Mediating effects of positive mental characters on the relationship between personality and depression in recruits

Abstract

Objective To explore the relationship between personality and depression, especially to investigate mediating effect of positive mental characters. Methods A sample of 1 933 male recruits was assessed with eysenck personality questionnaire (EPQ), positive mental characters scale for recruits (PMCS-R) and self-rating depression scale (SDS). Results The scores of introversion-extroversion, psychoticism, neuroticism, positive mental characters and depression were 55.26±10.59, 42.85±7.25, 42.35±11.67, 3.80±0.64, 0.45±0.11, respectively. There were correlations among personality, positive mental characters and depression in recruits (P<0.05). Regression analysis indicated that introversion-extroversion, psychoticism and neuroticism predicted depression directly, and it could explain 42.6% of the total variance (F=476.28, P<0.05). Hierarchy regression analysis showed that positive mental characters mediate the relationship between personality (introversion-extroversion, psychoticism, neuroticism) and depression (the mediation effect was 0.22, 0.19 and 0.11 respectively, P<0.05). Conclusion Recruits’ personality affects depression not only directly, but also indirectly through positive mental characters. Key words: Recruits; Positive mental character; Personality; Depression; Mediating Effect