Resilience as a Mediator Between Interpersonal Risk Factors and Hopelessness in Depression

Shorter and inflexible intrinsic neural timescales of the self in schizophrenia

BACKGROUND

Schizophrenia is hypothesized to involve a disturbance in the temporal dynamics of self-processing, specifically within the interoceptive, exteroceptive, and cognitive layers of the self. This study aimed to investigate the intrinsic neural timescales (INTs) within these self-processing layers among people with schizophrenia.

METHODS

We conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study to investigate INTs, as measured by the autocorrelation window, among people with schizophrenia and healthy controls during both resting-state and task (memory encoding and retrieval) conditions. We obtained data from the UCLA Consortium for Neuropsychiatric Phenomics data set and preprocessed using fMRIPrep.

RESULTS

We included 45 people with schizophrenia and 65 healthy controls. Compared with controls, participants with schizophrenia exhibited significantly shorter INTs across all 3 self-processing layers during rest (p < 0.05). In addition, those with schizophrenia showed less INT shortening during task states, leading to reduced rest-task differences in INT across all self-processing layers (p < 0.05). We observed similar patterns of shortened INTs in primary sensory and motor regions.

LIMITATIONS

We included people with schizophrenia taking medication, which may influence INTs; our study was also limited by the relatively slow temporal resolution of the fMRI data and the higher variability of the autocorrelation function in the schizophrenia group, compared with the control group.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that schizophrenia is characterized by a global temporal disturbance of the self, manifesting as shorter and inflexible INTs across self-processing and sensorimotor regions. These results support the hypothesis that schizophrenia involves a fundamental disruption in the temporal integration of neural signals, contributing to the core self-disturbance observed in the disorder.

Ultrastructural features of psychological stress resilience in the brain: a microglial perspective

Psychological stress is the major risk factor for major depressive disorder. Sustained stress causes changes in behaviour, brain connectivity and in its cells and organelles. Resilience to stress is understood as the ability to recover from stress in a positive way or the resistance to the negative effects of psychological stress. Microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, are known players of stress susceptibility, but less is known about their role in stress resilience and the cellular changes involved. Ultrastructural analysis has been a useful tool in the study of microglia and their function across contexts of health and disease. Despite increased access to electron microscopy, the interpretation of electron micrographs remains much less accessible. In this review, we will first present microglia and the concepts of psychological stress susceptibility and resilience. Afterwards, we will describe ultrastructural analysis, notably of microglia, as a readout to study the mechanisms underlying psychological stress resilience. Lastly, we will cover nutritional ketosis as a therapeutic intervention that was shown to be effective in promoting psychological stress resilience as well as modifying microglial function and ultrastructure.

Role of subjective well-being and resilience in the relationship between hopelessness and suicidal ideation among older adults with moderate to severe ADL limitations in Chinese nursing homes

PURPOSE

Hopelessness is a risk factor for suicidal ideation, whereas subjective well-being and resilience are protective factors. Nevertheless, the complicated mechanism underlying these factors has not been fully investigated among older people with moderate to severe ADL limitations in nursing homes. This cross-sectional study investigated the potential role of resilience in mediating the relationship between hopelessness and suicidal ideation as well as whether subjective well-being can moderate this mediating effect.

METHODS

Older individuals (N = 332; aged ≥ 65 years; 158 males, 174 females) with moderate to severe ADL limitations from 10 nursing homes in Chongqing, China, completed this cross-sectional study from July to December 2022. Hopelessness, resilience, subjective well-being and suicidal ideation were measured. The mediating and moderating effects were explored via regression analysis with bootstrap methods.

RESULTS

A total of 32.8 % (109/332) of the participants reported current suicidal ideation. The relationship between suicidal ideation and hopelessness was partly influenced by resilience (indirect effect = 0.13, 95 % CI = 0.07∼.20). Subjective well-being moderated the impact of resilience on suicidal ideation (moderating effect = 0.01, 95 % CI = 0.00∼.01) and indirectly impacted the effect of hopelessness on suicidal ideation.

CONCLUSION

These results emphasize the importance of resilience and subjective well-being in mitigating suicidal ideation, which is a prevalent issue among older adults residing in nursing homes with moderate to severe ADL limitations in China.

Seeking central hopelessness symptoms which direct link to resilience among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder in China-A network perspective

The intervention process for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is inextricably associated with their parents' mental health problems, such as hopelessness, which may adversely affect resilience and indirectly impact the effectiveness of interventions for their children. Hence, the motivation to help parents of children with ASD reduce hopelessness prompted us to conduct the present study and explore the interrelationship between hopelessness symptoms and resilience. This study evaluated hopelessness and resilience using the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Participants met the criteria for their children's ASD diagnosis by a psychiatrist (N = 448; 54.69% mothers; Meanage  = 34.59 years, SDage  = 4.94 years). Moreover, we used symptom network analysis to examine the variability in network structure between fathers and mothers. The flow function was applied to examine which hopelessness symptoms were directly or indirectly associated with resilience. The results showed that #BHS11 (i.e., unpleasantness-ahead) was the central symptom found in the network structure for all parents and fathers, while #BHS17 (i.e., no-future-satisfaction) was the central symptom in the network structure for mothers. Additionally, #BHS6 ([NOT] expect-to-succeed) was directly and positively associated with resilience in all three network structures (i.e., all parents, fathers, and mothers). The results of the present study provide evidence that influential symptoms should be addressed and offer guidance for further interventions to reduce hopelessness and enhance resilience among parents of children with ASD.

Post-traumatic stress and depression following disaster: examining the mediating role of disaster resilience

The current study used structural equation modeling to examine the role of disaster resilience as a mediator between disaster exposure and post-traumatic stress and depressive symptoms among a sample of 625 U.S. adults who experienced a disaster event. Results found that disaster resilience mediated the relationship between disaster exposure as a predictor and depression and post-traumatic stress as dependent variables. These findings have important implications for understanding the mechanisms by which disaster resilience supports post-disaster mental health and can inform future disaster mental health interventions and practice models.

The role of resilience in the relationship between intimate partner violence severity and ICD-11 CPTSD severity

Background: Resilience is a modulating factor in the development of PTSD and CPTSD after exposure to traumatic events. However, the relationship between resilience and ICD-11 CPTSD is not adequately understood in survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV).Objective: The aim of this study is to determine whether resilience has a mediating role in the relationship between severity of violence and severity of CPTSD symptoms.Method: A sample of 202 women IPV survivors completed self-rated questionnaires to assess CPTSD, severity of violence and resilience.Results: Mediation analyses indicated that there was a direct relationship between the severity of violence and the severity of CPTSD symptoms (β = .113, p < .001) and that there was a significantly inverse relationship between levels of resilience and the severity of CPTSD symptoms (β = -.248, p < .001). At the same time, there was no significant relationship between the severity of violence and resilience (β = -.061, p = .254).Conclusions: These findings suggest that resilience does not mediate the relationship between violence severity and CPTSD severity. Directions for future research are discussed.

Links between mental health problems and future thinking from the perspective of adolescents with experience of depression and anxiety: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Depression and anxiety are common during adolescence and could have detrimental impacts on young people's ability to make and implement plans for their future. However, to the best of our knowledge, no other study has adopted a qualitative approach in investigating these effects from the perspective of adolescents with lived experiences of depression and anxiety. We sought to understand how young people perceive and interpret the impact of mental health conditions on their thinking about the future.

METHODS

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 adolescents aged 16-19 years in the UK (median age = 19, IQR = 1.5), who had a history of protracted periods of clinical or subclinical depression and/or anxiety. They were asked to reflect on how their ability to think about the future and the content of the future-related thinking was impacted during periods of poor mental health, compared with periods of feeling well. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic content analysis.

RESULTS

Five domains were identified. First, the impact of mood on future thinking capability focuses on reduced ability and motivation to engage in future thinking. Second, the impact of mood on images, thoughts, and feelings about the future includes the emotional valence of future-related thoughts, their vividness, structure, and the extent to which they intimated subjective feelings of control (i.e., agency). Third, social influences focuses on social factors that might ameliorate or exacerbate future thinking. Fourth, reflections on personal worries and expectations about the future captures personal interpretations of past worries and hopes and how future thinking affected mood. Finally, personal coping refers to how young people cope with the negative emotions that come with future thinking.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided a nuanced and granular account of how depression and anxiety impacted young people's future thinking based on their lived experiences. By highlighting the different ways that variations in future thinking were experienced as a function of depression and anxiety, our analysis highlighted new factors that should be considered in studies of adolescent mental health risk, which could inform the development of new therapeutic approaches.

Stress, mental health and sociocultural adjustment in third culture kids: exploring the mediating roles of resilience and family functioning

Introduction

This cross-sectional study explores the contributions of personal and contextual factors in the adjustment process of a sample of internationally mobile children and adolescents having relocated to Switzerland. Based on evolutionary developmental theories and recommendations by Research Domain Criteria and The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology theoretical frameworks, we hypothesized and tested a heuristic model of TCK adjustment, aiming to identify prevention and treatment targets tailored for our sampled population.

Methods

We assessed the relationships in the hypothesized models, particularly how perceived and acculturative stress influence TCK adjustment and whether the relationship between the predictors of TCK stress and the outcomes of TCK adjustment are mediated by resilience and family functioning. A total of 143 participants aged 7-17, having relocated internationally with their working parent(s), recruited in local and international schools in Switzerland, were included in this study. Data were collected using an online survey after we collected consent. We assessed factors of adjustment using validated questionnaires: perceived stress and acculturative stress and the potential mediating roles of family functioning and resilience. We measured the outcome of adjustment through mental health difficulties and sociocultural adjustment. We used path analysis to test the model.

Results

Results highlight the contributions of perceived stress and acculturative stress to TCK mental health and sociocultural adjustment. We also we found a mediation effect for resilience in the relationship between perceived stress and mental health. Family functioning was not a significant mediator in any relationship that we assessed.

Discussion

We discuss implications for future research, promoting TCK adjustment and preventative psychotherapeutic interventions.

Mediators of the Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidality among Adults

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are consistently found to be negatively associated with physical, psychological, and psychosocial well-being throughout the lifespan. While previous research has established risk factors and noxious outcomes arising post-ACEs, less attention has been given to factors such as resilience, perceived social support, and subjective well-being that may help explain the relationship between ACEs and psychopathology. Hence, the objectives of this study are to examine: (1) the relationships among ACEs and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and suicidality in adulthood, and (2) whether resilience, social support, and subjective well-being mediate the relationship between ACEs and psychopathological symptoms. Cross-sectional data on ACEs, psychological factors, potential mediating variables, and sociodemographic factors were collected from a community sample of adults aged 18-81 (N = 296) via an on-line survey. Endorsing ACEs was significantly and positively correlated with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Results of parallel mediation analyses showed that social support, negative affect, and life satisfaction statistically mediated the relationships between ACEs and psychopathological outcomes in adulthood. These results highlight the importance of identifying potential mediators of the ACEs-psychopathological symptoms relationship to aid in the development of screening and intervention practices that could bolster developmental outcomes following traumatic childhood experiences.

Scales and Interventions for Resilience among Treatment-Seeking Patients with Depression: A Systematic Review

Introduction

Resilience is an ability of an individual to effectively adjust and thrive in adverse stressful conditions. Resilience has protective and compensatory effects against depression. Evaluating resilience clinically and modifying it among patients with depression hugely impacts their prognosis. We aimed to explore different clinical scales for measuring resilience as well as interventions used with an intent to improve resilience among patients with depression.

Methods

A systematic literature review was conducted by searching PubMed central, Biomed central, and google scholar, using relevant MeSH keywords. The population of interest were the patients who were clinically diagnosed with Bipolar or Unipolar Depression and the population were not restricted to any country. Clinical scales for evaluation and interventions for resilience among patients with depression were set as an outcome of the study. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), Quasi-experimental studies, observational studies, and narrative reviews were considered relevant research designs for extraction.

Results

A total of 8689 articles were identified and 13 articles were included in the final review, which yielded five scales that have been identified and have been used to evaluate resilience among the patients who are clinically diagnosed with depression and six different interventions for building resilience among patients with depression.

Conclusion

Resilience-building interventions will not only act as a preventive measure against depression but also help in promoting recovery and sustaining remission after a depressive episode. Clinical evaluation of resilience and management will significantly support boosting emotional experience.

Reciprocal relationship between interpersonal communication and depressive symptoms and the mediating role of resilience across two years: Three-wave cross-lagged panel model

BACKGROUND

Depression among children has been a growing public health concern. It is generally recognized that individuals with depression are likely to have interpersonal malfunctioning. However, there remains a limited scientific understanding of the reciprocal relationship between interpersonal communication and depressive symptoms among rural Chinese children in a longitudinal approach.

METHODS

Therefore, guided by the interpersonal model of depression and the developmental cascade model, the present study conducted a cross-lagged panel analysis study to explore the bidirectional relationship between interpersonal communication and depressive symptoms across three waves among 2188 elementary school students in rural areas of one county of Gansu Province, China. We also examined the mediating effect of resilience and sex differences of the models.

RESULTS

Our results showed that depressive symptoms negatively predicted interpersonal communication from T1 to T2 and T2 to T3. Interpersonal communication negatively predicted depressive symptoms from T1 to T2, but not T2 to T3. Furthermore, resilience showed significant partial mediating effects in the reciprocal relationship between interpersonal communication and depressive symptoms. In terms of sex differences, the significant relationship between depressive symptoms at T1 and interpersonal communication at T2 was found to be significant among male students and marginally significant among female students. The full mediating effect of resilience at T1 was found only among male students, whereas resilience at T2 functioned as a full mediator between depressive symptoms at T2 and interpersonal communication at T3 only among female students.

LIMITATIONS

First, the present sample consisted of only third and fourth grade (i.e., in T1) students from one county in rural China. Second, the present study examined depressive symptoms instead of depression as a clinical diagnosis. Third, the third wave of the data was collected during COVID-19. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could unexpectedly pose on child mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

The finding underlined the importance of providing comprehensive depression prevention and intervention from fostering children's inner resilience and promoting their ability to navigate interpersonal resources.

Intimate Partner Violence, Legal Systems and Barriers for African American Women

Although many African American IPV survivors need services, they often do not access care. Hopelessness may partially explain low rates in help-seeking for this population and serve as a significant barrier to care for African American IPV survivors particularly those who have had prior legal system involvement. In a sample of 185 African American women, we first examined whether hopelessness mediated the relation between IPV and barriers to services. If such a mediation effect was found, we then would explore whether legal system involvement moderated the mediated effect of hopelessness on the relation between IPV and barriers to services. As anticipated, hopelessness partially served to explain (i.e., mediated) the relation between IPV and barriers to services. Further, this mediated effect was moderated by legal system involvement such that when legal system involvement was included as a moderator, hopelessness mediated the association between IPV and barriers to services only for those survivors who had been involved with the legal system. These results underscore the critical role of hopelessness as a barrier to accessing services for African American IPV survivors, especially those with prior involvement with the legal system. Recommendations are offered that underscore the importance of interventions that empower African American women who have survived violence instead of penalizing them.

Low resilience in severe obesity: marker of adverse childhood experiences and current psychological disorders

PURPOSE

Psychological disorders, early-age psychological traumas and eating disorders may contribute to the development of severe obesity in vulnerable individuals. Resilience may serve a protective role against binge eating disorder or depression. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACE), resilience, and current psychological disorders. It also examined whether resilience plays a protective role in this pathway in a cohort of patients seeking bariatric surgery.

METHODS

Two hundred patients (153 women, 47 men) with severe obesity scheduled for bariatric surgery at the CHRU Nancy were included between September 2016 and April 2017. Participants completed the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) questionnaire and underwent a structured interview on ACE and current psychological disorders.

RESULTS

Mean total RSA score was 5.16 ± 0.87. The most frequent ACE were emotional neglect (90.5%) and emotional abuse (61%); 96% reported at least one ACE; 67% presented at least one current psychological disorder, the most frequent being anxiety (36%) and BED (35%). The number of psychological disorders, cumulative ACE and age explained 19.5% of the variance in total RSA score (p < 0.0001; adjusted R² = 0.19). The association of cumulative ACE and number of psychological disorders was mediated by resilience.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that resilience is a relevant component of the psychosocial phenotype of severe obesity in bariatric surgery candidates. Resilience seems to play a partly mediation role in the relationship between ACE and psychological disorders. Low resilience becomes a marker that underscores the necessity to examine in greater depth ACE and psychological disorders.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, cohort analytic study.

The role of resilience in depression and anxiety symptoms: A three-wave cross-lagged study

Cultivation of resilience is believed to ameliorate mental health problems. The impact of mental health problems on resilience is however rarely discussed. This study investigated the reciprocal relationship of resilience with depression and anxiety symptoms using a three-wave cross-lagged design. Resilience level, depression, and anxiety symptoms were assessed at baseline, the third and the sixth month in 125 university students without psychiatric disorders (62 females). No significant changes in resilience levels were observed across the 6 months. Depressive symptoms, but not anxiety symptoms significantly increased at the third and sixth months compared with baseline. The three-wave cross-lagged models revealed an unstable reciprocal relationship of resilience with depression and a stable reciprocal relationship between resilience and anxiety symptoms over time. The reciprocal relationship between resilience and mental health problems indicates the importance of cultivating resilience for the prevention of mental illness as well as the importance of managing mental health symptoms at non-clinical levels for monitoring resilience. The unstable reciprocal relationship between resilience and depression symptoms across time suggests the existence of potential moderators that impact the relationship between resilience and depression. Our findings further support the notion that resilience is conceptualized as a dynamic process.

Individual Stress Burden and Mental Health in Health Care Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Moderating and Mediating Effects of Resilience

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic generated a significant burden on the German health care system, affecting the mental health of health care workers (HCW) in particular. Resilience may serve as an essential protective factor for individuals’ well-being. Objective: Our objective was to identify demographic and work-related correlates of individual resilience and to investigate the association between pandemic-related stress, resilience and mental health using different resilience models. Methods: Our sample comprised 1034 German HCW in different medical professions who completed an online survey from 20 April to 1 July 2020. Resilience was assessed using the Resilience Scale-5 (RS-5). The pandemic-related self-reported stress burden was captured by a single item, while depression and anxiety symptoms were measured with the PHQ-2 and GAD-2, respectively. Additionally, various sociodemographic and work-related factors were assessed. Results: Overall, we found high levels of resilience in the sample compared to a German sample before the pandemic, which were significantly associated only with the older age of participants and having children in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Regarding mechanisms of resilience, moderation analysis revealed that low individual resilience and high pandemic-related stress burden independently contributed to both anxiety and depression symptoms while resilience additionally moderated the relationship between stress burden and anxiety symptoms. The link between self-reported stress burden and mental health symptoms was also partially mediated by individual resilience. Conclusion: Taken together, the findings based on the present sample during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest that resilience plays a central role in the mental health of healthcare workers and that resilience-building interventions should be expanded, especially with a focus on younger employees.

Relationships between care burden, resilience, and depressive symptoms among the main family caregivers of stroke patients: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to explore the potential mediating role of resilience between care burden and depressive symptoms in family caregivers of stroke patients.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample involving 245 main family caregivers of stroke patients recruited from the neurology department of a Tertiary A hospital in China. Mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro (Model 4) for SPSS, applying the Bootstrap analysis with 5,000 samples and a 95% confidence interval.

RESULTS

The results showed that with constant hemiplegia side, Barthel Index, education level, monthly income, care time per day, and living with patients in regression equations, the resilience partially mediated the correlation of care burden and depressive symptoms with a mediation effect ratio of 26.32%.

CONCLUSIONS

Resilience plays a mediating role in the correlation between care burden and depressive symptoms.

IMPACT

The findings indicated a protective effect of resilience in alleviating the negative influences of care burden on depressive symptoms, suggesting that resilience-training intervention may be developed to mitigate depressive symptoms of the main family caregivers of stroke patients.

Loneliness Mediates the Relationship Between Early Life Stress and Perceived Stress but not Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Functioning

Many authors have proposed that early life stress (ELS) provokes a dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and contributes negatively to the management of stress in adulthood. However, these associations have not always been observed, making it necessary to include new factors that could explain the different results found. In this regard, people with ELS experiences report less social support during adulthood, suggesting that loneliness could be a mediating factor. Thus, our aims were to investigate whether ELS was related to both perceived stress and diurnal HPA axis activity, and whether loneliness mediates these relationships, in a community sample (N=187, 18-55years old). Fourteen cortisol samples were collected on two non-consecutive days to obtain the overall diurnal cortisol, diurnal cortisol slope, and bedtime levels. Additionally, ELS was assessed with the Risky Families Questionnaire (RFQ) and the Recalled Childhood and Adolescence Perceived Stress (ReCAPS) measure. Results revealed that ELS was associated with perceived stress, but not HPA axis functioning, and loneliness mediated the relationship between ELS and perceived stress, but not between ELS and HPA axis functioning. Similar results were found for both ELS questionnaires, suggesting that the ReCAPS is an adequate tool. These results highlight the importance of loneliness in understanding the long-term effects of ELS, and they indicate different effects of ELS on subjective and physiological stress indicators.

Factor structure, internal reliability, and construct validity of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS): A study on persons with serious mental illness living in the community

OBJECTIVES

Resilience, the ability to bounce back from a stressful situation, is a valuable asset for aiding adults with serious mental illness (SMI) in navigating the recovery process. People with SMI experience stress, including traumatic experiences at disproportionate rates. The purposes of this study were to examine the factor structure, internal reliability, and construct validity of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) among adults with SMI living in the community.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey design was used. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and correlational analyses were employed.

METHODS

Three hundred fifteen adults with SMI were recruited for two studies (Sample 1, n = 122; Sample 2, n = 193) from three states. All participants completed the BRS along with nearly identical positive psychology- and psychopathology-related measures.

RESULTS

EFA revealed the BRS was unidimensional and explained 61.20% of the variance. Results from seven CFA models suggested a bifactor structure for the BRS, which fit the data best. Internal reliability of the BRS was computed to be within acceptable ranges (α = .87, ω = .90). The BRS was positively correlated with measures of positive coping and life satisfaction, providing convergent validity. Divergent validity was supported by negative correlations between the BRS and measures of psychiatric symptoms, succumbing, and self-stigma.

CONCLUSIONS

The BRS is a valid measure that can be used by clinical and research professionals to assess levels of resilience in adults with SMI at baseline and across time.

PRACTITIONER POINTS

The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) was developed to measure a person's ability to bounce back from stressful situations. The BRS was examined in adults with serious mental illness living in the community. The BRS presented a bifactor structure measuring resilience (an outcome) and correlated with positive psychology- and psychopathology-related measures. The BRS can be used by practitioners to assess levels of resilience in their clients at baseline and over time to evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.

The mediating role of resilience on psychopathology following childhood adversities among UK armed forces veterans residing in Northern Ireland

BACKGROUND

Childhood adversities can have a deleterious impact on mental health. Elevated levels of such adversities have been reported in veteran populations. Levels of resilience may be protective but early adverse experiences may impact on the development of resilience in the first instance.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to identify classes of childhood adversities among UK military veterans residing in Northern Ireland (NI) and explore levels of resilience and the mediating role resilience may play following such experiences in relation to mental health.

METHOD

The study utilizes data from the Northern Ireland Veterans' Health and Wellbeing Study (n = 656). All participants were UK Armed Forces veterans who were residents of NI with an average age of 56 (586 males, 70 females).

RESULTS

Four childhood adversity classes were revealed, with almost a half of the sample experiencing early adverse experiences. Individuals who experienced a range of adversities, particularly those related to maltreatment were more likely to have PSTD, depression and anxiety disorders and lower levels of resilience. However, those who experienced adversity related to family dysfunction had similar levels of resilience as the low risk class, suggesting tentatively that some adversity may be protective. Mediation analyses revealed that veterans with elevated levels of resilience were less likely to have psychological problems following negative childhood experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

The study highlights the importance of promoting resilience building programmes among military veterans, especially among those who experienced maltreatment as a child.

Combined Effects of Parenting in Childhood and Resilience on Work Stress in Nonclinical Adult Workers From the Community

BACKGROUND

Stress responses induced by job stressors are modified by individual factors. Perceived parental bonding and resilience would play important roles as such individual factors. In this study, we analyzed the mediating roles of resilience on parenting, job stressors, and stress responses among adult workers from the community.

METHODS

A total of 528 workers participated in this study after providing written consent, and completed questionnaires on demographic data, as well as Parental Bonding Instrument, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Brief Job Stress Questionnaire. Associations between perceived parental bonding, resilience, perceived job stressors, and the psychological and physical stress response (PPSR) were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

Structural equation modeling with covariance structure analysis showed that parental overprotection reduced resilience and increased perceived job stressors and PPSR. Resilience and perceived job stressors and their combination mediated the effect of parental overprotection on PPSR. Resilience mediated the effect of parental overprotection on perceived job stressors. Perceived job stressors mediated the effect of resilience on PPSR. Parental care had opposite effects to parental overprotection, but the difference was small.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we showed that perceived parental bonding affects resilience, and that both factors affect the stress response and perceived job stressors. These findings suggest that parental bonding and resilience are major individual factors affecting work stress, and should be noted when considering industrial hygiene measures for individual workers.