Background: Weight-related stigma has negative physiological and psychological impacts on individuals’ quality of life. Stigmatized individuals may experience higher psychological distress and therefore increase the potential risk to develop obesity and/or food addiction. The present study examined the associations and mediated effect between perceived weight stigma, weight-related self-stigma, and psychological distress in explaining food addiction among Taiwanese university students. Methods: All participants (n = 968) completed an online survey which included the Perceived Weight Stigma Questionnaire, Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire, Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21, and Yale Food Addiction Scale Version 2. Results: After controlling for demographic variables, significant associations were found in the paths from (1) perceived weight stigma to weight-related self-stigma ( $$\beta$$β = 0.23), psychological distress ( $$\beta$$β = 0.35), and food addiction ( $$\beta$$β = 0.23); (2) weight-related self-stigma to psychological distress ( $$\beta$$β = 0.52) and food addiction ( $$\beta$$β = 0.59); and (3) psychological distress to food addiction ( $$\beta$$β = 0.59) (all p-values < 0.001). The mediation model showed the sequential mediated effect of weight-related self-stigma and psychological distress in the association between perceived weight stigma and food addiction. Conclusions: The results provide novel insights that weight-related self-stigma and psychological distress sequentially mediated the relationship between perceived weight stigma and food addiction among Taiwanese university students. The findings of the present study could be implemented into interventions that aim to reduce food addiction derived from weight-related stigma. Future studies should consider group analysis to consider confounding factors or other populations to provide more evidence regarding the mechanism of weight-related stigma.

The present study aimed to adapt the Gay Community Stress Scale (GCSS) into the traditional Chinese version for measuring gay community stress experienced. Additionally, we examined its psychometric propensities among gay and bisexual men (GBM) in Taiwan. In total, 736 GBM participated in this study and completed the 35-item traditional Chinese version of the GCSS (29 items from the original GCSS and six items from the results of the focus group interviews among GBM in Taiwan); the Measure of Internalized Sexual Stigma for Lesbians and Gay Men (MISS-LG); the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI); and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Exploratory factor analysis results suggest a five-factor structure (i.e., Sex, Status, Competition, Exclusion, and Externals) for the 32-item traditional Chinese version of the GCSS among Taiwanese GBM; three items were deleted due to low factor loadings (i.e., <0.3). The five-factor “Externals” were not observed in the original GCSS. Moreover, the concurrent validity of the traditional Chinese version was supported by the positive correlations with MISS-LG, STAI, and CES-D. In conclusion, the traditional Chinese version of the GCSS showed relatively satisfactory psychometric properties. However, further research is needed to investigate the reasons for the possible etiology account for the different factor structures between the traditional Chinese version and the original GCSS.

Purpose: Resilience continues to be an important concept in the nursing profession due to its significant role in personal healthcare, patients’ healthcare, and leadership. The present study examined the mediating role of perceived stress in the association between mindfulness and resilience among registered nurses in order to understand their importance among those in the Taiwanese nursing profession. Materials and Methods: Between October and November 2021, a total of 816 registered nurses participated in a cross-sectional survey including psychometric measures assessing perceived stress (Chinese Perceived Stress Scale-10), mindfulness (Chinese Mindful Attention Awareness Scale), and resilience (Chinese Questionnaire of Resilience). Results: Results indicated that perceived stress mediated the association between mindfulness and resilience (standardized coefficient = 0.251, p< 0.001), although there was no significant association between mindfulness and resilience (standardized coefficient = 0.042, p=0.16). This suggests that perceived stress may function as both distress and eustress because mindfulness was not directly associated with resilience but indirectly via perceived stress. Conclusion: Nurses and their administrators should focus on different ways of coping with stress so that they become more resilient in facing other stressors. Future studies may be conducted to examine the mediating role of perceived stress in the association between other coping strategies and resilience among registered nurses.

Background/Aim: Radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer may cause severe radiation dermatitis (RD) resulting in RT interruption and affecting disease control. A few studies address skin moisture changes during RT for head and neck cancer. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of moisturized skin care (MSC) on severity of RD. Patients and Methods: The study includes newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients undergoing RT. Participants were divided into MSC group and routine skin care (RSC) group based on patient’s preferred decision. Skin moisture in the four quadrants of the neck was measured weekly before and after RT. RD was assessed with the Radiation Induced Skin Reaction Assessment Scale (RISRAS) and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) acute skin toxicity grading criteria. Results: A total of 54 patients were enrolled, of which 49 patients were suitable for the statistical analysis. There was a statistically significant difference in the RISRAS total score since the 5^th week after RT between the groups. The severity of RD was less (B=0.814, p=0.021) and the onset was later (B=−0.384, p=0.006) in the MSC group when compared to the RSC group. Skin moisture decreased with cumulative radiation dose. In the upper neck, the MSC group had a slower rate of skin moisture decrease compared to the RSC group (right upper neck: B=0.935, p=0.007; left upper neck: B=0.93, p=0.018). Conclusion: MSC can effectively reduce the severity and delay the onset of RD, while slows down skin moisture decrease during RT.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been officially declared over, the global community must remain prepared for future outbreaks. In this regard, understanding the factors associated with willingness to get vaccinated among healthcare workers - given their critical role in infection control - remains essential. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the factors associated with nursing personnel's intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Using an online questionnaire survey from April to June 2022, 492 nurses (mean age = 34.4 years, SD = 13.4; 96.7% females) from different settings (including inpatient, outpatient, and ambulatory clinics) participated in the present study. With the use of SmartPLS 4.0, the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) results showed that intention to get vaccinated was negatively associated with fear of COVID-19 (standardized coefficient = -0.149; p < .01) and vaccine hesitancy (standardized coefficient = -0.168; p < .01) but positively associated with informational support (standardized coefficient = 0.416; p < .01). Those with a higher intention to get vaccinated were positively associated with higher levels of no regrets regarding having received the vaccination (standardized coefficient = 0.544; p < .01). Moreover, fear, informational support, and vaccine hesitancy together explained 28.5% of the variance in intention to get vaccinated. In turn, the intention to get vaccinated explained 30.1% of the variance in the feeling of no regrets regarding having received the vaccination. Based on the results, addressing fear of COVID-19 through educational interventions, strengthening support systems, and promoting positive vaccination intentions may collectively improve vaccination rates among healthcare workers.