Effects of College Students’ Perceived Stress on Anxiety in the Time of COVID-19: The Chain Mediation Role of Psychological Resilience and Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy

COVID-19 has changed the way of learning and life of college students. The purpose is to explore the relationship between perceived stress and anxiety, and the mediating effect of resilience and regulatory emotional self-efficacy in college students during COVID-19. 309 students from three colleges were selected as research participants (average age 19.79 ± 1.11 years). SPSS was used to measure the correlation between variables. Amos was used to test the path coefficient and mediating effect of the hypothetical model. The results show that: Firstly, perceived stress has a significantly and positively predictive effect on anxiety. Secondly, psychological resilience and regulatory emotional self-efficacy independently played a significant and partially mediating effect between perceived stress and anxiety. Among them, perceived stress had a negative predictive effect on psychological resilience and regulatory emotional self-efficacy. Psychological resilience and regulatory emotional self-efficacy had a negative predictive effect on anxiety. Thirdly, psychological resilience and regulatory emotional self-efficacy play a chain mediation role between psychological stress and anxiety. Regulatory emotional self-efficacy cannot only directly predict the level of anxiety, but also indirectly predict the level of anxiety by regulating psychological resilience. This study reveals the relationship between college students’ perceived stress and anxiety, and the mediating effect of psychological resilience and regulatory emotional self-efficacy in the new time of COVID-19. The chain mediation role of psychological resilience and regulatory emotional self-efficacy reminds college mental health educators that improving students’ regulatory emotional self-efficacy is an important way to promote students’ mental health.     

Social support and pregnancy:II. Its relationship with depressive symptoms among Japanese women

Abstract In a questionnaire survey among 1329 first-trimester pregnant women, both the husband support measures and unwanted pregnancy ('stressor' agent in pregnancy) showed significant effects on an elevated score of the cognitive disturbance subscale of the Zung's self-rating depression scale (SDS), while only unwanted pregnancies showed an effect on an elevated score of the dysphoric mood subscale of the SDS. However, no interaction was observed between the husband support measures and unwanted pregnancy, therefore the effect of the husband's social support on the cognitive disturbance score was not that of a buffer, but rather a main effector. Finally, multiple regression analyses showed that the dysphoric mood score was preceded by unwanted pregnancy, premenstrual irritability, public self-consciousness, and maternal overprotection; while the cognitive disturbance score was preceded by unwanted pregnancy, husband reduced 'given' and 'giving' support, maternal reduced care and overprotection, paternal reduced care, low annual income, low private self-consciousness, and smoking. These findings suggest that the husband's support for a pregnant woman is effective only in reducing cognitive symptoms, and that different symptomatic constellations have different sets of psychosocial correlates.     

Public and private self-consciousness and smoking behavior in head and neck cancer patients

Patients who continue to use tobacco following treatment for head and neck cancers are at a greater risk for cancer recurrence and earlier mortality. This study examined the unique effects of public and private self-consciousness and negative affect on smoking behavior in a sample of 40 patients with cancers of the head and neck. Measures of public and private self-consciousness and negative affect were administered and assessments of past and current smoking behavior were obtained. Only public self-consciousness was a significant predictor of continued smoking following oncologic treatment. Specifically, individuals with low levels of public self-consciousness were nearly 13 times more likely to continue smoking compared to those with relatively higher levels of public self-consciousness. This pattern is interpreted in the context of previous theorizing that suggests individuals high in public self-consciousness are more likely to discontinue habitual behavior that is perceived as socially undesirable or incorrect.     

负性生活事件与大学生抑郁情绪的关系:社会支持的中介与调节作用

目的探讨负性生活事件与大学生抑郁情绪的相关性以及社会支持在负性生活事件与抑郁情绪之间的作用,为改善大学生的抑郁情绪提供有效措施。方法于2017年1月和3月,在山东省济南市和烟台市各抽取一所高校,采用整群抽样方法选取600名在校大学生,使用流调中心抑郁量表(CES-D)、青少年生活事件量表(ASLEC)和社会支持评定量表(SSRS)对其进行评定。结果 CES-D与ASLEC评分呈正相关(r=0.271,P0.05),CES-D评分与SSRS的客观支持、主观支持和对支持的利用度评分均呈负相关(r=-0.127、-0.239、-0.215,P均0.05)。主观支持在负性生活事件与抑郁情绪之间的中介作用显著(P0.01);主观支持和客观支持在负性生活事件与抑郁情绪之间的调节作用显著(P0.05或0.01)。结论负性生活事件对大学生的抑郁情绪有正向预测作用,主观支持在负性生活事件和抑郁情绪之间起部分中介作用,主观支持、客观支持在负性生活事件与抑郁情绪之间起调节效应。     

Perceived stress and sleep quality among the non-diseased general public in China during the 2019 coronavirus disease: a moderated mediation model

BackgroundThe 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread worldwide, and its associated stressors have resulted in decreased sleep quality among front-line workers. However, in China, the general public displayed more psychological problems than the front-line workers during the pandemic. Therefore, we investigated the influence of perceived stress on the sleep quality of the non-diseased general public and developed a moderated mediation model to explain said relationship.MethodsQuestionnaire-based surveys were conducted online from February 18–25, 2020 with 1630 Chinese participants (aged 18–68 years).ResultsAround one-third (36.38%) of participants were poor sleepers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, higher perceived stress was significantly associated with higher anxiety levels, which, in turn, was associated with lower sleep quality. Self-esteem moderated the indirect effect of perceived stress on sleep quality through its moderation of the effect of perceived stress on anxiety. This indicated that the mediation effect of anxiety was stronger in those with low levels of self-esteem than in those with high levels of self-esteem.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that both the sleep quality and perceived stress levels of the non-diseased general public required attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings also identify personality characteristics related to better sleep quality, demonstrating the important role of self-esteem in environmental adaptation.     

Perceived discrimination and impaired mental health in Turkish immigrants and their descendents in Germany

ObjectiveThis study investigates the relationship between different forms of perceived ethnic discrimination, stress, and depressive and somatoform symptoms in Turkish immigrants and their descendents. Moreover, it was tested whether ethnic identification buffers the effect of discrimination on stress.MethodsVariables were assessed via online and paper–pencil questionnaires (e.g., Behaviors from Intergroup Affect and Stereotype Treatment Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale) in Turkish immigrants and their descendents (N = 214) from the general population in Germany. Mediation and moderated mediation models were tested.ResultsOpen aggression and discrimination in everyday situations showed large effects on depressive and somatoform symptoms. Also, paternalism showed a large indirect effect on impaired mental health via perceived stress, but only for persons lowly identified with being Turkish.ConclusionThis study reveals the large detrimental effects of different forms of discrimination on mental health in Turkish immigrants. However, a high ethnic identification can act as a buffer against stress.     

Media influences on male and female non-eating-disordered college students: A significant issue

Few studies have addressed the importance of media influence on persons who do not have an eating disorder. These persons are usually considered a control group. However, the influence of the media on non-eating-disordered females and males is a significant issue. The purpose of this study is to assess the immediate impact of very brief exposure to images taken from media on the self-consciousness and anxiety of male and female college students. There was a significant effect of looking at pictures of thin models on female participants only. In the group of college women who looked at pictures of thin female models, there were significantly higher levels of private self-consciousness, body competence, and state anxiety. For the male college students, there were no differences in self-consciousness or anxiety between those who looked at the pictures of thin male models and those who looked at control pictures.     

How Challenge Stress Affects Mental Health among College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Moderating Role of Self-Efficacy

While a plethora of studies has been conducted to examine stress and its impact on mental health in western countries, research is scarce investigating the relationship between student challenge stress and health illness in the context of Chinese colleges. No studies examined the moderating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between challenge stress and health illness. This study attempted to investigate the relationships between these three variables among Chinese college students. Especially, this study focused on examining whether self-efficacy moderated the effect of perceived challenge stress on students’ mental health. Also, the differences were tested between male and female students in terms of these three variables. A sample of 578 Chinese college students was recruited over an approximately 12-week period from 7 Chinese universities. An online survey link was distributed through WeChat. The SPSS version 26 software was used to analyze the data. Results showed that there is no significant difference between genders in terms of perceived challenge stress, self-efficacy, and students’ mental health. In addition, challenge stress was positively related to the students’ mental health (β = 0.35, p < 0.01) while there was a negative association between self-efficacy and mental health (β = −0.41, p < 0.01). Furthermore, self-efficacy plays a moderating role in the relationship between challenge stress and mental health (β = −0.11, p = 0.02). Students with low self-efficacy tend to experience more mental health issues. It is suggested that Chinese colleges and universities pay more attention to students with low self-efficacy, either through faculty/staff interventions or peer counseling. Professors consider reducing students’ academic stress to improve their mental health.     

Relationship between Moral Elevation and Prosocial Behavior among College Students: The Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support and Moderating Role of Moral Identity

Objectives: The present study examined the relationship between college student’s moral elevation and prosocial behavior. As well as the mediating role of perceived social support and the moderating role of moral identity. Methods: A sample of 489 college students was recruited for the study. They were asked to complete a series of questionnaires, including Moral Elevation Scale (MES), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), Moral Identity Scale (MIS) and Prosocial Tendency Measure (PTM). As part of the data analysis, we used correlation analysis and the method of constructing latent variable structural equation model to explore the mechanism of action among variables. Results: After controlling for gender, discipline, the research found that: (1) Moral elevation positively predicted the prosocial behavior among the college students; (2) Perceived social support mediated the relationship between moral elevation and prosocial behavior; (3) Moral identity moderated the second half of the model (i.e., the link between perceived social support and prosocial behavior). Specifically, the mediating effect of perceived social support was stronger for college students with high-level moral identity compared to those with low-level moral identity. Conclusions: Moral identity significantly moderates the mediating effect of perceived social support, and the mediating model with moderated is established.     

The Relationship Between School Violence-Related Stress and Quality of Life in School Teachers Through Coping Self-Efficacy and Job Satisfaction

This study examined associations between school violence-related stress, coping self-efficacy (CSE), job satisfaction, and quality of life (QOL) in school teachers, focusing particularly on the mediating effects of CSE and job satisfaction on teachers’ QOL. The sample consisted of 528 elementary, middle, and high school teachers. The multiple mediation model analyses showed that school violence-related stress was negatively associated with QOL through CSE and job satisfaction after controlling for covariates such as type of school and years of teaching experience. Specifically, CSE and job satisfaction fully mediated the negative association between school violence-related stress and QOL. An intervention program could be useful for helping teachers to reduce their stress and improve their CSE and job satisfaction when they encounter school violence that could decrease their QOL.     

Effects of acceptance-based coping on task performance and subjective stress

This paper examines the interactive effects of acceptance-based coping and job control on task performance, subjective stress, and perceived control. Forty-eight undergraduate and graduate students first participated in brief educational programs based on either acceptance or control coping strategies. They then participated in a 30-min high workload task under either high or low job control conditions. The results demonstrated a significant interactive effect of acceptance-based coping and job control on perceived control and task performance. No such effect was found for subjective stress. We conclude that to improve employees’ perceived control and job performance, there should be an increase not only in job control through work redesign, but also in psychological acceptance.     

Community Workers’ Social Support and Sleep Quality during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Moderated Mediation Model

To explore the relationship between social support and sleep quality of community workers in Wuhan during the coronavirus disease 2019 (the COVID-19 infection epidemic), this research constructed a mediating effect model to explore the mediating psychological mechanism of social support influencing sleep quality of front-line community workers. A total of 500 front-line community workers in Wuhan were investigated. We used the perceived social support scale (PSSS), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the perceived stress scale (PSS), and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) to measure social support, psychological resilience, perceived stress and sleep quality. Specifically, the higher the PSQI, the worse the sleep quality. Pearson correlation structural equation model was used to analyze the relationship between these factors. The results showed that: (1) There was a significant negative correlation between social support, psychological resilience, and perceived stress of community workers and PSQI, that means, the higher the level of social support, psychological resilience, and perceived stress, the higher the sleep quality. (2) Social support positively predicted psychological resilience and perceived stress, and perceived stress negatively predicted PSQI. (3) Social support can affect sleep quality through the mediating role of psychological resilience and perceived stress, and the mediating role includes two paths: the single mediating role of perceived stress and the chain mediating role of psychological resilience-perceived stress. (4) Gender moderates the relationship between social support and perceived stress, and the influence of social support on perceived stress of women is higher than that of men. Gender moderates the relationship between psychological resilience and PSQI, and only women’s psychological resilience had a negatively predictive effect on PSQI, while men did not, which means that psychological resilience of female frontline community workers can positively predict sleep quality. This research reveals the relationship between social support and sleep quality and its mechanism and verifies that social support can indirectly affect physical health through psychological resilience and perceived stress. It provides reference suggestions and intervention guidance for improving the sleep quality of community workers.     

Self-efficacy and burnout in teachers of students with autism spectrum disorder

BackgroundInclusion in schools of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a source of stress for teachers and requires a certain amount of adaptation to deal with it. The effects of perceived self-efficacy on burnout in professionals have been substantiated but the indirect effects, mediated by transactional processes of stress and coping, have never been explored in this specific context. This study aims to test the mediating effect of perceived stress and coping strategies on the relationship between perceived self-efficacy and burnout.MethodA sample of 203 teachers of students with ASD filled out four self-report questionnaires measuring perceived self-efficacy, perceived stress, coping strategies, and burnout. A multiple mediation analysis was carried out using the bootstrap procedure.ResultsAfter controlling for the direct effect of perceived self-efficacy on burnout, the indirect effects through transactional processes were significant. The lower the teachers’ feeling of self-efficacy, the more they implemented emotion-focused coping strategies, which predict higher burnout in all three of its dimensions. Moreover, the lower the teachers’ feeling of self-efficacy, the more they perceived the stressful situation in question as a threat or loss, perceptions that generate more emotional exhaustion.ConclusionThese results enable us to formulate some ideas for improving both the wellbeing of teachers working with students with ASD and the management of such students, and thus their learning abilities and wellbeing in school.     

Mobile Phone Addiction,Phubbing, and Depression Among Men and Women: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

For several years, the number of studies on the links between excessive mobile phone use and mental health has been increasing. The aim of the study was to establish if there is a relationship between mobile phone addiction and depression in university students and if phubbing is a mediator of this relationship. The authors also tested if this mediation effect was moderated by loneliness and if the model of relationships between these variables was the same in women and in men. The participants were 402 university and college students from Ukraine, aged 17 to 31; 74% of them were women. The authors used the Adapted Mobile Phone Use Habits, the Phubbing Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the Loneliness Scale. The results of the study have shown that higher mobile phone addiction and higher phubbing is associated with a higher level of depressive moods, with phubbing functioning as a mediator of the relationship between mobile phone addiction and depression. A moderator of this mediation is loneliness, the moderation effect being asymmetrically dependent on gender: in men, high loneliness increases the mediating role of phubbing, which more markedly translates into depression, while in women the analyzed mediation effect becomes weaker with an increase in the sense of loneliness (phubbing correlates less strongly with depression).

     

Study of stress and vulnerability in patients with somatoform and dissociative disorders in a psychiatric clinic in North India

The authors compared perceived stress in subgroups of patients defined by vulnerability (high and low) and disorder (somatoform and dissociative). A total of 30 patients each of somatoform and dissociative disorders diagnosed according to the classification of mental and behavioral disorders criteria were assessed with Presumptive Stressful Life Event Scale, The Hassles Scale, Psychoticism Extraversion Neuroticism Inventory, Dissociative Experience Scale, Twenty-Item Toronto Alexithyma Scale, and Illness Behavior Questionnaire. Somatoform and dissociative disorder groups had comparable scores on measures of perceived stress and vulnerability. Two-way anova showed significant main effect of neuroticism (F = 13.65, d.f. = 1.56, P < 0.01), psychoticism (F = 7.92, d.f. = 1.56, P < 0.01), illness behavior (F = 5.82, d.f. = 1.56, P < 0.05), and dissociative experience (F = 8.45, d.f. = 1.56, P < 0.01) on total hassles score, but no significant main effect of disorder groups or interaction effect for disorder and vulnerability was seen on total hassles score. No significant main or interaction effect was seen on life events score. Similarities were seen in stress and vulnerability factors in the two disorders. Neuroticism, psychoticism, dissociative experience, and abnormal illness behavior were significantly related to stress (daily hassles) perceived by the patient, irrespective of the disorder.     

The relationship of religious involvement indicators and social support to current and past suicidality among depressed older adults

Elderly people, particularly those with major depression, are at the highest risk for suicide than any other age group. Religious involvement is associated with a range of health outcomes including lower odds of death by suicide. However, not much is known about the effects of religious involvement on suicidal ideation in the elderly or which aspects of religiosity are beneficial. This study examined the relative influence of various conceptualizations of religious involvement, above and beyond the protective effects of social support, on current and past suicidality among depressed older adults. Participants were 248 depressed patients, 59 years and older, enrolled in the Neurocognitive Outcomes of Depression in the Elderly study. A psychiatrist assessed current suicidal ideation using the suicidal thoughts item from the Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale. Past history of suicide attempts, four religious involvement indicators, social support indicators, and control variables were assessed via self-report. Church attendance, above and beyond importance of religion, private religious practices, and social support, was associated with less suicidal ideation; perceived social support partially mediated this relationship. Current religious practices were not predictive of retrospective reports of past suicide attempts. Church attendance, rather than other religious involvement indicators, has the strongest relationship to current suicidal ideation. Clinicians should consider public religious activity patterns and perceived social support when assessing for other known risk and protective factors for suicide and in developing treatment plans.     

How can the Alexithymia and Behavioural Inhibition predict the perceived pain intensity in patients with chronic pain?

ObjectiveThis study investigates the mediating role of behavioral inhibition system in the relationship between alexithymia and perceived pain intensity in patients with chronic pain, and the moderating role of anxiety in the relationship between behavioral inhibition system and the perceived pain intensity in such patients.MethodsThe research was conducted on 440 patients with chronic pain who were referred to pain centers in Tehran. Participants were asked to answer Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), The Inhibition/Activation System Scale (BIS/BAS), Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for perceived pain intensity, and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS).ResultsThe results indicated that behavioral inhibition system plays a mediating role in the relationship between alexithymia and perceived pain intensity in patients with chronic pain. Anxiety plays a moderating role in the relationship between the behavioral inhibition system and perceived pain intensity, as well.ConclusionThe relationship between alexithymia and the perceived pain intensity is not a simple linear one, but is mediated by behavioral inhibition system. Also, anxiety determines the effect of the behavioral inhibition system on the perceived pain intensity of the patients.     

The Influence of Purpose in Life on Alcohol Self-Regulation Failure Among Male Inpatients with Alcohol Use Disorder: the Mediation Effects of Self-Control and Abstinence Self-Efficacy

The aim of this study was to examine whether both self-control and alcohol abstinence self-efficacy mediate the relationship between purpose in life and alcohol self-regulation failure among male inpatients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). A total of 140 male patients with AUD were recruited from alcohol centers of four psychiatric hospitals in South Korea. All participants completed psychological assessments, including the Purpose in Life, the Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy Scale, the Brief Self-Control Scale, and the Alcohol Self-Regulation Failure Scale. As hypothesized, the indirect effect analysis found that both self-control and abstinence self-efficacy may fully mediate the effects of purpose in life on alcohol self-regulation because the total effect was significant, but the direct effect was not significant. Moreover, bootstrap analysis found that the indirect effects were statistically significant. In conclusion, the effects of self-control and alcohol abstinence self-efficacy might not have different mediation effects on the relationship between purpose in life and alcohol self-regulation failure. These results suggest that both to enhance self-efficacy and self-control ability and to find purpose in life are important for AUD treatment.

     

Does “thinking about thinking” interfere with memory? An experimental memory study in obsessive–compulsive disorder

Neuropsychological assessments of participants with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) indicate impaired verbal memory if to be remembered material has to be organized. People with OCD also tend to focus their attention on their thoughts (heightened cognitive self-consciousness). We tested the hypothesis that cognitive self-consciousness causes verbal memory deficits by provoking a division of attention between study task and thoughts. Thirty-six participants with OCD, 36 matched healthy controls and 36 participants with major depressive disorder (MDD) learned under proactive interference in three study conditions: single-task condition, condition with heightened cognitive self-consciousness and condition with an external secondary task. Memory was impaired in the cognitive self-consciousness condition compared to both other conditions. Independent of condition, participants with OCD showed a reduced memory performance compared to healthy controls, but did not differ from participants with MDD. Our results are in line with the hypothesis that cognitive self-consciousness causes memory impairment.