Relationship between emotional expressions and lifestyle changes among university students during COVID-19 lockdown in Lebanon

Abstract

Introduction: Emotional expressivity plays an important role in terms of communication and interpersonal relationships in the context of society. Our research aims at assessing the perception of emotional expressivity and its association with lifestyle changes during COVID-19 lockdown among university students in Lebanon.
 Methodology: A total of 742 participants completed an anonymous online questionnaire including socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, and emotional expression evaluated through the Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire (BEQ). Participants also reported their perception of the relationship between emotional expressivity and lifestyle changes experienced during lockdown.
 Results: The expression of positive emotions was decreased among students who have a weight loss from decreased eating during lockdown. Moreover, significantly lower negative emotions and increased positive emotions were found to be associated respectively with the increase in quality and quantity of distance learning, which emphasizes the psychological investment in education. In terms of extensive time spent on TV and social media, results point towards increased emotional expressivity, particularly positive emotions and impulse facets. Finally, changes in social interaction during this period impacted all facets of emotional expressivity.
 Conclusions: In the context of lockdown due to the pandemic, emotional aspects were associated by university students with lifestyle changes. Our research highlights the beneficial role of social networking, distance learning, physical activity, and well-balanced nutrition on emotional regulation in this particularly stressful situation, thus the importance of a global approach to emotional expressivity including the social aspects and biological ones.

Relationship between Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Executive Function in Young Adults: Mediating Effects of Gray Matter Volume

“…Throughout life, brain and cognition health among adolescents and young adults can influence academic achievement and overall health [ 1 , 2 ], which necessitates the identification of the predictors and modifiers of brain health at a young age [ 3 ]. Due to advances in the social economy, there has been a growing interest in the influence of lifestyle factors, such as regular physical exercise, in the promotion of a relatively high level of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and health (e.g., brain health) [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. CRF is operationalized by maximal oxygen consumption (VO 2 max) and is correlated with the functions of different physiological systems [ 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

Effect of Nutrition Education on Health Science University Students to Improve Cardiometabolic Profile and Inflammatory Status

“…Adjusted linear regression analysis showed a significant association between post-course vitamin D and post-course HDL-c (β = 0.40, IC: 0.18, 0.98, p < 0.01). Similarly, there was also a significant inverse relation between post-course vitamin D and MHR (β = −0.42, IC: −0.29, −0.06, p < 0.01) [19].…”

“…However, a significant prevalence of individuals with a normal weight but with a high percentage of fat mass has been observed in university students, a situation known as normal-weight obesity (NWO), which is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk [14]. During COVID-19, online classes were required at universities around the world, and this new situation led to changes in food intake and lifestyle habits, including increased consumption of unhealthy diets such as sugary drinks, snacks and sweets, a decrease in physical activity and increased psychological distress in some students [15][16][17][18][19]. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin traditionally associated with calcium homeostasis and bone health, but it also has important extra-skeletal, immunological, cardiovascular and endocrine implications [20][21][22].…”

“…Even in countries with warm climates such as Spain, a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency has been identified, with 37.2% and 26.5% of the population having 25(OH)D values below 20 ng/mL during the winter and summer months, respectively [29]. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an altered [19] lipid profile. According to Jiang et al (2019) [30], low levels of 25(OH)D are associated with higher levels of LDL cholesterol (LDL-c) and triglycerides and lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c).…”

Crisis communication in the WHO COVID-19 press conferences: A retrospective analysis

“…The research on crisis communication during the COVID-19 pandemic has attracted extensive attention from the research community [4][5][6][7][8]. One line of research focuses on the sentiments or emotions expressed on social media.…”