The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has posed a significant impact on global public health, particularly old adults who were more vulnerable to severe illness and complications following COVID-19 infection [1]. Although survivors recovered from the acute phase of COVID-19, many of them were facing various ongoing symptoms, which were defined as post-COVID-19 condition […]

Background: since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first reported in 2019, South Korea has enforced isolation of patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19, as well as quarantine for close contacts of individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 and persons traveling from abroad, in order to contain its spread. Precautionary behavior practices and psychological characteristics of confirmed and quarantined persons were investigated for planning pandemic recovery and preparedness. Methods: this study was conducted with 1716 confirmed patients and quarantined persons in Daegu and Busan, regions where a high number of cases were confirmed during the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea. We collected online survey data from 23 April to 20 May 2020, in Daegu, and 28 April to 27 May 2020, in Busan, in cooperation with Daegu and Busan Infectious Disease Control Centers and public health centers in the regions. COVID-19 symptoms, pre-cautionary behavior practices, psychological states, and the need for improvement in isolation/quarantine environments were examined using an online survey. Results: compared to patients infected with coronavirus, quarantined persons engaged in more hygiene-related behaviors (e.g., hand washing, cough etiquette, and proper mask-wearing) and social distancing. COVID-19 patients had a strong fear of stigma, while quarantined persons had a strong fear of contracting COVID-19. Study participants responded that it was necessary to provide financial support and adequate information during isolation/quarantine. Conclusions: the study highlights the importance of precautionary behavior to prevent COVID-19 infection and the need to provide support (both psychological and financial) to patients and quarantined persons, to reinforce effective communication, social solidarity, and public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) in a pandemic situation.

Although most of the pandemic-related mandatory restrictions have been lifted or eased, vaccination is still recommended as an effective measure to minimize the damage from COVID-19 infection. Since COVID-19 eradication is unlikely, it is necessary to understand the factors affecting the public’s vaccination intention when COVID-19 vaccination is continuously recommended. This study aims to explore the factors that affect the intention to repeat the COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea. An online survey was conducted in January 2022 with adults living in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. In a hierarchical logistic regression analysis, sociodemographic factors, COVID-19 infection-related factors, COVID-19 vaccination-related factors, sociocultural factors, and communication factors were taken into account. In this study, more than three-quarters (78.1%) of Koreans were willing to repeat the COVID-19 vaccination. People who had high-risk perceptions, had been vaccinated against COVID-19 at least once, had more authoritarian attitudes, regarded the vaccination as a social responsibility, and had positive attitudes toward health authorities’ regular briefings were more likely to repeat the vaccination. In contrast, those who directly or indirectly experienced COVID-19 vaccine side effects and who showed psychological reactance against the government’s vaccination recommendation were less likely to repeat the vaccination. Our research indicates that empathetic communication, promotion of the prosocial aspect of vaccination, and regular and transparent provision of vaccine information are essential for promoting the intention to repeat the COVID-19 vaccination.

To examine the prevalence of embitterment by following individuals over time and to statistically evaluate how factors known as correlates of embitterment affect different groups with or without changes in embitterment over time. Responses for the posttraumatic embitterment disorder (PTED) self-rating Scale were collected from the same 1,153 adults who participated in a follow-up survey delivered 14 months apart. Suggested cutoff points were applied to identify changes in embitterment and four groups were identified. For each group, the relative impacts of factors that affect changes in or maintenance of embitterment, such as negative life events (NLEs), belief in a just world (BJW), social support, relative deprivation, and resilience, were statistically analyzed. The average PTED scores were relatively high for both surveys (M = 1.73 and 1.58, respectively). "Persistent" or "increased" in embitterment was seen for 47.3% of the participants. In particular, 15.3% (Wave 1) and 12.1% (Wave 2) of participants experienced clinically relevant levels of embitterment. NLEs, BJW, relative deprivation, and resilience showed significant associations with the risk of persistence or deterioration of embitterment. Our study highlights embitterment as a dynamic emotion that can either be aggravated or moderated over time. Embitterment can be elicited by joint effects of multiple social and interactional factors including known embitterment correlates, and relative deprivation is confirmed as a possible core elicitor of embitterment in the context of comparative justice. These findings imply that additional longitudinal research and development of practices for mental health prevention in general populations are needed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Pandemic fatigue has emerged as a significant public health challenge, particularly in countries that implemented prolonged COVID-19 public health and social measures (PHSM). Understanding the factors contributing to pandemic fatigue and its impact on adherence to health protective behaviors is essential for sustaining public engagement in long-term disease management. This study examines pandemic fatigue in China and South Korea, two countries that maintained prolonged COVID-19 public health and social measures, to identify key predictors and explore its relationship with health protective behaviors. Online surveys were conducted in March 2023 to measure pandemic fatigue levels. To examine the relationships between pandemic fatigue, its predictors (perceived risk, efficacy beliefs, and daily life changes), and health protective behaviors, linear regression and mediation effect analyses were performed. The results indicated that the level of pandemic fatigue was 3.67 in South Korea and 3.47 in China, which was higher than previous research. High efficacy beliefs were associated with lower pandemic fatigue in both countries, while daily life changes had mixed effects. Pandemic fatigue has a significant impact on the adoption of health protective behaviors, with the exception of the practice of resting when unwell. The findings highlight the necessity of reinforcing efficacy beliefs through risk communication for a sustainable pandemic response. Given that risk perception declined over time, traditional fear-based health messages may be less effective in prolonged pandemics. Instead, risk communication strategies that emphasize a sense of control and provide clear, actionable guidance may help sustain public engagement. Furthermore, addressing the daily life changes faced by citizens and creating environments that facilitate the adoption of health-protective behaviors (e.g., access to paid sick leave) are important as long-term pandemic strategies.