Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, information diffusion about the COVID-19 has attracted public attention through social media. The World Health Organization declared an infodemic of COVID-19 on February 15, 2020. Misinformation and disinformation, including overwhelming amounts of information about COVID-19 on social media, could promote adverse psychological effects. Objective This study used the Psychological Distance and Level of Construal theory (CLT) to predict peoples’ negative psychological symptoms from social media usage. In this study, the CLT intended to show peoples’ psychological proximity to objects and events with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, this study links the uncertainty reduction strategy (URS) and CLT for COVID-19–related preventive behaviors and affective reactions to assess their effects on mental health problems. Methods A path model was tested (N=297) with data from a web-based survey to examine how social media usage behaviors are associated with URS and psychological distance with COVID-19 (based on the CLT), leading to preventive behaviors and affective reactions. Finally, the path model was used to examine how preventive behaviors and affective reactions are associated with mental health problems including anxiety and sleep disorder. Results After measuring participants’ social media usage behavior, we found that an increase in general social media usage led to higher use of the URS and lower construal level on COVID-19. The URS is associated with preventive behaviors, but the CLT did not show any association with preventive behaviors; however, it increases affective reactions. Moreover, increased preventive behavior showed negative associations with symptoms of mental health problems; that is, depression and sleep disorder. However, the affective reaction tends to be positively associated with depression and sleep disorder. Owing to the infodemic of COVID-19, the psychological perception of the pandemic negatively influenced users’ mental health problems. Conclusions Our results imply that the information from social media usage heightened concerns and had a lower construal level; this does not facilitate taking preventive actions but rather reinforces the negative emotional reaction and mental health problems. Thus, higher URS usage is desirable.
The aim of this study was to compare posterior tooth inclinations, occlusal force, and contact area of adults with different sagittal malocclusions. Methods: Transverse skeletal parameters and posterior tooth inclinations were evaluated using cone beam computed tomography images, and occlusal force as well as contact area were assessed using pressure-sensitive films in 124 normodivergent adults. A linear mixed model was used to cluster posterior teeth into maxillary premolar, maxillary molar, mandibular premolar, and mandibular molar groups. Differences among Class I, II, and III groups were compared using an analysis of variance test and least significant difference post-hoc test. Correlations of posterior dental inclinations to occlusal function were analyzed using Pearson's correlation analysis. Results: In male subjects, maxillary premolars and molars had the smallest inclinations in the Class II group while maxillary molars had the greatest inclinations in the Class III group. In female subjects, maxillary molars had the smallest inclinations in the Class II group, while maxillary premolars and molars had the greatest inclinations in the Class III group. Occlusal force and contact area were not significantly different among Class I, II, and III groups. Conclusions: Premolar and molar inclinations showed compensatory inclinations to overcome anteroposterior skeletal discrepancy in the Class II and III groups; however, their occlusal force and contact area were similar to those of Class I group. In subjects with normodivergent facial patterns, although posterior tooth inclinations may vary, difference in occlusal function may be clinically insignificant in adults with Class I, II, and III malocclusions.
BACKGROUND Along with the pandemic situation, information diffusion about the COVID-19 has attracted public attention through SM. WHO (World Health Organization) declared a term “infodemic” that indicates “overwhelming amounts of information about COVID-19;” the misinformation and disinformation from SM could promote adverse psychological effects. OBJECTIVE The current study uses the hypothetical distance of construal level to predict peoples’ negative psychological symptoms from social media usage. The psychological distance of construal-level theory (CLT) intends to show peoples’ psychological proximity about objects and events, applied to the COVID-19 pandemic situation for this study. Also, this study links the uncertainty reduction strategy (URS) and CLT to preventive behaviors of COVID-19 and affective reactions to see their effects on mental health problems. METHODS With an online survey, the social media users were asked to answer their social media usage behavior, concern on COVID-19, URS, hypothetical distance with COVID-19, preventive behaviors, affective reactions, and psychological disorders symptoms including anxiety and sleep disorder. RESULTS After measuring participants’ SM usage behavior, it is concluded that an increase in general SM usage led to the use of URS and higher construal-level (CL) on COVID-19. The URS results in preventive behaviors, but CLT doesn’t show any association with preventive behaviors while it increases affective reactions. Moreover, increased preventive behavior reduced symptoms of mental health problems, i.e. depression, and sleep disorders. However, the affective reaction tends to be positively associated with depression and sleep disorder. CONCLUSIONS Due to the “infodemic” of COVID-19, the pandemic situation’s psychological perception negatively influenced users’ psychological symptoms. The findings of this study imply that the information from SM usage heightened the concerns. Still, SM users with higher URS equip preventive behavior, which lowers the mental problems, while those with lower URS and more emotional reaction show negative mental symptoms.
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