators stationed at the district or upazila (sub-district) level, and 10 were clinicians providing care to patients with COVID-19. The telephone interviews were conducted in Bangla, audio-recorded, transcribed, and then translated into English. Data were analyzed thematically. Results: Most interviewees identified a range of issues within the health system. These included unpreparedness, challenges in segregating COVID-19 patients, maintaining isolation and home quarantine, a scarcity of intensive care unit beds, and ensuring continuity of service for non-COVID-19 patients. The limited availability of personal protective equipment, a shortage of human resources, and logistical challenges, such as obtaining COVID-19 tests, were frequently cited as barriers to managing the pandemic. Additionally, changes in the behavior of health service seekers, particularly increased aggression, were reported. The primary motivating factor for healthcare providers was the willingness to continue providing health services, rather than financial incentives. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic presented a unique set of challenges for health systems, while also providing valuable lessons in managing a public health crisis. To effectively address future health crises, it is crucial to resolve a myriad of issues within the health system, including the inequitable distribution of human resources and logistical challenges.

• Architectural research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.105-111
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• 2022

During pandemic period, college students lost lots of such academic opportunities as extra-curriculum social activities, contact classes, and friendly socializing in university campus area, etc. Previous many studies have shown that physical environment has certain relevance on the well-being of human-beings. Recent public statistics on mental health had shown an increase in psychological distress and a decrease in college students and people's well-being during the lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, there were little evidence on what the college students in dormitory suffered from COVID-19 incident in relation with their physical environment. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between environmental factors and psychological well-being of dormitory students in university campus. In order to explore the impact of physical environment on students' psychological well-being, survey instrumentation consisted of 25 indices were employed to measure the level of awareness to each index. A Chi-square analysis on individual characteristics of 200 students found that number of students living in single dwelling unit was statistically significant to maintain their psychological well-being, except for number of students living in each dwelling unit (χ² =128.92, p= .004). Pearson correlation analysis also found that there exists statistically significant relationship between psychological well-being of students and environmental factors. Further, stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the most prime predictor for psychological well-being of students residing in dorm was "use of furniture" (β= .281), implying careful design, lay-out and easy-access to interior furniture by facility planner. The study also demonstrated that as the level of positive perception of physical environmental features rose, overall psychological well-being of students also responded positively at specified rate. Finally, the findings reinforce a solid evidence that carefully well-coordinated physical environments play an important role in maintaining emotional stability of college students in dorm even in pandemic period.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.60-66
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• 2024

Purpose: This study investigated changes in interpersonal violence and utilization of trauma recovery services during the COVID-19 pandemic. At an urban level I trauma center, trauma recovery services (TRS) provide education, counseling, peer support, and coordination of rehabilitation and recovery to address social and mental health needs. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted considerable changes in hospital services and increases in interpersonal victimization. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted between September 6, 2018 and December 20, 2020 for 1,908 victim-of-crime patients, including 574 victims of interpersonal violence. Outcomes included length of stay associated with initial TRS presentation, number of subsequent emergency department visits, number of outpatient appointments, and utilization of specific specialties within the year following the initial traumatic event. Results: Patients were primarily female (59.4%), single (80.1%), non-Hispanic (86.7%), and Black (59.2%). The mean age was 33.0 years, and 247 patients (49.2%) presented due to physical assault, 132 (26.3%) due to gunshot wounds, and 76 (15.1%) due to sexual assault. The perpetrators were primarily partners (27.9%) or strangers (23.3%). During the study period, 266 patients (mean, 14.9 patients per month) presented before the declaration of COVID-19 as a national emergency on March 13, 2020, while 236 patients (mean, 25.9 patients per month) presented afterward, representing a 74.6% increase in victim-of-crime patients treated. Interactions with TRS decreased during the COVID-19 period, with an average of 3.0 interactions per patient before COVID-19 versus 1.9 after emergency declaration (P<0.01). Similarly, reductions in length of stay were noted; the pre-COVID-19 average was 3.6 days, compared to 2.1 days post-COVID-19 (P=0.01). Conclusions: While interpersonal violence increased, TRS interactions decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting interruption of services, COVID-19 precautions, and postponement/cancellation of elective visits. Future direction of hospital policy to enable resource and service delivery to this population, despite internal and external challenges, appears warranted.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.10
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• pp.19-28
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• 2021

The present study aims to evolve the value cycle of e-business through value co-creation during the Coronavirus pandemic. The population of the study is experts consisting of university professors in the fields of marketing management, e-commerce, and managers of organizations and companies in Iran. Using the snowball sampling method, 50 of them were selected as the sample. This study employs the factor analysis method and structural equation modeling (SEM) approach for identification of the factors. The findings of this study reveal that 10 factors affect the evolution of the value chain into the value cycle, including customer relationship management, e-literacy, value co-creation, e-readiness, and integrated value creation, the logic of service dominance, shared value creation, virtual culture, e-trust, and network economics. Despite the difficulties that COVID-19 has created for businesses worldwide, the evolution of the e-business value cycle through value co-creation in the Coronavirus pandemic can be considered as a positive aspect of the pandemic. In fact, with more pandemics and more customers turning to e-businesses due to the co-creation of customer value, e-businesses can cover their weaknesses and improve their strengths by engaging customers and receiving their feedback, thus transforming their value chain into the value cycle.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.69-80
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• 2021

Purpose: Consumers have unique behaviors that are classified based on their interests and considerations before buying. They are predicted will change due to the pandemic of COVID-19. This study provides insights for retailers about the dynamic of consumer behavior before and during the pandemic, including future predictions. Research design, data and methodology: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement was applied in this study. Seven studies that were selected from five databases meet the criteria for cohort and cross-sectional analyses of gender, age, store types, and environmental concerns. Results: Consumer's gender and age contribute to consumer behavior change. Both offline and online stores can be integrated as omnichannel rather than substitute each other. Product distribution and consumer budget need to be reevaluated by retailers, while internet security is the most essential factor when developing their online transactions. Conclusions: COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on changing consumer behavior in most countries. Retailers are encouraged to adapt to the changes by modifying their business model with technology. However, it is still speculated and cannot be generalized due to different cultural and contextual factors. Future studies are always needed to synchronize along with the transition of consumers' behavior.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.27-46
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is two-fold: first, to discuss the concept of health diplomacy and the Korean government's response to contain the COVID-19 pandemic; second, to assess and compare assumptions of variances about foreigners' perceptions of how Korea is leveraging digital technology in battling the coronavirus spread, and its vaccine campaign; through the lenses of Chinese, Filipino, and Pakistani foreign nationals who are currently living in Korea. A total of 219 foreigners responded to the survey. The collected data were analyzed as percentages, mean averages, t-test, and ANOVA for statistical analysis. Results show that Korea is utilizing its digital technology practices and vaccine campaign in battling the pandemic through efforts of health diplomacy. ANOVA indicated significant results and assumptions of variance across three ethnic groups showing the Pakistani population had higher mean scores than the Chinese and Filipino about Korea's health diplomacy during the pandemic. This study contributes to the literature on Korea's digital technology practices and vaccine campaigns amidst the COVID-19 pandemic by promoting its image through health diplomacy efforts. It projects the country's soft image on a global scale, to save the lives of locals and foreign nationals, by providing insights into health diplomacy in Korea.