Longitudinal moderating effect of depressive symptoms on the predictive relationship between self-concept clarity and meaning in life

Higher self-concept clarity is related to several adjustment indices and may be promoted by open communication with parents, while problems with self-concept clarity development could enhance internalizing problems (i.e., depressive and anxiety symptoms) in adolescence. This longitudinal study examined linkages between self-concept clarity, adolescents' open communication with parents, and adolescent depressive and anxiety symptoms. Dutch youths (N=323; 51.1% girls; mean age Time 1=13.3years) reported on these constructs over four consecutive annual measurements. Concurrent positive links between open communication and self-concept clarity were found at Time 1. Over time, higher levels of open communication with parents predicted higher self-concept clarity only in middle adolescence (mean age between 14 and 15years). We also found concurrent associations between self-concept clarity and both depressive and anxiety symptoms. Longitudinally, lower self-concept clarity predicted relatively higher levels of depressive symptoms across all waves, and also higher anxiety levels from Time 1 to Time 2. Conversely, higher levels of anxiety also predicted lower levels of self-concept clarity during the first three waves. Self-concept clarity did not mediate the longitudinal associations between open communication and internalizing symptoms. This study is one of the first to investigate self-concept clarity across adolescence. It highlights the possible importance of both anxiety symptoms and communication with parents in understanding the development of a clear self-concept, and demonstrates an association between lower self-concept clarity and higher levels of later depressive and anxiety symptoms.

The authors investigated the theoretical and clinical role of depression among cocaine abusers in treatment. Eighty-nine cocaine-abusing patients underwent 2 weeks of substance abuse treatment. Posttreatment major depressive disorder, depressive symptoms before and after substance abuse treatment, and alcohol diagnoses were assessed and their relation to pretreatment substance use, cravings in high-risk situations, and 3-month follow-up status was examined. High rates of major depressive disorder were found but were unrelated to pretreatment substance use. The decrease in depressive symptoms during treatment was independent of major depressive disorder or alcohol diagnoses and predicted treatment attrition. Higher levels of depressive symptoms during treatment were associated with greater urge to use cocaine, alcohol, and other drugs in high-risk situations. Concurrent major depressive disorder and depressive symptoms did not predict cocaine use at follow-up. However, patients who had an alcohol relapse episode experienced more depressive symptoms during treatment than did those who abstained. The results highlight the relationship of depression to alcohol use among cocaine abusers and suggest a need for further studies of the association between depression and substance use disorders.

Self-concept clarity (SCC) is defined as the “extent to which the contents of an individual's self-concept (e.g., perceived personal attributes) are clearly and confidently defined, internally consistent, and temporally stable” (Campbell et al., 1996, p.141). SCC is becoming an increasingly researched topic in relation to the onset and development of psychopathology. To date, there had been no systematic review addressing associations between SCC and psychopathology. Thus, Chapter 1 of the thesis aims to systematically identify, appraise and synthesise all available peer reviewed literature, which explored an association between SCC and psychopathology. The review includes twenty-two papers, which report on 29 individual studies, all of which explore a quantifiable relationship between SCC and psychopathology. Strong evidence was found to support an association between SCC and psychopathology in both clinical and non-clinical populations. The empirical paper is reported in Chapter 2. This explores the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, SCC and psychopathology. Participants were allocated to one of three groups: psychosis (presence of psychotic experiences), anxiety/depression (moderate-severe levels of anxiety and/or depression) or control (no psychotic experiences and mild levels of anxiety/depression). Analyses revealed that participants in the psychosis and anxiety/depression groups reported significantly higher incidences of adverse childhood experiences compared to the control. Lower levels of SCC were associated with higher levels of depressive and anxious symptoms, congruent with the findings from the literature review. Levels of SCC did not significantly differ across the three groups. The intricacy of SCC as a construct and its complex association with psychopathology was apparent throughout the process. In an attempt to conceptualise this relationship Chapter 3, the critical appraisal, discusses the similarities and differences between SCC and theoretically related concepts. Further clinical implications are discussed and identified limitations of the current research are considered citing recommendations for future research.

The current study aimed to investigate self-concept clarity and coping self-efficacy as mechanisms for mindfulness and meaning in life in a community pandemic experience. Participants were 538 Chinese college students (female = 70.40%, mean age = 20.01 years, SD = 1.31 years). The students completed the following measures: Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, Self-concept Clarity Scale, Coping Self-efficacy Scale, and Meaning in Life Questionnaire. Following path analyses, results showed that mindfulness was significantly and positively related to meaning in life. Mediation analysis revealed that self-concept clarity, as well as coping self-efficacy, played a mediating role between mindfulness and meaning in life, increasing meaning in life. In terms of self-concept and coping self-efficacy, coping self-efficacy had a stronger effect on the relationship between mindlessness and meaning in life, accounting for 33.0% and 64.3% of the total effect, respectively. The findings suggest that gains in mindfulness predicted greater meaning in life through both self-concept clarity and coping self-efficacy.

BackgroundSelf-concept clarity is an important factor in the mental health of college students. While existing research has examined the positive relationship between self-compassion (self-kindness, mindfulness, and common humanity) and self-concept clarity, the mechanisms underlying this relationship need further investigation. This study aimed to integrate variable- and person-centered approaches to examine the relationship between self-compassion and self-concept clarity and explore the possible mediating role of resilience.MethodsData from 1,353 Chinese college students were collected in December 2023 using the revised Chinese versions of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC-10). Simple mediation and latent profile analyses were performed using SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 7.0.ResultsThe variable-centered analysis showed that resilience played a mediating role in the relationship between self-compassion and self-concept clarity and between the three components of self-compassion and self-concept clarity. When resilience was included in the mediation model, common humanity had the strongest direct effect on self-concept clarity, and resilience played the strongest mediating role in the mindfulness pathway. As a further supplement to variable-centered results, person-centered analysis showed that the sample could be classified into three latent profiles, with the high self-compassion profile showing the highest resilience and self-concept clarity. Additionally, when the low self-compassion profile was used as the reference, resilience still played a relatively mediating role in the vulnerable and high profiles, but a direct relationship between self-compassion and self-concept clarity was only found in the high-profile.ConclusionThis study highlights the important role of self-compassion and resilience in promoting self-concept clarity and necessitates the design of subgroup-specific intervention programs for students in the future.

The relation of substance use with different levels of depressive symptoms and the moderating effect of sex and age in Taiwanese adolescents

320 TREATMENT DECISION MAKING AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG NEWLY DIAGNOSED PROSTATE CANCER PATIENTS THE IMPACT OF PRE- AND POST-TREATMENT DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS

BackgroundStudies on adults suggest that the presence of comorbid depression and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is associated with an elevated risk of self-harming behaviours and that self-harming behaviours, when present, will have higher severity. This comorbidity, furthermore, complicates clinical assessments, which may be an obstacle to early identification and proper intervention. Adolescents who self-harm frequently report high levels of depressive symptoms, but this is often not reflected in the clinicians’ assessment. BPD is still a controversial diagnosis in young people, and less is known about the clinical significance of comorbid BPD in adolescent populations.The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of BPD on the assessment and course of self-reported and clinician-rated depression in self-harming adolescents before and after a treatment period of 19 weeks. We hypothesized that, compared to adolescents without BPD, adolescents with BPD would self-report higher levels of depression at baseline, and that they would have less reduction in depressive symptoms.MethodsA total of 39 adolescents with depressive disorders and BPD-traits participating in a randomised controlled trial on treatment of self-harm with Dialectical Behaviour Therapy adapted for Adolescents or enhanced usual care were included. Adolescents with full-syndrome BPD (n = 10) were compared with adolescents with sub-threshold BPD (n = 29) with respect to their self-reported and clinician-rated depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation and global level of functioning at baseline, and after 19 weeks of treatment (end of trial period).ResultsAt baseline, adolescents with full-syndrome BPD self-reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation compared to adolescents with sub-threshold BPD, whereas the two groups were rated as equally depressed by the clinicians. At trial completion, all participants had a significant reduction in suicidal ideation, however, adolescents with BPD had a poorer treatment outcome in terms of significantly higher levels of clinician-rated and self-reported depressive symptoms and significantly lower levels of global functioning. At baseline as well as at trial completion, self-reported and clinician-rated levels of depressive symptoms were not significantly correlated in adolescents with BPD. In a multiple linear regression analysis, a diagnosis of BPD and a high baseline level of clinician-rated depressive symptoms predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms at trial completion, whereas receiving Dialectical Behaviour Therapy predicted lower levels of depressive symptoms.ConclusionOur findings suggest that a diagnosis of BPD may have a strong impact on the assessment and course of depressive symptoms in self-harming adolescents. Although rated as equally depressed, adolescents with BPD self-reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation at baseline, and showed a poorer outcome in terms of higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of global functioning at trial completion compared to adolescents with sub-threshold BPD. Our findings suggest that receiving Dialectical Behaviour Therapy could lead to a greater reduction in depressive symptoms, although firm conclusions cannot be drawn given the limited sample size.Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of underestimating the severity of depression in the context of emotional and behavioral dysregulation. Providing BPD specific treatments seems to be important to achieve sufficient treatment response with regard to depressive symptoms in adolescents with BPD-traits.Trial registrationTreatment for Adolescents With Deliberate Self Harm; NCT00675129, registered May 2008.

The present study concerns the relationship between self-concept clarity, religiosity, and well-being, as well as the mediating influence of religiosity on the relationship between self-concept clarity and sense of meaning in life and self-esteem. Self-concept clarity was found to be a significant predictor of sense of meaning in life and self-esteem; intrinsic religious orientation was found to be a predictor of sense of meaning in life, while the quest religious orientation was a predictor for self-esteem. The cross-products of self-concept clarity and intrinsic religious orientation were found to be related to the sense of purpose in life, which would point to religiosity being a mediator of the relationship between self-concept clarity and sense of purpose in life. The cross-products of self-concept clarity and quest religious orientation were found to be a predictor of self-esteem, which indicates a mediating effect of this religious orientation in the relationship of self-concept clarity and self-esteem.

Sense of meaning in life is closely related to adolescents’ well-being. While prior research has largely examined the effects of individual traits and environmental influences, adolescents’ personal experiences (e.g., academic achievement) also play a crucial role. This study investigates the relationship between adolescents’ academic achievement and their sense of meaning in life, with a focus on the moderating role of self-concept clarity. Drawing on the meaning-making model, we hypothesized that academic achievement would positively predict both the presence of and search for meaning in life, and that self-concept clarity would moderate these relationships. A total of 1,321 junior high school students (50.9% female; Mage = 12.39, SDage = 0.52) from Henan Province, China, participated in the study. Participants completed a self-report measure of academic achievement, along with standardized scales assessing meaning in life and self-concept clarity. Results indicated that academic achievement was positively correlated with both presence of meaning and search for meaning. Self-concept clarity moderated the relationship between academic achievement and meaning in life, adolescents with higher self-concept clarity and higher academic achievement reported greater presence of meaning and search for meaning. The findings demonstrate that academic achievement significantly contributes to adolescents’ sense of meaning in life, and critically, self-concept clarity acts as a moderating variable that amplifies this positive association. Interventions targeting self-concept development could be a promising avenue for enhancing adolescents’ meaning in life and overall well-being.

The current study tested the mediating roles of social support and self-concept clarity in the relationship between passive social network site use and loneliness. A total of 709 undergraduate students (females = 44.15%, mean age = 19.10, SD = 0.95) completed the Passive Social Network Questionnaire, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Self-Concept Clarity Scale as well as the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Latent variables structural equation modelling analysis indicated that passive social network site use was negatively associated with loneliness. Social support and self-concept clarity significantly mediated the relationship between passive social network site use and loneliness, reducing the risk for loneliness, and with sequential mediating effects of social support and self-esteem. This study’s findings suggest that the passive use of social networking sites can help students gain more social support, improve self-concept clarity, and in turn reduce loneliness. Increasing social support and enhancing self-concept clarity through psychological intervention programmes may be an effective way to reduce individual loneliness.

This study explored the relationship between social anxiety and problematic social network sites use and the mediating role of self-esteem and self-concept clarity. A total of 811 college students (female= 58.2%; mean age= 19.18 years, SD = 1.12 years) completed the Interaction Anxiety Scale, Self-Esteem Scale, Self-Concept Clarity Scale, and Problematic Social Network Sites Use Scale. Latent variable structural equation modelling analysis indicated, not only directly but also indirectly through self-esteem and self-concept clarity, that social anxiety was associated with problematic use of social network sites. Self-esteem and self-concept clarity mediated the relationship between social anxiety and problematic social network sites use, respectively. Moreover, self-esteem and self-concept clarity played a sequential mediating role between social anxiety and problematic social network sites use. These findings suggest a need to reduce social anxiety among college students through enhancing their self-esteem and self-concept clarity. Such interventions would decrease their problematic use of social network sites.

A questionnaire survey was conducted among college students to explore the relationship between social network use intensity, online positive feedback, online identity experiment, self-concept clarity, and sense of meaning in life. The results showed that: (1) The intensity of use of social networks negatively predicted self-concept clarity through network identity experiment and positively predicted self-concept clarity through online positive feedback. (2) Self-concept clarity was significantly positively correlated with having the sense of life meaning, but significantly negatively correlated with seeking the sense of life meaning. (3) The results of mediating effect analysis showed that the intensity of mobile social network use could predict the sense of meaning in life through the independent mediating effect of selfconcept clarity and online positive feedback, and the chain mediating effect of “online positive feedback to self-concept clarity” and “network identity experiment to self-concept clarity”.

Do Help-Seeking Intentions During Early Adolescence Vary for Adolescents Experiencing Different Levels of Depressive Symptoms?

The study aimed to investigate the associations between different types of screen time (ST) and anxiety and depressive symptoms in college students during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China; the potential mediation role of sleep quality was also examined. A total of 1,550 college students completed an online survey in May 2022. ST, Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) score, Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) score, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score, and physical activity were self-reported. Multiple linear regression and mediation analysis were conducted. The results showed that more time spent in TV/movie viewing (>2 h/day) and recreational reading (>1 h/day) was associated with higher levels of anxiety, while more time spent in online social media (>2 h/day) was associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms. In contrast, time spent in online social media (1-2 h/day) was associated with a lower level of anxiety. Meanwhile, recreational reading (2-3 h/day) had a significant indirect effect on anxiety and depressive symptoms through sleep quality. During the COVID-19 outbreak, the associations of ST with anxiety and depressive symptoms varied by the type of screen viewing in college students. The associations of slightly excessive time spent on recreational reading with higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms were partially mediated by sleep quality.