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The early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic was a critical time for increasing loneliness, especially for older people. However, there is insufficient existing research on associated interventions and their effectiveness.This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an 8-week online interactive course on the loneliness, depression, social support, and quality of life (QOL) of older adults in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted to collect data from a community in Taiwan. Eighty-nine participants recruited from long-term care institutions were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 44) and a control group (n = 45). Participants in the experimental group received an 8-week (Monday to Friday) intensive online interactive course, whereas those in the control group watched 8 weeks (Monday to Friday) of unidirectional online video programs.Significant differences were observed in the UCLA Loneliness Scale and in both the psychological health and social relationship domains of the WHO Quality of Life-BREF Scale. In other words, compared with those in the control group, participants in the experimental group experienced more significant improvements in the state of their loneliness as well as QOL in the psychological health and social relationship domains (without the physical health/environment domains) after taking the online interactive course.The results of this study showed that the 8-week online interactive course could effectively improve the loneliness, the psychological health domain, and the social relationship domain of the QOL of the older adults of a particular community during the ongoing pandemic. Geriatr Gerontol Int ••; ••: ••-•• Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; ••: ••-••.

Students are commonly in a high cognitive load state when they encounter sophisticated knowledge. Whether the novel augmented reality (AR) technology can be utilized in an online learning course to explain complicated scientific concepts in a more understandable manner to students during the COVID-19 period is an unaddressed issue. This study aims to investigate the influences of reducing the physical touch or face-to-face teaching/learning practices via using mobile augmented reality learning systems (MARLS) on students' perceived learning effectiveness. The information feedback viewpoint, flow theory, and cognitive load theory are integrated to examine the effects of the information feedback of MARLS on students' learning effectiveness. This study recruited 204 participants from ten universities to complete a learning task via a MARLS and fill out a questionnaire to collect data for the proposed research model. The empirical results revealed information feedback positively and significantly affected flow experience, perceived learning effectiveness, and continued intention. The improved learning performance of learners was positively related to their continued intention. Also, the extraneous cognitive load negatively and significantly moderated the relationship between information feedback and perceived learning effectiveness. This study proposes meaningful implications and suggestions for future research based on the findings of this experiment.

This study examined whether interventions through barrier-free home environment improvements could reduce family caregivers' care stress, improve their family functions, and increase their quality of life. This study recruited family caregivers of older people with disabilities from a long-term care management center in central Taiwan. These older people required improvements related to a barrier-free home environment. A pretest was conducted before and a post-test was conducted 2 months after the improvements. The content of the pretest and the post-test questionnaires included: demographic characteristics, Caregiver stress scale, Family functions scale, World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) Questionnaire. This study recruited 72 family caregivers; the average age was 56.25 ± 12.99 years. The results indicated that interventions through barrier-free home environment improvements could significantly reduce the family caregivers' care stress, improve their family functions (e.g., reducing conflicts), and enhance their quality of life. Additionally, after intervention, the family cohesion of family caregivers caring for those with mild disability improved to a greater extent than did that of those caring for people with other disease severities. This study revealed that interventions involving barrier-free home environment improvements have positive effects on family caregivers.

PurposeThis study explores how the relationship between supervisor's proactivity, job demands and job outcomes is based on dyadic interpersonal interaction based on the literature of the job demands-resources model and conservation of resources theory.Design/methodology/approachIn this work, valid data from 272 participants (241 information technology subordinates and 31 project managers) in professional service firms are used in measurement and structural analyses based on a cross-level research framework. Additionally, the hierarchical linear modeling technique and a cross-sectional dataset were used to evaluate the proposed hypotheses.FindingsThe results reveal that supervisor proactivity is a critical resource during the execution of professional service projects and is significantly related to perceptions of job demands on the part of subordinates while positively moderating the relationship between job demands and job satisfaction and job demands organizational commitment.Originality/valueThe answer to the question as to whether extensive use of job resources (i.e. supervisor proactivity) in service projects is beneficial and inconclusive in the current information technology (IT) industry literature. Currently, the IT industry continues to experience rapid growth and is a dynamic sector in the global economy that results in increased demands on supervisors because of the specific characteristics of their positions. Consequently, it is necessary further to examine both the direct and moderating effects of resource crossover driven by supervisor proactivity on subordinate behavior, including job demands, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Although proactivity is a relatively mature concept, some issues related to the negative effects of proactivity on factors, such as job demands, technostress and addiction, need to be further addressed. However, studies specifically focus on investigating this issue are missing from the literature. The findings of this paper thus address these research gaps by validating the direct and moderating relationships of such factors using the proposed cross-level research model.

Elderly homecare service users may reduce their level of social participation and interpersonal interactions due to physiological loss, which may lead to loneliness and depression over the years. However, there is a lack of research on loneliness among older people who use homecare services. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors influencing loneliness among older people using homecare services.This is a longitudinal study conducted in communities in Central Taiwan, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was first administered as a pre-test to obtain baseline information about the participants, and the same questionnaire was administered as a post-test after 6 months to follow-up. The pre- and post-test questionnaires included five sections, that is, participant demographics, Brief Symptom Rating Scale, Interpersonal Interaction Scale (IIS), Frenchay Activities Index, and UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA).A total of 178 participants were recruited in this study. Results indicated that gender, whether participants eat alone or with others at dinner, social media use, perceived economic status, and IIS score were significantly correlated with the loneliness score on the UCLA. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the loneliness score among male participants in the low loneliness group from baseline to 6 months follow-up.Gender, presence of others at dinner, social media use, perceived economic status, and interpersonal interaction skills are significant factors that influence loneliness among older people using homecare services. Men tend to experience higher levels of loneliness over time.

PurposeThis study aimed to examine whether the use of wiki-systems in healthcare internship courses that adopt a problem-based learning approach may have significant influences on the relationships among students' relationship commitment, knowledge-sharing behavior and perceived problem-based learning performance in the context of higher education.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a quasi-experimental approach. Cross-sectional survey data collected from 187 undergraduate students in Taiwan were used for the data analysis procedures. The students in the experimental group used wiki-systems and a set of information and communication technologies as learning tools, while the students in the control group used the same set of information and communication technologies only. The statistical techniques of independent t-tests and component-based structural equation modeling were adopted to examine the research hypotheses.FindingsThe results reveal significant differences between the experimental and control groups concerning relationship commitment, knowledge-sharing behavior, independent study and active participation. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding group interaction and reasoning skills. Additionally, all the hypotheses regarding the relationships among constructs were supported.Originality/valueWiki-systems have unique features that can enhance the effectiveness of problem-based learning activities. This study is among the first to investigate how wiki-systems may affect the effectiveness of problem-based learning processes by investigating the relationships among healthcare students' relationship commitment, knowledge-sharing behavior and perceived problem-based learning performance. The results of this study can advance the current understanding of the effectiveness of wiki-based problem-based learning in the context of healthcare education.

Adequate dairy product intake can reduce the risk of chronic disease, mortality, low quality of life, and healthcare expenditure. However, the insufficient consumption of dairy products is a serious issue in Eastern societies. To the authors’ knowledge, few studies have explored dairy intake among Taiwanese older adults, especially using the transtheoretical model. The study aims were to address the following unknowns: (i) the distribution of dairy product intake behavior on stages of change (SOC); (ii) differences in variables (intake knowledge (IK), intake cons (IC), intake pros (IP), and intake self-efficacy (ISE)) among SOCs; (iii) discriminative abilities of variables on SOCs; and (iv) predictive ability of variables (IK, IC, IP, and ISE) for dairy product intake behavior on SOC for older adults. An explorative cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data from northern Taiwan using a questionnaire. A total of 342 older adults were recruited. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance, discriminant analysis, and multiple linear regression. There was a significant difference between the variables and SOCs. There was a better discriminant among the five SOCs. Dairy product intake behaviors were significantly associated with knowledge and self-efficacy in the pre-action stage, and with cons, pros, and self-efficacy in the post-action stage. In conclusion, appropriate nutritional empowerment could benefit older adults by improving dairy intake among the different SOCs.

In Taiwan, over 80% of home caregivers have experienced musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in the past year. Although MSDs in health care workers have been discussed in existing literature (e.g., in nursing staff), there is limited understanding of the association between MSD and the work content of home caregivers. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the work content and MSD of home caregivers. This cross-sectional study was conducted in long-term care units in central Taiwan. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data, including basic information, work content survey, and information from the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between work content and MSD. A total of 149 home caregivers with a mean age of approximately 50.97 ± 9.80 years were recruited for the study. The frequency of transfer of toilet and wheelchair was significantly associated with shoulder discomfort, upper back discomfort, and wrists/hands discomfort. In addition, the frequency of passive range of motion exercise was significantly associated with elbows discomfort. The results of this study indicated that the highest risk factor for MSD was transfer of toilet and wheelchair followed by passive range of motion exercise.

Adopting online problem-based learning (OPBL) to internship educational programs is an effective teaching method to stimulate self-directed and collaborative learning and knowledge-sharing behavior (KSB) of students. However, the OPBL collaboration experience is different from the traditional lecture-based learning experience for students. Integrating social identity theory and commitment-trust theory develops a formative research model that explains the KSB of students when using social media tools for the OPBL process. This process encourages social interaction and communication of students, in turn, facilitating the integration of collective intelligence or the creation, sharing, and exchange of knowledge. Data collected from 425 nursing students who studied at seven nursing colleges or medical universities in Taiwan were analyzed using the partial least squares (PLSs) technique. The results indicate that social identification is a crucial antecedent of KSB. Relationship quality plays a vital role in shaping the effects of interpersonal trust and relationship commitment (RC) on KSB during internship periods. The findings can contribute to theoretical discussions and enhance the effectiveness of KSB in the literature of internship and non-internship in the higher education field.

In December 2019, COVID‐19 broke out in Wuhan, China, affecting the mental health and quality of life (QoL) of its inhabitants. This study aimed at investigating the factors associated with anxiety and QoL in the Wuhan populace during the COVID‐19 pandemic. An online questionnaire survey was carried out during July 6–10, 2020. The questionnaire collected information on demography, anxiety, QoL, and social‐environmental support. The main statistical methods included descriptive statistics, independent‐samples t‐test, one‐way analysis of variance, and multivariate regression analysis. In total, 226 participants were recruited. The findings showed that females, elderly, middle‐income, poor health status, shortage of medical supplies, and insufficient basic commodities were associated with anxiety significantly. Multiple regression analysis indicated that social‐environmental support was significantly related to anxiety. Higher social‐environmental support was significantly associated with a higher QoL. Our findings showed that the social‐environmental support may reduce anxiety and improve the QoL for those living in an area heavily affected by the pandemic.

Early adolescents usually have worse self-control and poor time management abilities. They are a higher-risk group for Internet addiction than older adolescents or adults. This study aims to explore the prevalence of Internet addiction and associated factors in early adolescents. Participants included 451 fifth and sixth-grade students in Central Taiwan. This study adopted a cross-sectional design and a structured questionnaire that consisted of demographics, Young&rsquo, s Internet Addiction Test, the Centre for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The participants were 50.8% male, and the mean age was 11.35, with a range of 10.33&ndash, 12.92 years. A total of 33.7% of all participants were prone to Internet addiction. The results showed that participants who were male and had high money allowance, poor family atmosphere, parents who did not limit Internet usage time, high depression, low self-efficacy and low self-esteem were more prone to Internet addiction. A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that being male, having parents who did not limit Internet usage time and higher degrees of depression were the associated factors of Internet addiction in early adolescents. The phenomenon of Internet addiction among early adolescents seems to be increasing. Improving family functionality and individual mental health may be effective ways to reduce Internet addiction.

Background: Studies on the solitude capacity of university students have been extremely limited and failed to clearly illustrate the correlation of solitude capacity with internal psychological variables and the favorability of interpersonal relationships. The aim of this study was to explore the correlation of college students&rsquo, solitude capacity with scores for self-esteem, self-efficacy, and interpersonal relationships. Method: A cross-sectional study was adopted for this study. Data were collected from a university in southern Taiwan using a structured questionnaire, the content of which included demographic data and scores from the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), the Interpersonal Relationship Scale (IRS), and the Solitude Capacity Scale (SCS). Results: The final sample comprised 562 participants (mean age = 17.51 &plusmn, 1.27 years). Adjustment of the demographic variables yielded a significantly positive correlation in the total RSE and SCS (p &lt, 0.01) scores and that in the total GSE and SCS (p &lt, 0.01) scores. Moreover, the relationship with family (IRS subscale) and total SCS score (p &lt, 0.05) exhibited a significant positive correlation. Conclusion: The findings of this study reveal that solitude capacity is significantly correlated with self-esteem, self-efficacy, and the favorability of family relationships.

Background: Teenagers described as enjoying their own company have been claimed to have a weird personality and experience loneliness and negative emotions and have often been labeled with negative attributes. However, previous studies have provided a limited understanding of teenagers&rsquo, capacity for solitude. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the correlations between teenagers&rsquo, capacity for solitude and both personality traits and physical and mental health. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional research design and collected data from a junior college located in Taiwan using a structured questionnaire, which consisted of demographic questions, a solitude capacity scale, a personality trait scale, and a physical and mental health scale. Results: A total of 562 participants were recruited (age = 17.56 &plusmn, 1.58 years). The total score of the solitude capacity scale was significantly correlated with four elements of the personality traits subscale: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness. The solitude capacity subscale (i.e., the solitude-coping subscale) showed significant correlations with two of the physical and mental health elements, i.e., anxiety and insomnia and severe depression. Conclusions: The results verified the correlations between capacity for solitude and personality traits and did not show a positive association with negative personality traits (i.e., neuroticism). Moreover, the solitude coping capacity correlated positively with anxiety levels and negatively with depression.

Previous research demonstrates the importance of goal orientation, leader-leader exchange, and trust in work engagement and performance. However, how the relationships among these three variables influence project performance remains unclear. Complementing and extending prior research, this study uncovers how leader-leader exchange and trust affect the relationship between goal orientations and project performance. A cross-sectional analysis of 320 auditing project managers from 50 financial service companies shows that leader-leader exchange and trust mediate how goal orientations influence project performance. We also find that trust further moderates the effect of leader-leader exchange on project performance. Subsequent quantitative analysis of structural equation modeling reveals that leader-leader exchange has the largest direct effect on project performance; team-mastery goal orientation has the second-largest direct effect but the largest total effect. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Background: Over 40% of Taiwanese College students experience sleep problems that not only impair their quality of life but also contribute to psychosomatic disorders. Of all the factors affecting the sleep quality, internet surfing is among one of the most prevalent. Female college students are more vulnerable to internet-associated sleep disorders than their male counterparts. Therefore, this study aims to investigate (1) the relationship between internet addiction and sleep quality, and (2) whether significant variations in sleep quality exist among students with different degrees of internet use. Methods: This structured questionnaire-based cross-sectional study enrolled students from a technical institute in southern Taiwan. The questionnaire collected information on the following three aspects: (1) demography, (2) sleep quality with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and (3) severity of internet addiction using a 20-item Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the correlation between PSQI and IAT scores among the participants. Logistic analysis was used to determine the significance of association between PSQI and IAT scores. Results: In total, 503 female students were recruited (mean age 17.05 ± 1.34). After controlling for age, body mass index, smoking and drinking habits, religion, and habitual use of smartphone before sleep, internet addiction was found to be significantly associated with subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep disturbance, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction. Worse quality of sleep as reflected by PSQI was noted in students with moderate and severe degrees of internet addiction compared to those with mild or no internet addiction. Logistic regression analysis of the association between scores on IAT and sleep quality, demonstrated significant correlations between quality of sleep and total IAT scores (odds ratio = 1.05:1.03 ~ 1.06, p < 0.01). Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated significant negative association between the degree of internet addiction and sleep quality, providing reference for educational institutes to minimize adverse effects associated with internet use and improve students’ sleep quality.

Research into the impact of social presence on students’ learning performance in the online-based problem-based learning (PBL) context is rarely extended in clinical training courses. The constructs of social identification and trust in community members, especially in the current intern group, cannot be overlooked because students encounter a variety of the problem-situations can change constantly. In such circumstances, a collaborative learning process may quickly help students make decisions based on their skills/abilities, experiences, and information in order to achieve their learning goals. According to in-depth interviews with the instructors, this study proposed a model to investigate students’ learning performance that has been used in medical or nursing education but is not yet generally available in the fields of aesthetic medicine or cosmetic/plastic surgery education. Therefore, we expect the results of this study to provide a valuable reference for the PBL design that will enhance students’ professional abilities and skills via their identification and trust in their community and will improve their reasoning skills during clinical training courses. Likewise, the findings may contribute to the ability of instructors to manage their courses and provide the information needed for their students promptly and effectively via virtual communities.

Earned value project management (EVPM) is an effective tool for managing project performance. However, most studies on extensions and applications of EVPM concentrate on improving final cost and duration estimates rather than improving upon the use of planned value (PV) to predict earned value (EV) and actual cost value (AC). This study proposes a straightforward modeling method for improving the predictive power of PV before executing a project. By using this modeling method, this study develops EV and AC forecasting models for four case projects. Out-of-sample forecasting validation using mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) demonstrates that the proposed method improves forecasting accuracy by an average of 23.66% and 17.39%, respectively, for EV and AC. This improvement on PV's predictive power prior to project execution provides management with more reliable predictive information about EV and AC performance, allowing for effective proactive action to ensure favorable performance outcomes.