Effect of perceived stress on depression of Chinese "Ant Tribe" and the moderating role of dispositional optimism

Perceived Epidemic Risk and Depression Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Security and the Moderation Role of Perceived Discrimination

The 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic has resulted in a significant increase in the incidence and prevalence of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, posing a threat to peoples’ lives and health safety all over the world. Research suggests some potential relationships among perceived risk, discrimination, security, and depression symptoms. However, little attention has been paid to the complex mechanisms of the associations between these variables. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of security and moderation role of perceived discrimination in the prediction of perceived epidemic risk on depression symptoms. Thus, we aimed to identify if perceived epidemic risk is a positive predictor of depression. A cross-sectional study was conducted through an anonymous online survey in China during the COVID-19 pandemic which measured perceived epidemic risk, discrimination, security, and depression symptoms. A total of 3443 valid questionnaires were obtained. The results indicated that depression symptoms were predicted by perceived epidemic risk through the mediating role of security, and this mediating role of security was moderated by perceived discrimination. Specifically, high levels of perceived discrimination may lead to a significant decrease in personal security, thus clustering depressive symptoms. These findings shed light on the influence of the perceived risk of the epidemic on depression symptoms in the context of the epidemic situation, which may help to develop targeted interventions.

Depressive symptoms and their associated factors in heart failure patients

Objectives

Depressive symptoms are common in heart failure (HF) patients and they may exacerbate the progression of HF. Thus, identifying associations with depressive symptoms is essential to develop effective interventions to alleviate patients’ depressive symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the factors related to HF patients’ depressive symptoms.

Methods

Potential hospitalized patients were recruited from a university-affiliated hospital by convenience sampling. This study included 321 HF patients who had completed information about depressive symptoms, functional capacity, social support, dispositional optimism, self-care confidence, and health literacy. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample. Independent group t-tests and one-way analysis of variance were used to assess the difference in depressive symptoms score in demographic and clinical characteristics, while Pearson's correlation was used to assess the associations among continuous variables.

Results

The scores for functional capacity, social support, dispositional optimism, self-care confidence, and health literacy were negatively associated with the score for depressive symptoms. The interaction effect between the functional capacity and the dispositional optimism on depressive symptoms was significant.

Conclusions

Interventions targeted improving the above-mentioned factors may be beneficial to reduce depressive symptoms in HF patients.

Epidemic Risk Perception, Perceived Stress, and Mental Health During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediating Model

The aim of the present study was to investigate relationships among epidemic risk perception, perceived stress, mental health (depression and anxiety), future time perspective, and confidence in society during the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in China. Especially, we wonder that whether perceived stress mediates associations between epidemic risk perception and mental health and that whether future time perspective and confidence in society moderate the link between perceived stress and mental health. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 693 Chinese adults aged 18-60 years. The results showed that epidemic risk perception was positively related to perceived stress, depression, and anxiety. The correlations between epidemic risk perception and depression and anxiety were reduced when perceived stress was included, suggesting that perceived stress mediated these relationships. Moreover, the boundary conditions for the associations among perceived stress, depression, and anxiety were found in the study. Specifically, positive future time perspective could buffer the negative effects of perceived stress on depression, and confidence in society could weaken the negative effects of perceived stress on anxiety. Based on these findings, practical guidance and theoretical implications are provided for the public to maintain mental health during COVID-19 pandemic. Limitations and future directions are also discussed.

Perceived Stress, Positive Resources and Their Interactions as Possible Related Factors for Depressive Symptoms

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to explore how the patterns of interaction between stress and positive resources differ according to the severity of depression and which resources play the most important role among the various positive resources.

METHODS

The study included 1,806 people who had visited a health screening center for a mental health check-up to evaluate the levels of perceived stress, positive resources, and depressive symptoms. The participants were divided into a depressive group (n=1,642, mean age 50.60, female 68%) and a non-depressive group (n=164, mean age 48.42, female 66.6%). We conducted hierarchical regression analyses and simple slope analyses to examine the interaction between perceived stress and positive resources.

RESULTS

The interaction between perceived stress and optimism was significantly associated with depression in non-depressive groups. In depressive groups, the interactions between five types of positive resources (optimism, purpose in life, self-control, social support and care) and perceived stress were all significantly related to depression.

CONCLUSION

Interventions that promote optimism can be helpful for preventing inevitable stress from leading to depression. A deficiency in positive resources may be a factor in aggravating depression in stressful situations for people reporting moderate to severe depressive symptoms.

Cyberchondria During the Coronavirus Pandemic: The Effects of Neuroticism and Optimism

Health anxiety during the current coronavirus pandemic can be a serious psychological issue, amplified by the medical uncertainty around this disease and social isolation. As older people are especially at risk of becoming severely ill, it is important to examine the personal factors that make members of this age group more prone to health anxiety. Previous studies indicated that cyberchondria, i.e., the repeated online search for medical information, exacerbates health anxiety. The present research investigated the effect of two opposing traits, optimism and neuroticism, on cyberchondria during the COVID-19 pandemic. The associations of cyberchondria with demographic factors (age, gender, and education) were also examined. A sample of 880 participants, aged 15-67, 65% of whom were female, participated in an online survey. Results show that neuroticism, age, and being female are positively associated with cyberchondria. Optimism was found to be related to cyberchondria, but this effect was qualified by a significant interaction with age. Further analysis revealed that the effect of optimism was significant only in the highest age group. Moreover, among these elderly participants, the psychologically protective influence of optimism against cyberchondria emerged as larger than the opposite effect of neuroticism. This demonstrates the mental benefits of encouraging a positive outlook on the current health crisis and on one's personal resilience in facing it, especially among the elderly. Conversely, among people who use the Internet as a major source of medical information, those high in neuroticism may be more prone to cyberchondria.

Dispositional mindfulness as a moderator between perceived stress and psychological symptoms in Chinese digestive tract cancer patients

Mindfulness has been garnering increased attention within the area of clinical psychology due to its theorized and empirical associations with psychological well-being. Using a sample of patients diagnosed with digestive tract cancer ( N = 292), we examined the relationship between perceived stress and psychological symptoms at varying levels of dispositional mindfulness. Results showed significant associations between perceived stress and psychological symptoms. More importantly, the relationship between perceived stress and psychological symptoms was only significant for patients with low, but not high, levels of dispositional mindfulness. Implications and future research directions were discussed.