Search

Background: Research indicates that a significant number of healthcare workers accounted for all confirmed Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, and many of the infected healthcare workers were asymptomatic. During the COVID-19 outbreak, a considerable number of people in Taiwan contracted the disease. Therefore, health workers in Taiwan often experienced lack of medical resources, and this problem is worse for outer island areas. In terms of stress and mental health, this study investigated the effect of poor healthcare capacity and high workload on health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also explored mindfulness-based stress reduction and resilience in health workers. Methods: This study conducted an in-depth interview to investigate stress perceived by health workers in a hospital located on an outer island of Taiwan as well as their mental health and stress relieving strategies. Results: It was found that during the COVID-19 outbreak, some common sources of stress for health workers included exposure to infectious diseases, heavy workloads, facing ethical dilemma in clinical decision-making, and unfamiliar problems from the pandemic. These types of stress cause worries, anxiety, and depression in health workers, which affects their mental and physical health as well as their patient-care performance. Conclusion: This study proposed that mindfulness-based stress reduction and protecting mental health are important for health workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study were to explore the multicultural acceptance of college students toward new immigrants and its influencing factors, the cognitive discrepancy between college students and new immigrants, and the reasons why college students exhibit prejudice, stereotypes, and social distance toward new immigrants. The questionnaire survey approach was applied for data collection. It was found that the stereotype of college students toward new immigrants was relatively positive. College students recorded a high multicultural acceptance toward new immigrants. However, in addition to the stereotype of college students toward new immigrants, there were significant differences regarding the cognition of college students and new immigrants. The results of this study confirmed the hypothesis that stereotype, prejudice, and social distance have significantly negative influence on multicultural acceptance. The findings of this study revealed that Taiwan is an immigrant society, and there should be greater tolerance and respect for married immigrants, to prevent conflicts between different ethnic groups. A good multicultural education would help Taiwan society accept new immigrants and establish social harmony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]