1
|
Strohmaier S, Pillai M, Weitzer J, Han E, Zenk L, Birmann BM, Bertau M, Caniglia G, Laubichler MD, Steiner G, Schernhammer ES. The Relationship between Big Five Personality Traits and Depression in the German-Speaking D-A-CH Region Including an Investigation of Potential Moderators and Mediators. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ 2024; 14:2157-2174. [PMID: 39194938 DOI: 10.3390/ejihpe14080144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2024] [Revised: 07/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Considerable evidence links the "Big Five" personality traits (neuroticism, extroversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness) with depression. However, potential mediating and moderating factors are less well understood. We utilized data from a cross-sectional survey of 3065 German-speaking adults from the D-A-CH region to estimate multivariable-adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervalsbetween personality traits and lifetime prevalence of depression (overall and stratified by sex and age). We further explored proportions mediated by psychosocial factors optimism, empathy, perspective-taking, work-life balance, and interpersonal trust. High levels of neuroticism were associated with more than two-fold higher odds of depression, whereas higher levels of conscientiousness were associated with approximately 30% lower odds of depression. The association with neuroticism persisted in all investigated subgroups; apparently, stronger associations for females and participants aged ≥60 years did not correspond to statistically significant interactions. Overall and across all strata, the association of neuroticism with depression appeared to be mediated in part by the considered psychosocial factors; optimism explained the largest proportion of the association. Our results provide empirical evidence for the dynamic predisposition model. Further investigations of these relationships are warranted in longitudinal data with more precise outcome assessments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Strohmaier
- Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Manuel Pillai
- Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jakob Weitzer
- Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Office of Crisis Management, Federal Chancellery of the Republic of Austria, Ballhausplatz 2, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - Emilie Han
- Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Zenk
- Department for Knowledge and Communication Management, Faculty of Business and Globalization, University of Continuing Education Krems, 3500 Krems, Austria
| | - Brenda M Birmann
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Martin Bertau
- Institute of Chemical Technology, Freiberg University of Mining and Technology, 09599 Freiberg, Germany
- Saxonian Academy of Sciences, Karl-Tauchnitz-Straße 1, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
- Fraunhofer-Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS, Fraunhofer Technology Center for High-Performance Materials THM, Am St.-Niclas-Schacht 13, 09599 Freiberg, Germany
| | - Guido Caniglia
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research (KLI), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Manfred D Laubichler
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
- Complexity Science Hub, 1080 Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerald Steiner
- Department for Knowledge and Communication Management, Faculty of Business and Globalization, University of Continuing Education Krems, 3500 Krems, Austria
- Complexity Science Hub, 1080 Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva S Schernhammer
- Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Complexity Science Hub, 1080 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Li J, Zhang J. Personality traits and depressive symptoms among Chinese older people: A network approach. J Affect Disord 2024; 351:74-81. [PMID: 38281593 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The present study aims to investigate the network structure of depressive symptoms, the interrelationships between individual personality traits and depressive symptoms, and gender differences among Chinese older people aged 60 and above. METHOD We performed network analyses with a regularized Graphical Gaussian Model and a case-dropping bootstrap approach. A sample of 4876 older Chinese people aged 60+ was included in the analyses. We investigated the central symptoms in the depression network and the bridge nodes that connect personality facets and depressive symptoms. Gender differences were investigated by testing the global strength, network invariance, and edge weights. RESULTS Sadness and depressed mood were the most central depressive symptoms, while somatic symptoms such as restless sleep were the least central. Neurotic facets, particularly "worry a lot" and "get nervous easily", played significant bridging roles in the web of personality traits and depressive symptoms. Gender differences were observed in three edges among different personality traits (rude-worried, original-worried, and forgiving-nervous). LIMITATION The study adopts a cross-sectional dataset, and therefore, cannot track the network changes over time or conclude a causal relationship. DISCUSSION The study calls for more focus and prioritization on sadness, depressed mood and neurotic traits in the identification of depression among older Chinese people. Future researchers and practitioners should better understand of older Chinese adults' worry and nervousness to develop appropriate practices and policies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jia Li
- Department of Social Work, Faculty of Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Jihong Zhang
- Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods, University of Arkansas, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Tian F, Yang X, Xu F, Dong R, Song Y, Fan C, Zhou Z. Physical activity and its fluctuations in relation to depressive symptoms: A national longitudinal study among Chinese adults. J Affect Disord 2024; 347:192-198. [PMID: 37924983 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.10.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Physical activity (PA) may prevent depressive symptoms, however, PA fluctuations may have different effects. Using three waves of nationally representative data, this study aimed to examine the effects of PA fluctuations on depressive symptoms. METHODS Participants comprised 7633 adults free of depressive symptoms at the first two waves (Mage = 45.26, 54.70 % males). They completed the China Family Panel Study in 2016 (T1), 2018 (T2), and 2020 (T3), respectively. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale using a cutoff of 16. Participants' PA levels were split into regular PA or infrequent PA groups. Changes in PA levels between T1 and T2 were classified into four groups: maintained infrequent PA, initiated regular PA, ceased regular PA, and persisted regular PA. RESULTS The incidence of depressive symptoms was 20.22 % (19.05 % possible and 1.17 % severe depression). After multivariate adjustment, Poisson regression showed that persistent regular PA had 17.8 % (95 % CI: 0.724, 0.934) lower risks of incident depressive symptoms compared to maintained infrequent PA. And adults who ceased regular PA were more likely to experience depressive symptoms than those who persisted in regular PA (RR = 1.188, 95 % CI: 1.010, 1.398). LIMITATIONS All items were self-reported. CES-D only examined self-diagnosed depressive symptoms, not medical diagnoses. CONCLUSION Adults who persisted in regular PA may have a lower possibility of developing depressive symptoms. The finding might serve as an empirical reference to depression prevention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fei Tian
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China; Air Force Early Warning Academy, Wuhan, China.
| | - Xiujuan Yang
- Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen, China; State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Fang Xu
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.
| | - Rouchun Dong
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.
| | - Youzhi Song
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.
| | - Cuiying Fan
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.
| | - Zongkui Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.
| |
Collapse
|