Fear of COVID-19, mindfulness, humor, and hopelessness: a multiple mediation analysis

Hopelessness is an important vulnerability factor for depressive symptomology and suicidal ideations. It may also play an important role in the fear of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, the present study tested the mediating role of mindful awareness and humor (both identified as coping strategies for dealing with stressful situations) in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and hopelessness. Participants comprised 786 Turkish individuals (562 females and 224 males; aged between 18 and 67 years) from 71 of 81 cities in Turkey. An online convenience sampling method was used to recruit participants. Participants completed surveys including the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Beck Hopelessness Scale, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, and Coping Humor Scale. The model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) and utilizing bootstrapping. The results of SEM showed that the effect of fear of COVID-19 on hopelessness was partly mediated by mindfulness and humor, and which was supported by bootstrapping. Therefore, higher fear of COVID-19 was associated with lower mindfulness and humor. In turn, lower mindfulness and humor were related with higher hopelessness. Findings are discussed in the context of COVID-19 and the hopelessness literature, and practical implications for counselors are also provided

Resilience, hope, and subjective happiness among the Turkish population: fear of COVID-19 as a mediator

Psychology deals with not only mental disorders but also psychological strengths within individuals. Psychological strengths will play an important role in struggling with the global novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The present study tested a model concerning the relationship between resilience, hope, and subjective happiness using structural equation modeling to identify the mediating role of fear of COVID-19. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 971 Turkish individuals (aged 18 to 74 years) from 75 of 81 cities in Turkey. The survey included the Subjective Happiness Scale, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Brief Resilience Scale, and the Dispositional Hope Scale, and data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The SEM demonstrated an association between resilience–hope and subjective happiness was mediated by fear of COVID-19 (CMIN/df = 2.664, CFI = 0.994, NFI = 0.984, TLI = 0.984, GFI = 0.994, RMSEA = 0.044, SRMR = 0.024, AIC = 81.334, ECVI = 0.084). Resilience had a direct effect and an indirect effect on subjective happiness via fear of COVID-19. Hope also had a direct effect and an indirect effect on subjective happiness via fear of COVID-19. Consequently, in the fight against COVID-19, individuals who are resistant to stress and have a belief that they can find a way to cope can help prevent the fear of COVID-19 and so enhance good mental health

The Fear of COVID-19 Scale: psychometric properties of the Ethiopian Amharic version

Fear is an adaptive response that alerts individuals to the presence of a danger or threat. However, in the context of the current novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the fear experienced could be intense because the number of victims of the virus is continuously increasing globally and is inducing severe mental health concerns. The seven-item Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) assesses the severity of fear related to COVID-19 and has already been validated in many languages. The present study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Amharic (Ethiopian) version of the FCV19S. An online survey including the Amharic versions of the FCV-19S and the six-item UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-6) was administered to 307 Amharic-speaking participants using convenience sampling. The participants’ age ranged between 18 and 70 years. In the evaluation process, confirmatory factor analysis, Item Response Theory, concurrent validity, and reliabilities (Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega, Guttman’s lambda, and composite reliability) of the Amharic version of the FCV-19S were performed. The unidimensional structure of the FCV-19S was confirmed and the Amharic version of the FCV-19S had strong psychometric properties. All reliability coefficients of the Amharic FCV-19S were satisfactory, with sound concurrent validity shown by significant and positive correlations with loneliness. The results indicate that the FCV-19S can be used in research to assess the fear of COVID-19 among Amharic-speaking populations

Portuguese validation of the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale: an Empirical Study

Previous research on Social Networking Sites (SNSs) addiction have suggest the need to improve assessment of this behavioral addiction. The present study aimed at validating a Portuguese version of the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS), a widely used instrument to assess addiction to Facebook. A study was conducted in a sample of 509 Portuguese adolescent using an online survey. The psychometric properties (construct validity, criterion validity, and reliability) of the Portuguese BFAS was scrutinized. The results from the psychometric analyses suggested that the new validated instrument had excellent psychometric properties. The CFA confirmed the original one-factor solution of the BFAS and criterion validity was warranted. The reliability of the BFAS was supported by satisfactory levels of internal consistency as measured by the Cronbach’s alpha (α = .83), composite reliability (CR = .82), and factor determinacy (FD = .91). Overall, the results provided empirical support for the validity and reliability of the Portuguese BFAS. Moreover, the results were highly comparable with the findings of the original development study of the BFAS and cross-cultural support for the scale was obtained

Tear fluid biomarkers in ocular and systemic disease: potential use for predictive, preventive and personalised medicine

In the field of predictive, preventive and personalised medicine, researchers are keen to identify novel and reliable ways to predict and diagnose disease, as well as to monitor patient response to therapeutic agents. In the last decade alone, the sensitivity of profiling technologies has undergone huge improvements in detection sensitivity, thus allowing quantification of minute samples, for example body fluids that were previously difficult to assay. As a consequence, there has been a huge increase in tear fluid investigation, predominantly in the field of ocular surface disease. As tears are a more accessible and less complex body fluid (than serum or plasma) and sampling is much less invasive, research is starting to focus on how disease processes affect the proteomic, lipidomic and metabolomic composition of the tear film. By determining compositional changes to tear profiles, crucial pathways in disease progression may be identified, allowing for more predictive and personalised therapy of the individual. This article will provide an overview of the various putative tear fluid biomarkers that have been identified to date, ranging from ocular surface disease and retinopathies to cancer and multiple sclerosis. Putative tear fluid biomarkers of ocular disorders, as well as the more recent field of systemic disease biomarkers, will be shown

Emerging adults and Facebook use: the validation of the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS)

Based on the six key components of addiction, the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS) is a widely used instrument to assess Facebook addiction. This study aimed to conduct a psychometric validation in a Portuguese sample of emerging adults (ages 18 to 29 years). The construct validity analyses confirmed the one-factor solution and a statistically significant association found between Facebook addiction and Preference for Online Social Interaction, measured by the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2, warranted the scale criterion validity. Internal consistency was scrutinized using Cronbach's α (α = .87) and stability measured by test-retest (r = .94). Associations between BFAS scores and Brief Symptom Inventory dimensions scores (e.g., interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety) and the GPIUS2 subscale, deficient self-regulation, scores were evaluated. A subsample with higher levels of addiction was analyzed. In summary, the results of the present study support the use of the Portuguese version of the BFAS in both research and clinical milieus. Further implications for research and practice were considered

Zoom fatigue, psychological distress, life satisfaction, and academic well-being: insights from the Turkish adaptation of the Zoom Exhaustion and Fatigue Scale

Little is known about the psychological consequences of the recently increased utilization of video conferencing, which has enabled life to proceed as close to normal as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. To understand the psychological consequences of this recent global lifestyle change in different populations, the psychometric validation of the Zoom Exhaustion and Fatigue Scale (ZEFS) and the relationship of this construct with academic well-being, mental well-being, and life satisfaction are presented. In a sample of 470 Turkish university students (57% female, Mage= 20.26 + 2.18, ranging between 18 to 33 years), first-order and second-order CFAs confirmed the construct validity of the scale, and IRT results yielded appropriate item difficulty and discrimination. ZEFS scores were significantly and positively associated with anxiety, depression, and stress, and negatively associated with life satisfaction and academic well-being, supporting the scale's concurrent validity. Incremental validity was shown with mediational models demonstrating significant and separate indirect effects of ZEF on life satisfaction and academic well-being, both mediated by psychological distress. The results suggest ZEFS to be a valid and reliable tool to evaluate the psychological consequences of videoconferencing, which has globally increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, in non-Western samples. By showing the relationships of Zoom exhaustion and fatigue with psychological distress, life satisfaction, and academic well-being, the present study highlights potential avenues to be addressed in order to protect the mental well-being of all individuals that have integrated videoconferencing as part of their daily lives