The Effects of Social Support,Depression, and Stress on Drinking Behaviors in a College Student Sample

Social support research contends that supportive interactions provide a buffer wherein individuals are protected from increased risk due to negative affect. The present study investigated the relationships between social support and college students' stress, depression, and alcohol use. A total of 54 students completed questionnaires in exchange for extra course credit. Results demonstrated that stress and depression were correlated with one another and that social support was negatively correlated with each of these outcomes. Depression, but not stress, was correlated with increased drinking behavior. Overall, social support was negatively correlated with alcohol consumption; however, depression moderated the effect of social support such that support and alcohol consumption were negatively correlated for participants with higher depression whereas support and alcohol consumption were positively correlated for individuals with lower depression. These findings partially confirm existing theories of alcohol use that hypothesize differences between self-medicating drinkers and social, sensation-seeking drinkers.     

Serum cortisol,immunoglobulins and some complements among depressed patients

Psychiatric disorders especially depression are associated with a variety of changes in immunity parameters. In this work, an attempt was carried out to make estimation about the correlation between immunity and depression through the measuring of IgG, IgA, and IgM and complements (C3 and C4) levels in the serum of patients and comparing them with the corresponding levels of healthy control group. The results showed a significant increase in serum level of C3, C4, cortisol, IgG and no significant differences were noticed in the level of IgA and IgM in the depressed patients group as compared with control group. A slight positive correlation was observed between cortisol versus IgG in depressed patients that is not found in normal subjects. Thus in depression, human body defenses psychologically and sometimes this defense transformed into immunological resistance that is expressed as different measurable changes in immunological parameters.     

Bullying victimization and depression among left-behind children in rural China: Roles of self-compassion and hope

BackgroundBullying victimization among school-aged children is an important public health issue that may affect their well-being and mental health. However, few studies have been conducted on left-behind children in rural China, who are defined as the children who stay in rural areas for more than six months and have one or both parents migrating to urban areas for work. The mechanisms through which bullying victimization will influence depression have disproportionally adopted a psychopathological perspective, and the protective factors are understudied.ObjectiveThis study aims at investigating the factors that might contribute to breaking up the vicious circle between bullying victimization and developmental problems, focusing on the protective role of self-compassion and hope in the association between bullying victimization and depression.MethodsUsing questionnaires, data were collected from a sample of 1091 school-aged left-behind children from west and central China.ResultsCompared with rural children living with their parents, left-behind children reported a higher level of bullying victimization. Bullying victimization was positively associated with depression through decreased self-compassion and hope, and self- compassion played a more crucial role than hope in the linkage between bullying victimization and depression.ConclusionsOur study's findings suggest that it is necessary to incorporate self-compassion and hope in mental health prevention and intervention programs targeting left-behind children with bullying victimization experiences.     

Learn after reading: effects of news framing and responsibility attribution on Chinese college students’ perceived efficacy in identifying others and themselves with depression

Depression is now one of the most severe public health threats in China and among Chinese college students. To examine the effects of depression news coverage on Chinese college students’ mental health literacy, focusing on their perceived efficacy in recognizing depression symptoms, a 2 (news framing: episodic vs. thematic)?×?2 (responsibility attribution: individual vs. societal)?×?2 (gender: female vs. male) between-subjects experiment was conducted among 187 students at a large research university in China. The key findings, after controlling for depression issue involvement, include: (1) the main effects of attribution on perceived efficacy in identifying others (friends and family members) with depression; (2) the association between gender and perceived efficacy in identifying family members with depression; and (3) the three-way interactions on how framing, attribution, and gender jointly affect not only perceived efficacy in identifying others but also themselves with depression. These findings provide insights on how depression news coverage can help enhance mental health literacy and build stronger depression symptom resilience among Chinese college students. Implications for health journalists and public health communication professionals in China are discussed.     

Framing responsibility for depression: how U.S. news media attribute causal and problem-solving responsibilities when covering a major public health problem

This paper analyzes how major U.S. print and broadcast news media framed depression causal and problem-solving responsibilities at individual and societal levels over the past three decades. Results from the content analysis showed that the media placed more causal and problem-solving responsibilities on individuals than the society. However, references to societal solutions increased moderately over time. Organizational differences emerged in news attribution of responsibilities, as print media presented more individual-level causes while broadcast media focused more on solutions at both individual and societal levels. Additionally, local newspapers put more problem-solving responsibilities on individuals than national newspapers, while a cable news channel allocated more time to the discussion of overall depression responsibilities than network TV. Findings are discussed in the context of cultural orientations, organizational constraints, changing practice and trends in health news reporting, and the broader political/social environment in which the news media operate. Practical implications for health journalism, mental health communication and advocacy, and public health policy-making are discussed.     

The peer mentor experience in a physical activity intervention for mental health

Despite the effectiveness of peer-led health programs, few studies have been focused on the experiences of the peer mentors involved in such programs. The purpose of the current study was to explore the experiences of peer mentors involved in a peer-led physical activity program for students with mental health concerns, namely anxiety and depression. Participants were eight former peer mentors from a mid-size university who completed interviews regarding their motivation for serving as a peer mentor and the ways in which the program influenced them both during and after the program ended. Findings from an integrative analysis demonstrated that the mentors grew personally, professionally, and interpersonally from their participation. Further, mentors’ experiences could be explained by the self-determination theory.     

国内外抑郁影响因素的研究综述

随着社会的进步、物质文明的发展,大学生抑郁问题也越来越多地受到人们的重视,如何正确认识引起抑郁的原因,以及具体的影响机制,国内外许多学者对此进行了大量的研究,积累了丰富的研究成果,对帮助大学生从容应对抑郁,进行深入研究具有十分重要的意义,基于此,对大学生抑郁研究现状作一综述,以期对此有一个较全面的了解。     

Developmental trajectories and longitudinal mediation effects of self-esteem,peer attachment,child maltreatment and depression on early adolescents

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study is to identify the developmental trajectories of peer attachment, self-esteem, depression, and child maltreatment, and to understand the longitudinal mediation effects that peer attachment and self-esteem have on the influence of perceived abuse on early adolescent depression.MethodsThis study uses Year 1 to Year 5 data of the 4th grader panel of the Korea Youth Panel Survey (KYPS) and utilizes a multivariate latent growth model to analyze the main variables in the applicable data between 5th (i.e., Year 2) and 8th (i.e., Year 5) grades.ResultsThe results indicate that from the 5th to the 8th grade, the degree of abuse and depression increases while self-esteem gradually decreases with slowly lowering peer attachment. A significant distribution of the initial values and the rate of change were present for all main variables of the study, confirming individual differences in time wise changes. Further, more exposure to abuse correlated with a decrease in self-esteem, while an increase in self-esteem greatly reduced depression. The initial value of self-esteem showed a partial mediation effect, whereas the rate of change indicated a full mediation effect with a significant longitudinal mediation effect. More experience of abuse during early adolescence indicated a lower degree of peer attachment, and a higher peer attachment was related to decreased depression. A significant partial mediation effect was present for both the initial value and the rate of change of peer attachment, and a longitudinal mediation effect was present.Practice implicationsThis study confirmed that self-esteem in early adolescents is an important protective factor that can greatly reduce the degree of depression, and suggests continuous interventions conducted to increase self-esteem in adolescence. Furthermore, by determining that peer attachment decreases the degree of depression in children at risk, the study emphasizes the healing aspect of adolescent peer attachment.     

核心自我评价与抑郁关系的探讨

对核心自我评价与抑郁关系的探讨有利于为抑郁情绪找到恰当的调节方法,也有利于为抑郁症找到科学治疗方法。文章以埃丽丝的ABC的理论为逻辑起点,从核心自我评价的四个方面,自尊、心理控制源、自我效能感、神经质,分别探讨了与抑郁的关系,发现核心自我评价四个方面与抑郁均存在显著的相关关系,从而推断核心自我评价与抑郁也具有显著的相关关系,但具有一定的复杂性,具体作用机制还不清楚,有待于进步实证研究。