Application of the dual-factor model of mental health among Chinese new generation of migrant workers

Uncovering heterogeneity in mental health changes among first-year medical students

INTRODUCTION

The initial year of medical school is linked to a decline in mental health. To assess mental health comprehensively, the dual-factor model posits the consideration of both psychopathology (e.g., depression) and positive mental health (e.g., well-being). Previous mental health research among medical students has primarily examined these two factors independently. This study uses the dual-factor approach for a deeper understanding of mental health changes during the first year of medical school.

METHODS

Students from eight German medical schools (N = 450) were surveyed three times (T0 = entering medical school, T1 = end of the first semester, T2 = end of the second semester) regarding depression (PHQ-9), well-being (subscale of FAHW-12), and general life satisfaction (German Single-Item Scale L1). Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct mental health groups based on their combinations of psychopathology and positive mental health. We then analysed trajectories descriptively by examining the longitudinal stability and dynamics of mental health group membership during the first year of medical school.

RESULTS

We identified five mental health groups: (1) complete mental health, (2) moderately mentally healthy, (3) symptomatic but content, (4) vulnerable, and (5) troubled. The examination of change trajectories unveiled diverse paths pointing towards both recovery and deterioration. In comparison to the other groups, students belonging to the complete mental health group exhibited greater stability and a higher potential to recover after initial deteriorations in the first semester.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study uncovers distinct mental health trajectories in the first year of medical school, emphasizing the crucial role of initial mental health status. Our findings stress the diverse nature of mental health changes in medical students, underscoring the need for tailored prevention strategies. The implications for research and practice are discussed.

Mental health and meaning in life in Chinese military personnel: a cross-lagged analysis

BACKGROUND

The burgeoning field of research on the dual-factor model of mental health (DFM) has highlighted its significance, yet the applicability of the DFM in military personnel and its longitudinal relationships with different dimensions of meaning in life remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify the applicability of the DFM for military personnel and to investigate longitudinal relationships between the dual factors of mental health (negative factor, positive factor) and the two dimensions of meaning in life (presence of meaning, search for meaning) in military personnel.

METHODS

In this study, data were collected in two waves (April and August 2023) from 227 Chinese military personnel. We constructed a dual-factor model with depression as the negative factor and subjective well-being as the positive factor, and we compared it with a single-factor model to determine if DFM could be applied to military personnel. We also constructed a cross-lagged model to investigate longitudinal relationships between depression, subjective well-being, presence of meaning, and search for meaning.

RESULTS

According to the findings, military personnel fit better with the DFM than with the single-factor model. Cross-lagged analysis results revealed that both the presence of meaning and the search for meaning negatively predicted depression and positively predicted subjective well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

The DFM had good applicability among military personnel. Both the presence of meaning and the search for meaning could improve military mental health, suggesting that both dimensions of meaning in life may be potential targets for improving military mental health.

Dual-factor Models of Mental Health: A Systematic Review of Empirical Evidence

Objective: Dual-factor models of mental health propose that mental health includes two interrelated yet distinct dimensions - psychopathology and well-being. However, there is no systematization of the evidence following these models. This review aims to address the following research question: what evidence exists using dual-factor models? Method: The current systematic review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines on the following databases: Web-of-science, Scopus, Academic Search Complete, APA PsycArticles, APA PsycInfo, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, ERIC, and MEDLINE. The screening process resulted in 85 manuscripts that tested the assumptions of dual-factor models. Results: Evidence revealed psychometric substantiation on the two-dimensionality of the dual-factor model, and 85% of the manuscripts provided evidence related to classifying participants into different mental health groups. Most studies showed that the Complete Mental Health or Positive Mental Health group is the most prevalent status group, and longitudinal evidence suggests that most participants (around 50%-64%) remain in the same group across time. Regarding the factors associated with mental health status groups, studies reviewed in this manuscript focus mainly on school-related outcomes, followed by supportive relationships, sociodemographic characteristics, psychological assets, individual attributes, physical health, and stressful events. Conclusions: This review highlights the importance of considering the two dimensions of mental health when conceptualizing, operationalizing, and measuring mental health. Fostering mental health must go beyond reducing symptoms, and practitioners would be able to include well-being-related interventions in their regular practice to improve individuals' mental health outcomes.

Does migrant workers' subjective social status affect their mental health? Job satisfaction as a longitudinal mediator

BACKGROUND

Prior studies on migrant workers have explored the effect of their subjective social status and job satisfaction on their mental health, respectively or combined, as well as how their subjective social status affects their job satisfaction. Nonetheless, few have accounted straightforwardly and holistically for the mechanism of interaction between subjective social status, job satisfaction and mental health amongst migrant workers.

AIMS

Taking migrant workers in China as the object of study, we intended to probe the longitudinal links between their subjective social status, job satisfaction and mental health, in particular, their job satisfaction as a longitudinal mediator therein.

METHOD

Using the three-wave data from the 2014, 2016 and 2018 China Labour-force Dynamics Survey, we defined migrant workers as labourers aged 15 to 64 with agricultural hukou and engaged in non-agricultural work in urban areas. The final valid sample comprised 2,035 individuals. Latent growth models (LGMs) were applied to test the hypothesised relationships.

RESULTS

The LGMs based on bootstrapping showed that amongst migrant workers the subjective social status, job satisfaction and mental health tended overall to grow linearly and that the job satisfaction longitudinally mediated between the subjective social status and mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings may enlighten policymaking to elevate migrant workers mentally and inform future studies on theoretical and practical fronts.

Analysis of Protective Factors in Schoolchildren in England Using the Dual-factor Model of Mental Health

The dual-factor approach to mental health was employed to explore levels and interrelations of protective factors associated with resilience in a dataset of 30,841 schoolchildren aged 11-14 in England. ANOVA was used to contrast levels of protective factors between groups (combinations of higher/lower psychopathology and higher/lower wellbeing) and network analysis to explore protective factor interrelations. Levels of protective factors tended to be highest for those who had higher wellbeing and lower psychopathology (termed 'complete mental health'). Those with lower levels of protective factors were split between two subpopulations: having lower wellbeing and higher psychopathology (termed 'troubled'), and having lower wellbeing and lower psychopathology (termed 'vulnerable'). Analysis of the protective factor networks revealed that the four subpopulations of the model were distinguished by both their overall structure and individual node connectivity (the 'complete mental health' subpopulation demonstrated the greatest connectivity), though two were similar: those with higher wellbeing and higher psychopathology (termed 'symptomatic but content') and lower wellbeing and higher psychopathology ('troubled'). The results indicate that while 'vulnerable' and 'symptomatic but content' may be hard to discriminate conceptually, the former may reflect a lower capacity to cope during periods of adversity (i.e., show resilience). Overall, the results encourage a holistic approach to mental health screening, particularly as children with lower wellbeing had lower levels of the protective factors, regardless of their level of psychopathology. Moreover, interventions to improve protective factors associated with positive development in stressed environments may therefore have a greater impact on improving wellbeing than decreasing symptoms of psychopathology.

Subjective social status and health among older adults in China: the longitudinal mediating role of social trust

BACKGROUND

From a developmental perspective, this study explored the interplays between subjective social status (SSS), social trust (ST), and health status measured by self-rated health (SRH) among older adults in the context of China. It also tested the longitudinal mediation of ST between SSS and SRH.

METHODS

After excluding samples with missing values, we analyzed 4,877 individual responses from those aged 60 years or older, extracted from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data in 2014, 2016, and 2018. We used latent growth modeling to test the hypothesized relationships among their SSS, ST, and SRH.

RESULTS

Latent growth modeling based on bootstrapping showed that the SSS, ST, and SRH of older adults all increased linearly and that the mechanism of SSS acted on the SRH as follows: the initial level of SSS indirectly influenced the initial level and the growth rate of the SRH, respectively, through the initial level of ST, and the initial level and growth rate of SSS played an indirect role in the growth rate of the SRH through the growth rate of ST.

CONCLUSION

The findings have practical implications for promoting health for older adults and realizing active aging in China. Therefore, we recommend establishing a family-centered and community-supported social support system for those with lower social status among older adults and a friendly community environment with various social, cultural, and recreational activities to improve the ST among older adults, thereby improving their health.

The Mental Well-Being of Italian Adolescents in the Last Decade through the Lens of the Dual Factor Model

(1) Background: In Italy, the components of adolescents' mental well-being (psychological symptomatology and cognitive perception of life satisfaction) showed different temporal trends, suggesting the adoption of a multidimensional conceptualization. We aimed to assess temporal patterns and provide additional insights into Italian adolescents' mental well-being in the last decade by adopting the Dual Factor Model; (2) Methods: We used nationally representative samples of Italian students (n = 165,000) aged 11, 13, and 15 years across the three more recent Italian Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) surveys. Two measures of mental well-being were used: life satisfaction (LS, indicator of positive subjective well-being) and psychological health complaints (PHC, indicator of mental illness); (3) Results: Our study showed that the overall sample has been moving from a Complete Mental Health (Flourishing) to an Incomplete Mental Illness (Struggling) condition. Among 13- and 15-year-old girls, a jump from one to the other mental condition was observed in the 2014-2018 and 2010-2014 time periods, respectively; (4) Conclusions: Our findings suggest that Italian adolescents, especially older girls, have been shifting from Complete Mental Health to Incomplete Mental Illness in the last decade. Further research is needed to investigate this breaking up of the connection between psychological symptomatology and cognitive perception of life satisfaction.

A nationwide cross-sectional study of workers' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Impact of changes in working conditions, financial hardships, psychological detachment from work and work-family interface

Background

The COVID-19 disease has changed people’s work and income. While recent evidence has documented the adverse impact of these changes on mental health outcomes, most research is focused on frontline healthcare workers and the reported association between income loss and mental health comes from high-income countries. In this study we examine the impact of changes in working conditions and income loss related to the COVID-19 lockdown on workers’ mental health in Argentina. We also explore the role of psychological detachment from work and work-family interaction in mental health.

Methods

A total of 1049 participants aged between 18 and 65 who were working before the national lockdown in March 2020 were recruited using a national random telephone survey. Work conditions included: working at the usual workplace during the pandemic, working from home with flexible or fixed schedules, and being unemployed or unable to work due to the pandemic. Measures of financial hardship included income loss and self-reported financial problems related to the outbreak. Work-family interface included measures of work-family conflict (WFC) and family-work conflict (FWC). Mental health outcomes included burnout, life satisfaction, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Data were collected in October 2020.

Results

Home-based telework under fixed schedules and unemployment impact negatively on mental health. Income loss and particularly self-reported financial problems were also associated with deterioration of mental health. More than half of the participants reported financial problems, and those who became unemployed during the pandemic experienced more often financial problems. Finally, psychological detachment from work positively influenced mental health; WFC and FWC were found to negatively impact on mental health.

Conclusions

Countries’ policies should focus on supporting workers facing economic hardships and unemployment to ameliorate the COVID-19’ negative impact on mental health. Organisations can protect employees’ mental health by actively encouraging psychological detachment from work and by help managing work-family interface. Longitudinal studies are needed to more thoroughly assess the long-term impact of the COVID-19-related changes in work and economic turndown on mental health issues.