KJCKorea
Journal Central

The off-label use of GLP-1 weight-loss medications (e.g., Wegovy, Mounjaro) among normal-weight adults for aesthetic purposes is a growing public health concern. This study investigates the psychological mechanisms linking Weight Bias Internalization (WBI) to the intention to use these injections. Integrating the Situational Theory of Problem Solving (STOPS) and Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to a sample of normal-weight adults. Results revealed that WBI sequentially influences medication intention through situational recognition and coping appraisal. Problem recognition created an ambivalent path, simultaneously increasing perceived response efficacy and response costs. Conversely, involvement recognition strengthened medication intention by significantly lowering perceived response costs. Furthermore, appearance orientation moderated the WBI-response cost relationship; higher appearance orientation heightened perceived costs, acting as a protective mechanism against misuse. These findings elucidate how internalized weight bias translates into specific drug adoption, offering crucial insights for mitigating medication misuse.

This study, grounded in the Minority Stress Model, examined how discrimination-related stress experienced by international students in South Korea affects anxiety, psychological well-being, and school adjustment, and further investigated the role of social relational resources in this process. An online survey was conducted with 248 international students enrolled at four-year universities in Seoul. Discrimination-related stress was measured in terms of implicit and explicit discrimination, while social relational resources were operationalized as social support and sense of belonging. Cormatory factor analysis was conducted to assess reliability as well as convergent and discriminant validity, and structural equation modeling was then employed to examine the relationships among the variables. The results showed that discrimination-related stress was significantly and negatively associated with social relational resources. In addition, lower levels of social relational resources had indirect effects by increasing anxiety and reducing psychological well-being and school adjustment among international students. These findings suggest that the adjustment difficulties faced by international students in South Korea cannot be explained solely by language barriers or academic burdens. Rather, implicit discrimination experienced in everyday life may also function as a significant stressor, undermining the formation and maintenance of social relationships and, in turn, affecting both psychological and school adjustment. In this regard, the study highlights the significance of everyday implicit discrimination as an important stress factor in understanding international students’ adjustment.

This study examined how stress exposure, risk perception, secondary appraisal, and emotional response were associated with hazardous drinking during the prolonged COVID-19 crisis in January 2022, when the Omicron surge intensified in South Korea. Secondary data from an online survey of 1,000 adults in Gyeonggi Province were analyzed. Hazardous drinking was measured as consuming at least seven drinks per occasion for men and five for women. Logistic regression assessed at least weekly hazardous drinking, and path analysis with bootstrap multiple mediation assessed hazardous drinking frequency. COVID-19 diagnosis and quarantine/isolation experiences, perceived uncontrollability of COVID-19 risk, and embitterment had direct effects on hazardous drinking frequency. Risk perception had no direct effect but showed an indirect effect through perceived uncontrollability. Negative life events affected hazardous drinking through embitterment, while perceived resilience reduced embitterment. The findings suggest combining crisis communication with health communication and emotional-structural support to prevent hazardous drinking.