Social Support Mediates the Relationship Between Coping Styles and the Mental Health of Medical Students

Professional psychological qualities of Chinese medical students: theoretical models, questionnaire development, and relationship with mental health

Introduction

Professional psychological qualities are crucial for individuals' career development and overall well-being, especially in clinical medical professions. Medical students often face significant work, academic, and doctor-patient communication pressures, which can challenge their mental and emotional health. Measuring and understanding the relationship between medical students' professional psychological qualities and their mental health is of significant practical importance.

Methods

This study developed a comprehensive professional psychological qualities scale through a series of qualitative and quantitative studies, consisting of three main components and thirteen secondary dimensions. The scale's reliability was assessed using Cronbach's α coefficients. In Study 2, the scale was administered to 972 medical students to explore their anxiety and depression levels. A simple mediation analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between professional psychological qualities, anxiety, and depression.

Results

The professional psychological qualities scale demonstrated satisfactory reliability, with a total scale α coefficient of 0.947 and subscale α coefficients ranging from 0.895 to 0.933. The mediation analysis revealed that medical students' professional psychological qualities directly negatively impact depression levels and indirectly positively influence them via their effects on anxiety levels, exhibiting an overall masking effect unrelated to depression levels.

Discussion

This study addresses the gap in research on the professional psychological qualities of medical students by providing a reliable measurement tool. The findings shed light on the complex mechanisms through which these qualities impact the mental health process. The scale can be used by other researchers to assess medical students' professional psychological qualities and further investigate their relationship with mental health outcomes.

The Relationship Between Negative Coping Styles, Psychological Resilience, and Positive Coping Styles in Military Personnel: A Cross-Lagged Analysis

Background

Military personnel experience prolonged exposure to high-stress environments. Positive coping styles can assist in maintaining their mental and behavioral well-being, whereas negative coping styles cannot. Health behavior change theory specifies that an individual can transition from a negative to a positive coping style. The psychological resilience concept may prove vital in this transition.

Methods

In a longitudinal study design, two questionnaires were administered to 233 military personnel twice, the first at T1 in April 2023 and the second at T2 in July 2023. The questionnaire measured individual negative coping style, positive coping style and psychological resilience.

Results

The data showed that the negative coping style at T1 negatively predicted the level of psychological resilience at T2 (γ= - 0.26, p < 0.001) and the positive coping style at T2 (γ= - 0.16, p < 0.001). The level of psychological resilience at T1 positively predicted the positive coping style at T2 (γ= 0.22, p < 0.01). Psychological resilience played a mediating role between negative coping style and positive coping style. In addition, there was an interaction between psychological resilience and positive coping style in military personnel at the two time points.

Conclusion

The negative coping styles that presently exist among military personnel have the potential to diminish their future positive coping styles by lowering their psychological resilience. This highlights the need to focus on the development and training of psychological resilience for military personnel, as it can effectively counteract negative coping styles and promote positive coping styles.

The Association Between Group Identity and Post-Traumatic Growth in the Post COVID-19 Era: The Mediating Effect of Social-Emotional Competence

Purpose

To investigate the impact of human-society relationships on individual post-traumatic growth (PTG) in the post COVID-19 era, this study examined the association between group identity (GI) and PTG, and explored the mediating role of social-emotional competence (SEC).

Patients and Methods

In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed 1203 high school students in an eastern region of China using the GI Scale, the SEC Scale, and the PTG Scale. We conducted correlation and mediation analyses using SPSS 23.0 and PROCESS software.

Results

The results indicated that GI was a significant positive predictor of PTG (β=0.219, p<0.001), and that the pathway between GI and PTG was partially mediated by SEC (Effect=0.074, 95% CI= [0.045,0.104]).

Conclusion

GI can have both direct and indirect effects on PTG, with the latter mediated by SEC. These findings hold important theoretical and practical implications for promoting PTG and enhancing mental health in the post COVID-19 era.