Gender Differences in Self‐reported Depression and Co‐occurring Anxiety and Stress in a Vulnerable Community Population

The relationship between childhood maltreatment and self-harm: the mediating roles of alexithymia, dissociation, internalizing and posttraumatic symptoms

Background: Although childhood maltreatment is associated with later self-harm, the mechanism through which it might lead to self-harm is not completely understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the roles of alexithymia, dissociation, internalizing and posttraumatic symptoms in the association between exposure to childhood maltreatment and subsequent self-harm.Methods: A total of 360 adolescents were asked to complete the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Dissociative Experience Scale, the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire-20, the Posttraumatic Stress Checklist for DSM-5, and the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory.Results: Results of structural equation modelling analysis revealed the significant mediation effects of alexithymia and dissociative symptoms in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and self-harm, while internalizing and posttraumatic symptoms did not significantly mediate.Conclusion: The findings indicate that alexithymia and dissociative symptoms may be proximal mechanisms linking maltreatment exposure and adolescence self-harm.

Self-Compassion, Anxiety and Depression Symptoms; the Mediation of Shame and Guilt

Self-compassion is related to psychological well-being and can improve mental health problems. The present study aimed to examine the relationship of self-compassion with anxiety and depression symptoms considering the mediating effects of shame and guilt. Two hundred forty-three participants in Iran completed the measures of Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS), self-compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF), and personal feelings questionnaire-2 (PFQ-2 Brief). The result showed that there was a significant negative correlation between self-compassion and shame, guilt, depression, and anxiety. The correlation between shame and guilt with depression and anxiety was also positive and significant. Mediation analysis was used to examine whether self-compassion predicted decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety through decreased shame and guilt. The results showed that self-compassion has a negative direct effect on depression symptoms. The direct effect of self-compassion on anxiety symptoms was not significant. Moreover, we found that shame and guilt mediate the relationship between self-compassion and depressive symptoms. However, the indirect effect of guilt on anxiety symptoms was not significant. The findings of the current study demonstrate that Self-compassion is linked to more psychological strengths and efficient emotional regulations, leading to less self-conscious emotions (shame and guilt) and decreased depression and anxiety symptoms.

Emotion regulation moderates the association between COVID-19 stress and mental distress: findings on buffering, exacerbation, and gender differences in a cross-sectional study from Norway

Background

Maintaining good mental health is important during a crisis. However, little attention has been given to how people achieve this, or how they evaluate emotions associated with stressors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to (1) investigate whether emotion regulation, in particular cognitive reappraisal and suppression, moderates the relationship between COVID-19 stress and general mental distress and (2) examine gender differences in the interrelations between COVID-19 stress, emotion regulation, and mental distress.

Methods

Data from a population in Norway (n = 1.225) were collected using a cross-sectional survey during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emotion regulation was measured using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire Scale (ERQ), COVID-19 stress with the COVID-19 Stress Scale, and mental distress with the Patient Health Questionnaire 4 (PHQ-4). Moderation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Results

There was a strong association between COVID-19 stress and general mental distress (r = 0.61). The moderation analyses showed substantial moderation effects of cognitive reappraisal and suppression on the relationship between COVID-19 stress and mental distress. Cognitive reappraisal served as a buffer (p = 0.001) and suppression (p = 0.002) exacerbated the relation between COVID-19 stress and mental distress. Men had higher scores of suppression (p < 0.001), and women had higher scores of cognitive reappraisal (p = 0.025). The buffering effect of cognitive reappraisal presented itself only in women (p < 0.001), while the exacerbation effect of suppression appeared only in men (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The current study suggests that COVID-19 pandemic-related stress is easier to deal with for those who have the tendency to cognitively reappraise. In contrast, suppression is associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. The prevention of mental distress can be supported by guiding people about the importance of using healthy emotion regulation strategies, as well as helping them to become more aware of the way they interpret and regulate their emotions. Gender differences in emotion regulation suggest gender awareness, e.g., tailored programs for men and women.

The Gender Paradox: Understanding the Role of Masculinity in Suicidal Ideation

It is important to understand the role of social determinants, such as gender, in suicidal ideation. This study examined whether conformity to specific masculine norms, particularly high self-reliance and emotional self-control, moderated the relationship between psychological distress and suicidal ideation for men. The other norms explored were those pertaining to behavioral-emotional or social hierarchy status aspects of masculinity, and whether they moderated the psychological distress-suicidal ideation relationship for men and women. The Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory, the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale were administered to an Australian community sample in an online survey (n = 486). As predicted, higher psychological distress was associated with higher suicidal ideation. Self-reliance enhanced the relationship and was the only moderator among men. High self-reliance levels might be an important indicator of risk, which can be used when assessing and working with men who are hesitant to openly discuss suicidal ideation with clinicians. For female participants, higher endorsement of behavioral-emotional norms and lower conformity to social hierarchy status norms appear to increase suicide risk in the presence of psychological distress. Our findings suggest that high self-reliance is of particular concern for men experiencing psychological distress. It is also important to consider the roles of masculine norm endorsement in the psychological distress-suicidal ideation relationship among women.

Depression, anxiety and stress among undergraduate students during COVID-19 outbreak and "home-quarantine"

Aim

Many people including students affected physically and psychologically by coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) outbreak and "home‐quarantine." This study aimed at assessing the prevalence and predictors of depression, anxiety and stress among university students in Jordan during "home‐quarantine" due to the outbreak of COVID‐19.

Design

This is a cross‐sectional descriptive study.

Methods

Data were collected from a convenience sample of 1,380 Jordanian university students. A web‐based survey was used to collect data from the participants using the DASS‐21.

Results

The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress in different levels was 78.7%, 67.9% and 58.7%, respectively, which are higher during “home‐quarantine.” The mean scores of depression, anxiety and stress were at moderate levels. Strong correlations were found between depression, stress and anxiety, with demographic, health‐related, lifestyle variables. Several variables also predicted depression, stress and anxiety.

Using Rasch measurement theory to assess the psychometric properties of a depressive symptoms scale in Norwegian adolescents

Background

Scales measuring depressive symptoms in adolescents and adults are widely used for epidemiological purposes. The purpose of this study is to use Rasch measurement theory to examine the psychometric properties of a six-item scale intended to measure depressive symptoms in Norwegian adolescents.

Methods

The study is based on cross-sectional data from Ungdata, a survey conducted by the Norwegian Social Research Institute in cooperation with Regional Centres for Drug Rehabilitation in 2017. The target group comprised 13- to 19-years olds in Norway. Six items with four response categories, intended to measure depressive symptoms, were analysed. The analysis focused on invariance, including differential item functioning across gender and school levels. In addition, targeting, possible multidimensionality, response dependency, and the categorisation of the items were analysed.

Results

The scale measuring depressive symptoms shows good reliability and, on the whole, the items work well. However, one item, ‘had sleep problems’, clearly misfit and another, ‘worried too much about things’, works differently for males and females.

Conclusions

The scale has the potential to measure depressive symptoms in adolescents though there is room for improvement. To further improve the scale, the item concerning sleep problems should be rephrased.