Background: This study aimed to examine temporal trends in mental health issues in South Korea from the onset of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic through to the post-pandemic endemic phase. Using large-scale online data, this study sought to identify key mental health concerns at different stages and offer foundational evidence for future public health policy development.Methods: A total of 13,797 textual data entries, —comprising 8,664 Naver blog posts and 5,133 news articles, —were collected between January 20, 2020, and April 17, 2024. The data were segmented into five distinct periods based on critical milestones in South Korea’s pandemic response. Text mining and network analysis were employed to extract and examine the following mental health-related keywords: depression, anxiety, and stress.Results: During the early phase of the pandemic, negative psychological states, such as anxiety, stress, and depression, were highly prevalent, reflecting widespread fear and uncertainty among the public. Although the frequency of these keywords gradually declined, they remained significant even after the transition to the endemic phase. In contrast, the later stages showed an increased frequency of keywords related to recovery and adaptation, such as education, environment, and support, indicating ongoing societal adjustment.Conclusions: These findings underscore the prolonged psychological effects of COVID-19, with mental health concerns persisting into the endemic phase. Continuous mental health support and adaptive public health strategies are essential to mitigate the enduring impact of global health emergencies.
Lee et al. (Tue,) studied this question.