Positive psychology constructs as predictors of depression in retirees

Association between grit and depressive symptoms among medical students, moderated by academic performance

Depression amongst medical students is a crucial matter. Grit, which is a potentially modifiable psychological factor, has been inversely linked to depressive symptoms. However, it remains unclear how grit is associated with depression. This study aims to examine the relationship between grit and depressive symptoms and to further investigate the potential effect modification by academic performance on the association between grit and depression among medical students. We focus on the total grit score and its subscales, namely perseverance of effort and consistency of interest. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from second-year medical students at Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan from 2020 to 2023. The participants responded to questionnaire surveys comprising the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the Short Grit Scale. Linear regression analysis was performed to assess the association between grit and depressive symptoms. We also tested for effect modification by first-year Grade Point Average (GPA) on the association between grit and depression. The total grit score and its subscales, perseverance of effort and consistency of interest, were all inversely associated with depressive symptoms (b =  -4.7 [95%CI - 6.7 to - 2.6], b =  -3.7 [95%CI - 5.3 to - 2.1], b =  -1.8 [95%CI - 3.5 to - 0.2], respectively). While the interaction term for the total grit score and GPA was not significant, the interaction term for perseverance of effort and GPA was significant, indicating that the association between perseverance of effort and depression was stronger among the higher-achieving students. The interaction term for consistency of interest and GPA was also significant, indicating that the association was stronger among the lower-achieving students. We reveal a novel aspect of the association between grit and depressive symptoms in light of academic performance. The findings will contribute to future research on depression amongst medical students.

Hope therapy: Can it treat hopelessness and internal locus of control on diabetes mellitus patients?

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are always required to be able to control a healthy lifestyle throughout their life to avoid various diseases that can accompany the previous illness. However, psychological factors in the form of despair due to lack of hope make people with diabetes more depressed and less able to control behavior and maintain blood sugar stability, so an excellent internal locus of control is needed to be stronger. This study aimed to determine the effect of hope therapy in reducing hopelessness and increasing internal locus of control in people with DM. The research design used a experimental study with ten randomly selected respondents divided into two groups, namely the control group and the experimental group. Data retrieval using the locus of control scale and the beck hopelessness scale. Data analysis used non-parametric analysis, namely the Mann Whitney test, Wilcoxon test, and Spearman's Rank Correlation test. The results of the Mann-Whitney U test on the internal locus of control variable show a value of 0.000 and a p score of 0.008 (p <0.05), it can be concluded that there are differences in the internal locus of control in the experimental group compared to the internal locus of control in the control group. The hopelessness variable shows a value of 0.000 and a p score of 0.008 (p <0.05), this indicates that there is a difference in hopelessness in the experimental group and the control group. There is a decrease in hopelessness and an increase in internal locus of control in people with DM given hope therapy.

Mental health experiences with COVID-19 public health measures in an Alberta First Nations Community

BACKGROUND

First Nations (FN) people of Canada experience health, social, and systemic inequities due to colonization. Consequently, COVID-19 has placed further mental health stress on people related to personal finances, employment security and worry over infection, resulting in exacerbated effects of unresolved past medical and physical traumas. This study aims to understand the experiences related to mental health in an Alberta FN community during the early stages of the pandemic.

METHODS

In partnership with FN leadership, the study implemented an online cross-sectional survey. Adults from a large FN community in Alberta, Canada, were asked to complete a survey, including two mental health-related screening questionnaires: (1) Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 item; and (2) Patient Health Questionnaire-2 item. In addition, respondents could provide responses to open-ended questions about their experiences.

RESULTS

Among 106 respondents, 95 (89.6%) finished the survey; 18% of adults screened positive for depressive symptoms (score of 3 or greater) and reported difficulty following public health advice for using hand sanitizer, maintaining social distancing, or self-isolating. 21% of adults screened positive for symptoms of anxiety (score of 3 or greater) and reported difficulty maintaining social distance, self-isolating, obtaining food and clothing, or meeting other basic living requirements.

CONCLUSIONS

FN communities may be disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and may experience exacerbated symptoms of anxiety, depression and overall poor mental health and well-being. Additional supports and services, including for mental health, should be considered for FN in the context of COVID-19 public health measures.

HIGHLIGHTS

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought upon increased stress and accompanying symptoms of anxiety and depression for a First Nations community in Alberta. Studies, such as this one, that characterize the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among First Nations people, are urgently needed because of increasing demands on healthcare systems due to the pandemic and potential delays in the care of patients living with pre-existing mental health conditions. There is an opportunity to capitalize on First Nations people's experiences of post-traumatic growth proactively supporting/maintaining their well-being and possibly the development of community-based mental health interventions and supports.

One-year changes in the prevalence and positive psychological correlates of depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic among medical science students in northeast of Iran

Objectives

The COVID‐19 pandemic has imposed a significant psychological burden on many across society especially students studying medical sciences. This study intended to investigate the one‐year changes in the prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms during the COVID‐19 pandemic among medical science students.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study in Shahroud, Iran administering a convenience sampling method (January to February 2021). Online self‐reported questionnaires included Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale, Paloutzian‐Ellison Spiritual Well‐Being Questionnaire, Diener's Satisfaction with Life Scale and the University Student Depression Inventory. Data analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Independent t‐test and Multiple Regression Analysis).

Results

A total of 306 medical science students were investigated in this study. The mean scores 1 year after the outbreak of COVID‐19 were for depression (81.25 ± 26.04), spiritual well‐being (80.98 ± 18.06), self‐esteem (26.89 ± 2.20), and life satisfaction (19.68 ± 6.81). The results indicated that depression mean score was significantly higher in post outbreak assessment (71.92 ± 22.94 vs 81.25 ± 26.04) (P < .001). Fifty percentage of changes in depression can be predicted by studied variables. A high score of depression was directly associated with a higher level of self‐esteem. Moreover, increased interest in the field, scores of spiritual well‐being, and life satisfaction were inversely and significantly associated with depression.

Conclusions

Iran's education system has been significantly affected, with the addition to the COVID‐19 pandemic imposing a psychological burden such as depression, exacerbating this within medical science students compared to a year ago. Spiritual well‐being and life satisfaction as positive psychology constructs were recognized as protective factors against depression during the pandemic. Spiritual and social support should be integrated in psychological interventions within university settings for medical science students.

Hope attenuates the negative impact of general psychological distress on goal progress

OBJECTIVE

Symptoms of general psychological distress disrupt goal pursuit; however, not everyone is equally impacted by distress when pursuing goals. We tested whether hope, self-efficacy, and/or grit buffered the impact of symptoms of general psychological distress on longitudinal goal progress.

METHOD

Undergraduate students reported on these constructs and, 2 months later, their progress toward five personal goals (N = 117).

RESULTS

Although greater levels of baseline psychological distress predicted less goal progress, the impact of psychological distress on goal progress was moderated by hope, β = .20, SE = 0.07, p < .01. More specifically, at higher hope, participants reported similar goal progress regardless of baseline distress symptoms, while at lower hope, baseline distress was negatively associated with goal progress.

CONCLUSION

Hope may function as a buffer against the association between general psychological distress and impaired goal progress.

Parental Motivational Perseverance Predicts Adolescents' Depressive Symptoms: An Intergenerational Analysis with Actor-Partner Interdependence Model

Adolescents' depressive symptoms are affected by a number of factors including life stress, gender, socio-economic status, and parental depression symptoms. However, little is known about whether adolescent depressive symptoms are also affected by parental motivational characteristics. The current study explores the relationship between parental motivational perseverance (i.e., parents' persistency in the face of setbacks and difficulties) and children's depressive symptoms during the adolescence, given the critical role of perseverance in psychological well-being. The predictive utility of two motivational characteristics relevant to perseverance: parents' growth mindset (i.e., one's belief about the malleability of human competence) and grit (i.e., perseverance for long term goals) were examined. Four hundred pairs of Japanese parents (82% mothers) and their adolescent children (50% females; average age at the time of the first assessment = 14.05 years; SD = 0.84) independently completed surveys measuring their growth mindset, grit, and depressive symptoms at two time points (approximately one year apart; attrition rate = 25%). The Actor-Partner Independence Model, a statistical model that accounts for inter-dependence between dyads (e.g., parents and children), was used to examine how parental motivational perseverance predicts the long-term change in their offspring's depressive symptoms. The results showed that parental grit led to the decrease in adolescents' depressive symptoms through the changes in adolescents' grit. On the other hand, parental growth mindset directly predicted the adolescents' depressive symptoms, and this was not mediated by the adolescents' growth mindset. These findings underscore the importance of parental motivational characteristics in regards to adolescents' depressive symptoms.

Assessing construct validity of the Grit-S in Chinese employees

This research examined the psychometric properties and construct validity of the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S) in Chinese insurance employees (N = 2,363; 37% males; mean age = 35.14). Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to determine the factor structure of the Grit-S. The resulting model was tested by multi-group CFA for the factorial invariance of the Grit-S across genders and age groups. Results showed that the Grit-S could be best explained by a two-factor model containing consistency of interest (α = .70) and perseverance of effort (α = .75). The factor model was equivalent across genders and age groups. The scores of the Grit-S were significantly correlated with external criteria variables including mental wellbeing and job performance. Overall, our findings suggested that the Grit-S can be a promising assessment of the grit trait in Chinese employees.