Mediating effects of peace of mind and rumination on the relationship between gratitude and depression among Chinese university students

The association of calligraphy activities with peace of mind, stress self-management, and perceived health status in older adults

Introduction

Calligraphy, as a form of mindful practice, encourages focus, creativity, and relaxation, which collectively contribute to a more peaceful mental state. Through regular engagement in calligraphy, older adults can develop better coping mechanisms for stress, leading to more effective self-management of daily stressors. This enhanced ability to manage stress can reduce the overall burden on their mental and physical health, promoting a more positive outlook on life.

Methods

This study employed convenience sampling and snowball sampling to select 246 older adults aged 60-70 from Changsha, China, in March 2024 as valid samples. AMOS v.23 was used to construct a structural equation model to validate the hypotheses.

Results

The study found a significant positive correlation between calligraphy activities and peace of mind/stress self-management. There is also a significant positive correlation between peace of mind/stress self-management and perceived health status. Additionally, peace of mind and stress self-management act as mediators between calligraphy activities and perceived health status.

Discussion

This indicates that calligraphy activities not only contribute to the psychological well-being of older adults but also indirectly enhance their positive perception of their own health by improving their mental state. Consequently, such activities can be an integral part of holistic health interventions aimed at enhancing the quality of life and overall health of older adults.

What Do We Know About the Influence of Believers' Religiosity on Happiness and Gratitude? - A Perspective for Clinical Practice

Introduction

The recognition of religion's significance in mental health has led to several scientific advances in diagnosis or treatment. In contrast, Vietnam is a multi-religious Southeast Asian country with a large number of believers, but there is almost no research addressing the impact of religiosity among Vietnamese believers on mental health concerns such as depression, happiness, and gratitude.

Participants and Methods

Our cross-sectional study was focused on Vietnamese believers (N = 374), surveyed directly at different religious facilities in Vietnam. The present study was evaluated utilizing the partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) methodology.

Results

The primary findings of the study indicate that (i) age was found to positively moderate the association between intrinsic religiosity and gratitude (β = 0.191, 95% CI [0.116, 0.277], p < 0.001); (ii) Intrinsic religiosity has a positive influence on depression-happiness scale (β = 0.276, 95% CI [0.168, 0.373], p < 0.001) and gratitude (β = 0.337, 95% CI [0.205, 0.466], p < 0.001); Moreover, (iii) gratitude has a positive influence on depression-happiness scale (β = 0.381, 95% CI [0.280, 0.491], p < 0.001); Finally, (iv) the study revealed that gratitude mediates the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and depression-happiness scale (β = 0.128, 95% CI [0.071, 0.197], p < 0.001).

Discussion

The findings of this study suggest that gratitude could potentially play a significant role in comprehending the association between religiosity and the levels of depression and happiness experienced by religious individuals in Vietnam.

How Job Stress Affect Flow Experience at Work: The Masking and Mediating Effect of Work-Related Rumination

This study proposes and tests a theoretical model of how two types of stressors (challenge and hindrance stressors) elicit perseverative cognition processes in individuals (as characterized by two types of work-related rumination), and how, through this mechanism, these stressors can further affect individuals' flow experience at work. Our model is largely supported by structural equation modeling analyses of a longitudinal questionnaire-based survey (n = 344). We find that challenge stressors have a significant, positive, direct impact on the experience of flow. Additionally, both challenge and hindrance stressors simultaneously activate problem-solving pondering and affective rumination in employees; affective rumination inhibits flow, while problem-solving pondering promotes flow. The results of a bootstrap sampling analysis further indicate the presence of the masking and mediating effects of work-related rumination in the effects of these stressors on flow experience. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Perceived parental warmth attenuates the link between perceived parental rejection and rumination in Chinese early adolescents: two conditional moderation models

Background

Prior studies have explored the association between perceived parental rejection-warmth and adolescents' rumination, but it is unclear whether the interaction between perceived parental rejection and warmth can predict adolescents' rumination in a Chinese context and whether this interaction varies by children's gender during the post-COVID-19 era.

Objective

This study aimed to address these issues in Chinese early adolescents from a family system perspective.

Methods

A total of 910 adolescents (M age = 13.63, 48.50% female) from two middle schools in Chongqing and Changsha, China participated in the survey, answering measures for demographics, perceived parental rejection-warmth, and rumination.

Results

The results show that adolescents' rumination was positively related to perceived paternal rejection (r = 0.326, p <.001) and maternal rejection (r = 0.343, p <.001), and negatively related to perceived paternal warmth (r = -.184, p <.001) and maternal warmth (r = -0.125, p <.001). Moreover, perceived maternal warmth significantly moderated the link between perceived paternal rejection and adolescents' rumination (boot effect = -0.066, 95CI% = [-0.124, -0.010]), but this moderating effect is only presented in boys not in girls (boot effect = -0.063, 95CI% = [-0.015, 0.140]). However, perceived paternal warmth moderated the link between perceived maternal rejection and rumination in adolescents (boot effect = -0.052, 95CI% = [-0.103, -0.001]), and this interaction varied by adolescents' gender (boot effect = 0.103, 95CI% = [0.029, 0.177]).

Conclusions

Perceived Parental rejection and parental warmth co-exist in the Chinese family system, and they exert an interactive effect on adolescents' rumination depending on their gender. It implies that both parents should be more accepting, caring, considerate, and warm toward their daughters, and it is also in line with the tradition and status quo of parenting in Chinese families. These findings have implications for Chinese parental co-parenting practices in families with adolescents and adolescence mental health counseling work.

The relationship between pregnancy stress and mental health of the pregnant women: the bidirectional chain mediation roles of mindfulness and peace of mind

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between pregnancy stress and mental health of the pregnant women, employing a positive psychology perspective. Specifically, the study sought to explore how the two positive psychological qualities of mindfulness and peace of mind may serve as potential mediators in the association between pregnancy stress and mental health of the pregnant women.

Methods

Seven hundreds and thirteen pregnant women seeking care at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University were included in this study. The participants completed a self-report demographic questionnaire, as well as several validated scales including the Pregnancy Pressure Scale (PPS), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Peace of Mind Scale (PoMS), and Chinese Health Questionnaire (CHQ). The Amos 23.0 system was utilized to construct structural equation models.

Results

A total of 713 participants had an average age of 29.46 ± 4.81 years and an average gestational age of 24.26 ± 22.66 weeks. Out of the pregnant women, 163 (22.9%) experienced moderate or higher levels of pregnancy stress (PPS > 1), while 212 (29.7%) exhibited mental distress (CHQ > 3). Pregnancy stress exhibited a positive association with mental distress, while displaying negative associations with mindfulness and peace of mind. Mindfulness and peace of mind were negatively associated with mental distress. By employing structural equation modeling, the analysis revealed that mindfulness and peace of mind acted as partial mediators in the relationship between pregnancy stress and mental health. Furthermore, the identified models exhibited bidirectional sequential mediating pathways, suggesting that the pathways of mindfulness ↔ peace of mind mitigated the harmful influence of pregnancy stress on the mental health of pregnant women.

Conclusion

This study adds to the current body of knowledge by investigating the relationships among mindfulness, peace of mind, pregnancy stress, and mental health in pregnant women. From a positive psychology framework, it provides valuable understanding of the intricate dynamics between pregnancy stress and protective factors of mental health. Consequently, interventions aimed at bolstering positive psychological qualities in pregnant women should prioritize the cultivation of mindfulness to foster peace of mind, or alternatively, the cultivation of peace of mind to enhance mindfulness, ultimately leading to improved mental health outcomes.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Trait Gratitude to Nature Scale

Objective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Trait Gratitude to Nature Scale (TGNS) for Chinese college students.

Methods

The original English version of the TGNS was translated into Chinese. Subsequently, two samples consisting of 1,131 Chinese university students from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was recruited through online surveys to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the TGNS, including the discrimination, construct validity, criterion validity, reliability and gender invariance.

Results

The Chinese version of the TGNS showed good psychometric properties. The item-total correlation coefficients of the scale ranged from 0.813 to 0.909. Exploratory factor analysis using data from Sample 1 (n = 617) demonstrated that the Chinese version of the TGNS has one factor. The confirmatory factor analysis using data from Sample 2 (n = 514) showed that the Chinese version of the TGNS has appropriate construct validity (χ2/df = 4.157, RMSEA = 0.078, TLI = 0.943 and CFI = 0.967). The significant correlation between the Chinese version of the TGNS and all the other criterion scale scores (p < 0.001) indicated that the Chinese version of the TGNS displays good criterion validity. The test-retest reliability was 0.914, using the sub-sample of Sample 2 (n = 127). The results of gender invariance test indicated that the Chinese version of the TGNS has entire equivalence between the two genders.

Conclusion

The Chinese version of the TGNS has satisfactory psychometric properties in the Chinese cultural context and can be used as s a reliable and valid instrument to assess trait gratitude to nature.

Transdiagnostic factors in symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress: a systematic review

The current systematic review sought to identify quantitative empirical studies that focused on the transdiagnostic factors of intolerance of uncertainty, emotional dysregulation and rumination, and their relation with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The overall research aim was to examine the relationship between these transdiagnostic factors and their relation with depression and PTSD symptoms. The systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Out of the 768 articles initially identified, 55 met the inclusion criteria for the current review. The results determined that intolerance of uncertainty is indirectly related to depression and PTSD symptoms, mainly through other factors including emotion dysregulation and rumination. Additionally, emotional dysregulation is a significant predictor of both depression and PTSD symptoms. Rumination is a robust factor related to depression and PTSD symptoms, this relationship was significant in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. This review provides evidence on the transdiagnostic factors of intolerance of uncertainty, emotional dysregulation and rumination in the relationship with depression and PTSD symptoms.

Internalized Homonegativity, Emotion Dysregulation, and Isolating Behaviors Perpetration among Gay and Lesbian Couples

Same-sex intimate partner violence (SSIPV) is a serious health concern and may manifest in various forms. Nevertheless, controlling behaviors of isolation are still poorly investigated. Due to their marginalized status, sexual minorities can face SSIPV-specific risk factors, such as internalized homonegativity, as well as general psychological stress factors, such as emotion dysregulation. While the literature is growing, there is still a lack of understanding of the complex pathways linking sexual minorities and minority stress to IPV and isolating controlling behavior. To fill this gap, we explored the relation between internalized homonegativity and controlling behaviors of isolation, assessing the mediating role of emotion dysregulation. In total, 120 gay and lesbian people (mean age = 33.8, SD = 11.5) involved in a same-sex relationship participated in the study. Results showed a direct and positive association between internalized homonegativity and difficulties in emotion regulation and a direct and positive association between emotion dysregulation and controlling behaviors of isolation; the mediating role of emotion dysregulation in the relation between internalized homonegativity and isolating controlling behaviors was supported as well. Emerging results can provide valuable information at the clinical level, although further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Depression in Medical Students in a Northern Thailand University: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of depression in medical students. This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence and associated factors of depression in medical students from May 2018 to April 2019. Depression was diagnosed using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire. We evaluated the following potential predictors: demographic data, stressors, psychiatric comorbidities, emotional intelligence (EI), and perceived social support. The association between potential factors and depression was analyzed using multiple logistic regression analysis. The prevalence of depression was 149 of 706 students with 12.5% suicidality. Second- and fourth-year medical students were high-risk groups. Risk factors identified were insufficient income, physical illness, and previous psychiatric illness. Depression in medical students likely coincides with anxiety, internet addiction, sleep problems, and loneliness. Highly associated stressors were personal relationships, physical health, mental health, difficulties in social relationships, satisfaction with grades, and boredom with medical education. Protective EI factors included emotional self-control, problem-solving abilities, inner peace, and life satisfaction. Up to 21.1% of medical students had depression. In this study, among multiple known risk factors of depression, we found that EI is the novel protective factor against depression among medical students. EI training might be protective intervention for medical students in the future.

Enhancing Meaning in Life and Psychological Well-Being Among a European Cohort of Young Adults via a Gratitude Intervention

Background: Strengthening the sense of meaning in life and psychological well-being brings benefits for mental health. The group particularly vulnerable to mental problems are young adults, therefore the aim of our research was to explore how a gratitude intervention will affect the sense of meaning in life, psychological well-being, general health and perceived stress among them. The research also took into account the issue of expressing gratitude.

Method: The study involved 80 young adults (58 women and 22 men) who were randomly assigned to the experimental group that filled out the specially prepared diaries for a week (participants were asked to list three things for which they feel grateful, to whom they are grateful and if and how they expressed their gratitude) or the control group. Participants completed the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), the General Health Questionnaire – 28 (GHQ-28), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being (PWBS) twice (before and after intervention).

Results: In the experimental group significant increases were observed in three areas of psychological well-being: environmental mastery, relationships with others and purpose in life. The significant decrease was also noted in anxiety/insomnia and depression symptoms as well as in perceived stress. There were no differences in the level of meaning in life. There was a positive relationship between expressing gratitude and meaning in life and psychological well-being.

Conclusion: Proposed gratitude intervention has the potential to enhance psychological well-being among young adults, however, it may not be effective in enhancing meaning in life.

Life Satisfaction and Suicidal Ideation Among Chinese College Students During the Recurrent Outbreak of COVID-19: A Moderated Mediation Model

The present study examined a moderated mediation model between life satisfaction and suicidal ideation among Chinese college students during the recurrent outbreak of COVID-19. Seven hundred and ninety college students participated in the study and completed questionnaires on life satisfaction, suicidal ideation, depression, and gratitude. Findings indicated that (1) Depression played a partial mediating role between life satisfaction and suicidal ideation. Life satisfaction was not only directly affected suicidal ideation, but also indirectly affected suicidal ideation through the mediating effect of college students' depression; (2) Gratitude played a moderating role in the effect of life satisfaction on depression, and the link between life satisfaction and suicide ideation was only significant for those with higher gratitude. This study provides practical implications for the prevention of suicidal behavior among Chinese college students during the recurrent outbreak of COVID-19.

Cybervictimisation and depressive symptoms among adolescents: A moderated mediation model

Recently, there has been an increase in the problem of cyberbullying all over the world, which implies important negative consequences for adolescent victims’ mental health, such as depression. There are few research studies that analyse the role of gratitude and cognitive coping strategies for the consequences of cybervictimisation. To date, there are few studies examining the influence of both these resources in a cyberbullying context. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to analyse the mediating role of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CERS) in the relationship between cybervictimisation and depressive symptoms, and to explore the potential moderating role of gratitude among the study variables. A sample of 1156 students between 12 and 18 years (54.33% females) filled out self-report questionnaires measuring cybervictimisation (ECIPQ), cognitive coping strategies (CERQ-SA), depressive symptoms (DASS-21) and gratitude (GQ-5). The outcomes showed that maladaptive CERS partially mediated the relation between cybervictimisation and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, gratitude buffered the relation between maladaptive CERS and depressive symptoms. These findings provide evidence for the buffering role of gratitude in a more frequent use of maladaptive CERS and depressive symptoms in cybervictimisation. The limitations and implications of the study are discussed.

The Construction of Positive Social Psychology During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring the Relationship Between Social Support and Peace of Mind Through a Three-Wave Longitudinal Cross-Lag Study

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a major global crisis that has infected public social mentality. Drawing on the concept of peace of mind (PoM), a culture-specific positive emotion construct developed in the Chinese cultural context, this study explored the ways to build a positive public social mentality in the time of the pandemic. PoM is indicative of a calm and stable emotional state marked by self-control and spiritual cultivation and is believed to align with the perceptions of subjective well-being in Chinese or eastern cultures. A three-wave cross-lag study using an online questionnaire survey was conducted on 107 employees in Chinese enterprises during the pandemic. The research findings suggest that social support had a significant positive time-cross effect on later PoM, i.e., social support-T1 had a significant predictive effect on PoM-T2 (β = 0.16, SE = 0.09, p < 0.05) and social support-T2 had a significant predictive effect on PoM-T3 (β = 0.38, SE = 0.19, p < 0.05), whereas PoM failed to show a positive time-cross effect on later social support, i.e., the predictive effects of PoM-T1 on social support-T2 (β = 0.04, SE = 0.07, p > 0.05) and of PoM-T2 on social support-T3 (β = 0.13, SE = 0.09, p > 0.05) were not significant. This study provided a dynamic picture of the construction of public social mentality in the time of public health emergencies and also contributed to the research on PoM antecedents.

Gratitude and depressive symptoms in Chinese nurses: A longitudinal cross-lagged study

Nurses have a relatively higher rate of depressive symptoms compared to other people. Previous studies have reported that gratitude is correlated with depressive symptoms among healthcare workers. The purpose of this study was to explore the causal relationship between gratitude and depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses. We collected data over 4 months, with 393 nurses at Time 1 and 241 at Time 2. All participants completed online questionnaires. We employed the structural equation models to test the hypotheses. The results revealed that gratitude at Time 1 could predict depressive symptoms at Time 2, and depressive symptoms at Time 1 could predict gratitude at Time 2. These results remained significant after controlling for gender, age, education, marital status, professional title, general positive affect, and negative affect. The findings provide initial evidence about the causal relationship between gratitude and depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses. Hospital administrators can intervene in depressive symptoms of nurses by developing gratitude interventions. Furthermore, nurses with lower levels of depressive symptoms feel more grateful.

Optimizing resilience and wellbeing for healthcare professions trainees and healthcare professionals during public health crises - Practical tips for an 'integrative resilience' approach

Public health crises, including pandemics, are associated with significant health risk and concomitant stress, fear, decreased sense of control, and uncertainty. Deleterious impact on both physical and mental health can result, including for healthcare professionals and health professions trainees. Changes in governmental policies and hospital protocols for healthcare professionals as well as disruption of educational formats and requirements for trainees can ensue. Difficult anxiety-provoking realities of public health crises including pandemics which involve caring for many seriously ill patients, moral distress including difficult care decisions, personal health risk, and/or potential risk to one's family can take a dire toll on the mental health of healthcare professionals at all stages of the professional lifecycle. Educational disruptions can create significant anxiety for trainees about completing requirements and achieving competencies. Within this, coping skills may be challenged and strengths may be elucidated as well. Such crises create an imperative for medical educators to support trainees' wellbeing through adaptive flexibility for curriculum innovation and culturally sensitive resilience and wellbeing interventions. Strategies ('tips') to optimize resilience and wellbeing with an integrative resilience approach of individual, learning environment, and organization/systems factors are presented.

Can helping others strengthen teens? Character strengths as mediators between prosocial behavior and adolescents' internalizing symptoms

INTRODUCTION

Identifying protective factors against internalizing behaviors during adolescence is a public health priority, as rates of depression and anxiety are rising. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine whether prosocial engagement toward strangers and family members is protective against depressive and anxiety symptoms, and whether this link is mediated by character strengths (i.e., hope, persistence, gratitude, and self-esteem).

METHOD

The sample consisted of 500 US adolescents (52% female; 66% European American; 33% from single-parent families). Data across three consecutive yearly waves were utilized in the current study (M_age Time 1 = 13.32).

RESULTS

Results of a longitudinal structural equation model revealed prosocial behavior toward strangers and family members were differentially related to character strengths, and that prosocial behavior toward strangers was indirectly associated with depressive symptoms via self-esteem.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, findings extend the Developmental Cascades model and suggest that prosocial behavior and character strengths protect against depressive symptoms during the adolescent period. Findings are discussed in the context of relevant research and theory, and implications for future research and intervention programs are presented.

Gratitude and Problem Behaviors in Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Positive and Negative Coping Styles

The current study investigated the relationship between gratitude, internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors, along with the mediating roles of positive and negative coping styles therein. A sample of 589 Chinese adolescents completed the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6), the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), the Irritability, Depression, and Anxiety Scale (IDAS), and the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). Results of structural equation modeling showed that (1) the total effects of gratitude on both internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors were all significant and (2) both positive and negative coping styles mediated the links between gratitude and two types of problem behaviors. Thus, cultivating gratitude and developing adaptive coping style may help adolescents rectify problem behaviors.