The Mediating Role of Visual Stimuli From Media Use at Bedtime on Psychological Distress and Fatigue in College Students: Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND Empirical research has linked psychological distress with fatigue. However, few studies have analyzed the factors (eg, stimuli from bedtime media use) that affect the relationship between psychological distress and fatigue. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine whether visual stimuli from bedtime media use mediate the relationship between psychological distress and fatigue among college students. METHODS The sample included 394 participants (92 males, 302 females) with a mean age of 19.98 years (SD 1.43 years), all of whom were Chinese college students at an occupational university in Sichuan Province, China. Data were collected using a paper-based questionnaire that addressed psychological distress, stimuli from bedtime media use, and fatigue. Mediation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro version 2.16.2 for SPSS 22, which provided the 95% CIs. RESULTS Both psychological distress (r=.43, <i>P</i>&lt;.001) and visual stimuli from bedtime media use (r=.16, <i>P</i>&lt;.001) were positively related to fatigue. The association between auditory stimuli from bedtime media use and fatigue was not significant (r=.09, <i>P</i>=.08). The relationship between psychological distress and fatigue was partially mediated by visual stimuli from bedtime media use (beta=.01, SE 0.01, 95% CI 0.0023-0.0253). CONCLUSIONS The findings imply that psychological distress has an indirect effect on fatigue via visual stimuli from bedtime media use. In contrast, auditory stimuli from bedtime media use did not have the same effect. We suggest that college students should reduce bedtime media use, and this could be achieved as part of an overall strategy to improve health. Mobile health apps could be an option to improving young students’ health in daily life.

Abstract Background: In China, people pay more and more attention to their body image, and most people have a negative attitude towards their appearance. This study aimed to explore the relationship of self-control, intuitive eating, and sociocultural attitudes towards appearance among Chinese college students. We further aimed to assess whether intuitive eating mediates the association between research self-control and sociocultural attitudes towards appearance.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1510 college students in a medical university during September–December 2020. Self-administered questionnaires including Self-control Scale (SCS), Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2), and Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3) were completed by students. Correlation, multiple linear regression, and structural equation modeling were used in data analyses.Results：The mean sociocultural attitude towards appearance score was 43.91±7.74 among the participants. After adjusting for the demographic factors, self-control accounted for 17.4% of the variance in sociocultural attitudes towards appearance, while intuitive eating explained an additional 2.6% of the variance. Self-control had a direct effect(λ=-0.57,P<0.01)and an indirect effect(λ=-0.11,P<0.01) on sociocultural attitudes towards appearance. Intuitive eating functioned as a partial mediator in the relationship between self-control and sociocultural attitudes towards appearance among Chinese students. The mediation role accounted for 16.41% of the total effect. Conclusions：Improving self-control is good for adjusting appearance attitudes, and one way to do this is to suppress intuitive eating. College students should improve their self-control and use it in ways other than suppressing intuitive eating.

Abstract Background: Previous studies have investigated variables related to psychological distress among nurses; however, the relationship among psychological capital, perceived stress, and psychological stress is poorly understood. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between psychological capital, psychological distress, and perceived stress, and examined the mediating role of psychological capital in the relationship between perceived stress and psychological distress.Methods: Responses to questionnaires to assess psychological capital, psychological distress, and perceived stress were collected from 369 nursing students in a tertiary hospital in Shandong Province, China.Results: There was a statistically significant difference in perceived stress among students, based on whether or not they liked the nursing profession (P<0.01). Relative to college students, undergraduates experienced significantly higher levels of perceived stress (P<0.01). Nevertheless, there were no significant differences in perceived stress between the variables of gender, place of residence, and being an only child. Psychological distress was positively correlated (r=0.632, p<0.001), whereas psychological capital was negatively correlated, with perceived stress (r=-0.662, p<0.001). Psychological capital played a potential mediating role in the relationship between psychological distress and perceived stress.Conclusions: This study revealed the importance of psychological capital in reducing perceived stress to decrease psychological distress among Chinese nursing students. Managers should take meaningful steps to improve nursing students’ psychological capital and thereby reduce the negative impact of psychological distress.

Background: Following the initial manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, numerous studies have investigated factors that influence people’s vaccination intentions. However, no studies have examined links of vaccination attitudes with body-related attitudes, especially body appreciation. To address this gap in the literature, we conducted this study to disentangle the relationship between college students’ COVID-19 vaccination intentions and body appreciation. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Chinese college students. Participants completed the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) and other questionnaire measures of demographics, intentions to be vaccinated, and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination programs. Results: A total of 2058 college students participated in this study. Students who were willing to get COVID-19 vaccines had significantly higher BAS-2 scores than did those who were unwilling to receive a vaccine (3.61 ± 0.84 vs. 3.34 ± 0.92, p < 0.001). A hierarchical multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to test the association between body appreciation and COVID-19 vaccine intentions when controlling for other covariates; elevated BAS-2 scores were associated with greater willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccines (OR = 1.250, 95%CI: 1.112–1.406, p < 0.001), independent of other significant influences. Conclusion: Our study was the first to reveal that body appreciation is a significant factor related to college students’ COVID-19 vaccination intentions. Public health interventions designed to improve people’s body-appreciation levels may help in efforts to promote universal immunization.

Bicultural identity orientations have rarely been examined in relation to both perceived discrimination and psychological distress. Furthermore, these constructs have usually been studied in isolation, but their intersection is essential for understanding intercultural relations in multicultural societies. Using cross-sectional data from 1,143 Canadian undergraduate students from immigrant families, this study explored the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological distress, and how bicultural identity orientations might mediate this relationship. The structural equation modeling results indicated that perceived discrimination was associated with higher levels of psychological distress and hybrid, monocultural, alternating, and conflicted orientations, but lower levels of complementary orientation. Alternating and conflicted orientations were related to higher psychological distress, whereas the other orientations were not. Alternating and conflicted orientations mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological distress, whereas the other orientations did not. The findings are discussed in light of theories on identity integration, rejection–identification, and acculturation.

This study aims to explore the association between restrained eating, body image, and dietary intake among Chinese college students. This cross-sectional study included 1301 college students at two universities in Hunan Province. Electronic questionnaires were used to collect information including students’ demographic characteristics, restrained eating, perception of body weight, body satisfaction, and dietary intake. Anthropometric measurements were collected to calculate body mass index (BMI). The prevalence of high restrained eating was 52.8%. Students who were dissatisfied with their bodies or overestimated their body weight showed a higher tendency toward high restrained eating (p < 0.05). Students with high restrained eating tended to eat fruits and eggs more frequently, while the frequency of eating domestic animals and poultry, sugar-sweetened beverages, and fast food were the opposite. Moreover, high restrained eating was a risk factor for low dietary diversity (odds ratio (OR) = 1.384, 95% confidence interval: 1.002~1.912). The high incidence of restrained eating among Chinese college students and its energy-restricted diets that may lead to possible health implications require attention. Further studies are needed to investigate the characteristics of college students’ restrained eating to tailor appropriate interventions for forming positive body images and promoting healthy eating behaviors, thus, improving dietary quality.

In order to explore the influence of childhood family routines on adult depression and the mediating role of tolerance of uncertainty and rumination, the current study tested 818 participants by adopting four questionnaires. The results of structural equation modeling revealed that (1) family routines had a negative effect on depression among Chinese college students; (2) family routines were found to have a positive effect on tolerance of uncertainty, and tolerance of uncertainty was a bridge linking family routines and depression; (3) family routines had a significant effect on depression through rumination; (4) the relationship between family routines and depression was partially mediated by the chain of tolerance of uncertainty and rumination. The result reveals not only the fact that childhood family routines have significant influence on college students' depression but also the mechanism of childhood family routines that affect college students' depression. The limitations and implications of our study were also discussed.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health is an emerging problem globally. This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of chronic illnesses in the relationship between psychological health and the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine, prior to the national vaccine rollout in Malaysia. An online cross-sectional study was conducted in Malaysia between December 10, 2020, and February 9, 2021. In addition to the descriptive analyses, a mediation analysis was performed to examine the mediating effect of chronic illnesses in the relationship between psychological distress and the willingness to accept the vaccine. A total of 1738 participants completed the survey. The psychological distress levels were found to be significantly different across demographic factors such as age, gender, and social economic status. This study demonstrated a partial mediating effect of chronic illnesses in the relationship between psychological distress and vaccine acceptance.