Elevated Depressive Symptoms Research Articles

Abstract P258: Association of Depressive Symptoms With Exceptional Longevity: The Women’s Health Initiative

Introduction: Older women may experience elevated levels of depressive symptoms and are particularly vulnerable to chronic diseases, including CVD, and disability. Yet, few studies have examined associations of depressive symptoms with healthy longevity. We examined the associations of depressive symptoms with survival to ages 90, 95, and 100, and with survival to age 90 with intact mobility and cognitive functioning among older women. Hypothesis: Relative to those without depressive symptoms at baseline, women with elevated depressive symptoms will have (i) lower odds of survival to ages 90, 95, or 100 and (ii) lower odds of surviving to age 90 without mobility and cognitive impairment. Methods: We studied 70,363 women ( M age = 69.9, SD = 3.9; 7.1% Black, 2.5% Hispanic/Latino, 89.6% White) enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative with potential, due to birth year, to survive to ages 90 and older as of February 2022. Depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline (1993-1998) using an 8-item screening instrument that comprises the 6-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and 2 items from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Depressive symptoms were classified as elevated (vs. not) using an established cut point of ≥0.06 for detecting the presence of depressive disorders. Survival (vs. death) to ages 90, 95, and 100 years was assessed through February 2022. Separate logistic regression models estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for survival to age 90, 95, and 100 and to age 90 without (vs. with) mobility and cognitive impairment, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, health insurance, financial problems, diet quality, body mass index, physical activity, smoking status, alcohol consumption, history of hypertension, diabetes, stroke, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and cancer, and use of depression medication. Results: A total of 38,607 women survived to age 90 or older during WHI follow-up. After adjustment for covariates, women with elevated depressive symptoms at baseline (compared to women without symptoms) had lower odds of surviving to age 90 (OR, 0.91; 95% CI 0.86-0.96; P = .001), age 95 (OR, 0.87; 95% CI 0.80-0.96; P = .005) and similarly but non-significantly to age 100 (OR, 0.80; 95% CI 0.59-1.06; P = .14). Women with elevated depressive symptoms at baseline (compared to women without symptoms) had lower odds of surviving to age 90 without mobility and cognitive impairment (OR, 0.57; 95% CI 0.51-0.65; P < .001) vs. surviving to age 90 with mobility and cognitive impairment. Conclusions: Baseline depressive symptoms were associated with lower odds of exceptional longevity and survival to age 90 without impairment in mobility and cognitive functioning among WHI women. These findings underscore the adverse long-term impact of depressive symptoms on healthy longevity.

Abstract P373: Psychosocial Risk and Resilience Profile in Rural Alabama: A Preliminary Analysis of Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal (RURAL) Study

Background: Given the disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease risk and outcomes, there is an urgent need to understand the psychosocial drivers of these inequities. We characterized the psychosocial risk and resilience profiles of a cohort of rural-dwelling adults in the southeast U.S. Methods: This preliminary analysis includes 765 participants with complete covariate data (mean age 47.9 (SD=10.9), 70.7% self-reporting as women, 77.9% Black individuals, 41.4% with annual household income below $15,000; 43.7% possessing a high school diploma/GED or lower) residing in two rural counties in Alabama, part of the larger RURAL study. We evaluated participants across six crucial psychosocial domains: financial strain (continuous), financial adjustments (categorized as 0, 1-3, 4+), housing stability (tertiles), childhood adversity (including general, physical, and emotional trauma experienced before 18 years, categorized into tertiles), depression (measured using CES-D 16; yes/no), and resilience (measured using CD-RISC, categorized into tertiles). We examined the distribution of study outcomes and conducted race and sex-based comparisons. Results: Resilience was high overall and did not vary significantly by race or sex. Significant racial disparities were observed, with Black participants experiencing higher financial strain (mean: 2.84 Black vs. 2.34 White), housing instability (30.1% Black vs. 11.9% White), and elevated depressive symptoms (35.2% Black vs. 25.3% White). Conversely, White participants reported greater general trauma and depression (highest tertile: 17.8% Black, 23.8 % White for general trauma; 64.3% Black vs. 73.8% White for depression). Sex-based differences were statistically insignificant across most psychosocial factors, except for financial adjustments (highest tertile: 27.7% men vs. 36.0% women) and physical trauma (38.0% men vs. 22.0% women). When considering the intersection of race and sex, Black men had the highest prevalence of housing instability (highest tertile: 35.2% Black men, 27.8% Black women, 6.8% White men, 15.8% White women), and elevated depressive symptoms (35.8% Black men, 35% Black women, 15.3 % White men, 31.6% White women). White men had the highest prevalence of physical trauma (highest tertile: 35.8% Black men, 21.3% Black women, 44.1% White men, 25.3% White women), and White women had the highest prevalence of financial adjustments (highest tertile: 30.3% Black men, 33.9% Black women, 20.3% White men, 46.3% White women). Conclusion: Our preliminary analysis of the RURAL study underscores substantial psychosocial adversity in these Southern rural communities. Future investigations should explore the relationship between these psychosocial factors and CVD risk to help identify potential intervention targets to improve cardiovascular health in rural communities.

Depressive Symptoms, Socioeconomic Position, and Mortality in Older People Living With and Beyond Cancer.

Evidence shows that higher depressive symptoms are associated with mortality among people living with and beyond cancer (LWBC). However, prior studies have not accounted for a wider range of potential confounders, and no study has explored whether socioeconomic position (SEP) moderates the association. This study aimed to examine the association between depressive symptoms and mortality among people LWBC, and moderation by SEP. Participants from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, diagnosed with cancer and with a measure of depressive symptoms within 4 years after their diagnosis, were included. Elevated depressive symptoms were indicated by a score of ≥3 on the eight-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Cox regression models examined associations with all-cause mortality. Competing risk regression examined associations with cancer mortality. In 1352 people LWBC (mean age = 69.6 years), elevated depressive symptoms were associated with a 93% increased risk of all-cause mortality (95% confidence interval = 1.52-2.45) within the first 4 years of follow-up and a 48% increased risk within a 4- to 8-year follow-up (95% confidence interval = 1.02-2.13) after multivariable adjustment. Elevated depressive symptoms were associated with a 38% increased risk of cancer mortality, but not after excluding people who died within 1 year after baseline assessments. There were no interactions between depressive symptoms and SEP. Elevated depressive symptoms are associated with a greater risk of all-cause mortality among people LWBC within an 8-year follow-up period. Associations between depressive symptoms and cancer mortality might be due to reverse causality.

Optimizing indicated cognitive behavioral therapy to prevent child anxiety and depression: A cluster-randomized factorial trial

Identifying effective components can lead to interventions that are less resource-intensive and better suited for real-world needs. In this 2×2×2 cluster-randomized factorial trial (clinicaltrials.gov NCT04263558), we investigated the effects of three components of an indicated, transdiagnostic CBT intervention for children: 1) Intervention Delivery Format (child group format versus a blended format with group sessions and automated web-based sessions), 2) Parental Involvement in the intervention (group-based versus psychoeducational brochure), and 3) a Measurement Feedback System (MFS; on versus off). The intervention was delivered at schools in a group-based format. The participants (N = 701 children) were school children (age 8–12 years) with elevated symptoms of anxiety or depression, and their parents. The main outcomes were self-reported (N = 633) and parent-reported (N = 725) symptoms of child anxiety and depression post-intervention. The secondary outcome was children's user satisfaction with the intervention. We did not find significant main or interaction effects of Delivery Format, Parental Involvement, or MFS on children's symptom levels. There were no significant effects on children's user satisfaction. Results were compatible with retaining the least resource intensive combination (i.e., blended format, parental brochure, no MFS) in an optimized intervention.

Determining the MMPI-3 SUI scale's cross-sectional and prospective utility in suicide risk assessment.

In-depth suicide risk assessments are particularly important to long-term suicide prevention. Broadband measures of psychopathology, such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) instruments, assess suicide risk factors and various mental health comorbidities. With the recent release of the MMPI-3, the Suicidal/Death Ideation(SUI) scale underwent revisions to improve its construct validity and detection of suicide risk factors. Thus, we hypothesized the MMPI-3 SUI scale would demonstrate medium to large associations with suicidal experience and behaviors, future ideation, and interpersonal risk factors of suicide. A sample of 124 college students screened for elevated depressive symptoms completed a brief longitudinal study. Participants completed a baseline session including the MMPI-3 and criterion measures and three brief follow-ups every 2 weeks. SUI scores were most robustly associated with increased risk for past suicidal ideation, planning, and perceived burdensomeness. Prospectively assessed suicidal ideation was also meaningfully associated with SUI. SUI scale elevations indicate an increased risk of suicide-related risk factors. The MMPI-3 is a valuable tool to inform long-term suicide prevention for those experiencing elevated depressive symptoms as the SUI scale can assess past, current, and future suicide-related risk factors, including suicidal ideation and behaviors.

Associations between empirically proportionate and disproportionate fears of cancer recurrence and anxiety and depression in uveal melanoma survivors: Five-year prospective study.

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) may develop into elevated anxiety or depression symptoms, but few risk factors for this development are known. Objective recurrence risk estimation is possible in some cancers. Using theories of risk communication and phobias, we examined whether the proportionality of FCR to known objective recurrence risk influences the development of anxiety and depression symptoms. Uveal melanoma (UM) patients can opt for reliable prognostic testing. Patients experience either a 'good' or 'poor' prognostic outcome, whereby 10-year mortality due to metastatic disease is, respectively, low or high. In a five-year prospective study of a consecutive sample of 589 UM survivors, we used random intercept cross lagged panel analyses to examine whether proportionality differentially influences whether FCR progresses to anxiety and depression. Positive cross paths predicting anxiety from FCR were stronger in the poor prognosis group than the good prognosis and not tested groups. Prognostic group differences were not evident for depression. FCR was more likely to progress to elevated anxiety symptoms when proportionate to the known objective recurrence risk. Objective evidence may play a prominent role in the development and structure of fear because it assumes a high epistemic weight that activates a wide range of emotional and cognitive responses. Interventions that assist survivors to tolerate FCR in the presence of higher recurrence risks may be important in reducing anxiety symptoms.

Preliminary efficacy of a transdiagnostic parent-led internet-delivered intervention for children with anxiety and depressive symptoms: a pilot randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThere is extensive research indicating that transdiagnostic interventions are effective for adults and children with anxiety and depressive disorders; however, limited research has been conducted on the efficacy of such programs targeting parents of children with anxiety and depressive symptoms delivered via the Internet. This study aims to investigate the preliminary efficacy of a transdiagnostic Internet-delivered intervention for Romanian parents of children with elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms.MethodsWe conducted a single-blinded pilot randomized controlled trial. Forty-two parents of children with anxiety and depressive symptoms (Mage = 39.79, 78.6% women) from Romania were randomly assigned to one of the two groups, to ParentKIT, an Internet-delivered intervention based on Rational Emotive and Behavioral Therapy (n = 21), or to a delayed treatment condition (waitlist group) (n = 21). ParentKIT consisted of a brief transdiagnostic intervention delivered through nine modules with therapist guidance.ResultsA significant Group by Time effect was found for child emotional problems as reported by parents (Cohen’s d = − 0.85) and for parental self-efficacy (Cohen’s d = 0.71).ConclusionA transdiagnostic Internet-delivered intervention addressed to parents of children with elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms is a promising approach. Future research should include blind assessments as well as multiple outcome assessors and investigate the long-term efficacy of the intervention.Trial registrationNCT05341297.

Mobile App-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Addressing Psychological Distress Among Survivors of Hospitalization for COVID-19 Infection

ImportancePsychological distress symptoms are present and persistent among many patients who survive a critical illness like COVID-19. ObjectiveTo determine if a self-directed mobile app-delivered mindfulness intervention could be feasibly and rapidly implemented within a clinical trials network to reduce distress symptoms. DesignSetting, and Participants: Randomized clinical trial was conducted between January 2021 and May 2022 at 29 US sites and included survivors of hospitalization due to COVID-related illness with elevated symptoms of depression at discharge. InterventionsParticipants were randomized to intervention or usual care control. The intervention consisted of four themed weeks of daily audio, video, and text content. All study procedures were virtual. Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome was depression symptoms assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item scale (PHQ-9) at 3 months. Secondary outcomes included anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale [GAD-7], quality of life (EuroQOL Five-Dimension Scale [EQ5D], and adherence. We used general linear models to estimate treatment arm differences in outcomes over time. ResultsAmong 56 randomized participants (mean age, 51.0 [SD 13.2], female, 38 [67.9%]; Black race, 14 [25%]), 45 (intervention 23 [79%] and control 22 [81%]) were retained at 6 months. There was no difference in mean improvement between intervention and control participants at 3 months in PHQ-9 (-0.5 vs. 0.1), GAD-7 (-0.3 vs. 0.1), or EQ5D (-0.03 vs. 0.02) scores; 6 month results were similar. Only 15 (51.7%) participants initiated the intervention while the mean number of the 56 prescribed intervention activities completed was 12.0 (SD 15.2). Regulatory approvals delayed trial initiation by nearly a year. Conclusions and RelevanceAmong survivors of COVID-19 hospitalization with elevated psychological distress symptoms, a self-directed mobile app-based mindfulness intervention had poor adherence. Future psychological distress interventions mobilized at broad scale should focus efforts on patient engagement and regulatory simplification to enhance success.

Emerging Adult Mental Health During COVID: Exploring Relationships Between Discrete and Cumulative Individual and Contextual Stressors and Well-Being

PurposeIndicators of poor mental health increased during the COVID-19 pandemic among emerging adults aged 18–24 years, a group already at elevated risk. This study explores associations between contextual and personal stressors with symptoms of emerging adults’ anxiety and depression, assessing both multidimensional and distinct measures of stress. MethodsUsing Census Household Pulse Surveys from emerging adults aged 18 to 24 years (N = 71,885) and administrative data from April 23, 2020 to March 29, 2021, we estimated logistic regression models adjusted for state and wave fixed effects. ResultsRates of elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms rose dramatically among emerging adults during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicate that potential contextual stressors—state COVID-19 rates and state COVID-19 mitigation policies limiting social interactions (stay-at-home orders, restaurant closures, large gathering restrictions, and mask mandates)—were not significantly associated with symptoms. In contrast, personal economic stressors (nonemployment, household income loss, food insecurity, housing insecurity, lacking health insurance) and disruptions to education were associated significantly with elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms, with greater numbers of stressors associated with worse well-being. DiscussionEmerging adults reported persistently high levels of elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms during the first year of the pandemic, outcomes associated not with COVID-19 rates or mitigation policies, but with economic inequities, and other personal stressors heightened by the pandemic. Providing targeted support for young adults, including ensuring access to mental health supports, health care, and economic relief, is critical.

Temperament and sex as moderating factors of the effects of exposure to maternal depression on telomere length in early childhood.

Individual differences in sensitivity to context are posited to emerge early in development and to influence the effects of environmental exposures on a range of developmental outcomes. The goal of the current study was to examine the hypothesis that temperament characteristics and biological sex confer differential vulnerability to the effects of exposure to maternal depression on telomere length in early childhood. Telomere length has emerged as a potentially important biomarker of current and future health, with possible mechanistic involvement in the onset of various disease states. Participants comprised a community sample of children followed from infancy to age 3 years. Relative telomere length was assessed from DNA in saliva samples collected at infancy, 2 years, and 3 years. Maternal depressive symptoms and the child temperament traits of negative affectivity, surgency/extraversion, and regulation/effortful control were assessed via maternal report at each timepoint. Analyses revealed a 3-way interaction among surgency/extraversion, sex, and maternal depressive symptoms, such that higher surgency/extraversion was associated with shorter telomere length specifically among males exposed to elevated maternal depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that temperament and sex influence children's susceptibility to the effects of maternal depression on telomere dynamics in early life.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Two Parent–Child Parallel Interventions to Enhance Positive Adaptation of Immigrant Families in Hong Kong: The Moderating Role of Depressive Symptoms

Parents and children who have recently immigrated from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong face various challenges, including psychological and sociocultural adaptation difficulties. In collaboration with community partners, our research team has developed and implemented culturally sensitive and preventive parent–child parallel interventions to enhance positive adaptation among immigrant parents and children. Two interventions were conducted in this randomized controlled trial: an emotion regulation (ER) arm, which addressed psychological adaptation by reducing parent–child conflicts and improving emotions, and an information provision (IP) arm targeting sociocultural adaptation by increasing participants’ knowledge about Hong Kong. The study randomly assigned 113 and 73 parent–child pairs (allocation ratio 3:2) into the ER and IP arms, respectively. Parents and children attended four two-hour weekly sessions of their assigned intervention and completed assessments before, immediately after, and one month following the intervention. The results showed that in the ER arm, parents showed improved positive affect, and children reported decreases in parent–child conflicts more than their counterparts in the IP arm. In the IP arm, parents and children increased their knowledge, and parents decreased sociocultural adaptation difficulties more than their counterparts in the ER arm. In addition, the moderation analyses showed that in both interventions, parents and children with elevated baseline depressive symptoms obtained greater benefits relative to their counterparts with fewer symptoms. Such marked improvements were seen among parents in negative affect and adaptation difficulties and among children in parent–child conflict, positive and negative affect in the ER arm. More improvements were noted among parents in negative affect and sociocultural adaptation difficulties and among children in negative affect in the IP arm. Future studies are suggested to develop and provide parent–child parallel interventions targeting both psychological and sociocultural adaptations to parents and children with heightened baseline depressive symptoms to facilitate their positive adaptation in Hong Kong.

Meaning through fantasy? Fantasy proneness positively predicts meaning for people high in depression

ABSTRACT Many factors likely impact how people create meaning out of their lives. Certain psychological disorders may affect these processes, necessitating the reliance on atypical meaning-making strategies. Across two studies, we tested the hypothesis that the tendency to engage in mental fantasies would be associated with higher meaning in life for people with elevated symptoms of depression. In Study 1 (N = 455Mturk workers), fantasy proneness positively predicted meaning at high levels of depression, but was unrelated at low levels of depression. We replicated this pattern in Study 2 (N = 367), which was preregistered, using the baseline survey of a multi-wave design. In addition, across six weekly measurements, we observed that depression moderated the relationship between fantasy and meaning at the between-person, but not within-person, level. These findings have implications for understanding idiosyncrasies in meaning-making, the role of depression in meaning-making processes, and the potential positive functions of fantasy.

Are depressive symptoms linked to a reduced pupillary response to novel positive information?-An eye tracking proof-of-concept study.

Depressive symptoms have been linked to difficulties in revising established negative beliefs in response to novel positive information. Recent predictive processing accounts have suggested that this bias in belief updating may be related to a blunted processing of positive prediction errors at the neural level. In this proof-of-concept study, pupil dilation in response to unexpected positive emotional information was examined as a psychophysiological marker of an attenuated processing of positive prediction errors associated with depressive symptoms. Participants (N = 34) completed a modified version of the emotional Bias Against Disconfirmatory Evidence (BADE) task in which scenarios initially suggest negative interpretations that are later either confirmed or disconfirmed by additional information. Pupil dilation in response to the confirmatory and disconfirmatory information was recorded. Behavioral results showed that depressive symptoms were related to difficulties in revising negative interpretations despite disconfirmatory positive information. The eye tracking results pointed to a reduced pupil response to unexpected positive information among people with elevated depressive symptoms. Altogether, the present study demonstrates that the adapted emotional BADE task can be appropriate for examining psychophysiological aspects such as changes in pupil size along with behavioral responses. Furthermore, the results suggest that depression may be characterized by deviations in both behavioral (i.e., reduced updating of negative beliefs) and psychophysiological (i.e., decreased pupil dilation) responses to unexpected positive information. Future work should focus on a larger sample including clinically depressed patients to further explore these findings.

Cognitive, behavioral, and affective mechanisms underlying the efficacy of Applied Relaxation in reducing psychopathological symptoms: A randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThis study examined the cognitive, behavioral, and affective mechanisms underlying the efficacy of Applied Relaxation (AR) in reducing psychopathological symptoms. AR is a cognitive-behavioral technique that allows for rapid relaxation at the first sign of stress or tension in daily life. MethodsA randomized controlled trial was conducted in 277 adults (18–55 years) with elevated symptoms of depression, anxiety, or stress but without a 12-month DSM-5 mental disorder at study entry. Participants were randomized to an intervention group receiving AR training (10 weeks, N = 139) and an assessment-only control group (N = 138). Mental health outcomes (depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms) and potential cognitive (self-efficacy, perceived control), behavioral (coping behaviors) and affective (positive and negative affect) mediators of the intervention efficacy were assessed at baseline and post-assessment in both groups. ResultsStructural equation models indicated that baseline to post reductions in psychopathological symptoms due to AR partially passed through less avoidance-oriented and less other dysfunctional coping (proportion of total effect mediated; ratio of indirect to total effect: resignation: 55.0%, rumination: 27.9%, escape: 27.4%, aggression: 21.3%), less negative affect (46.3%), more positive affect (41.8%), lower external control beliefs (14.5%), and higher self-efficacy (13.3%). ConclusionsOur results suggest that improvements in cognitive, behavioral, and affective mediator variables partially explain the intervention efficacy of AR in improving mental health. Trial registration and data statementThe study protocol has been pre-registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03311529). The study protocol, minimum dataset, and analysis codes are available at OpARA - Open Access Repository and Archive. Supplementary materials (e.g., the course manual and additional training materials) are available on request from the last author (katja.beesdo-baum@tu-dresden.de).

Black Women as Superwomen? The Mental Health Effects of Superwoman Schema, Socioeconomic Status, and Financial Strain

Abstract Informed by Black feminist thought and intersectionality, Superwoman Schema (SWS) is a construct that captures a collective response of Black women to racial and gender marginalization by highlighting expectations that they exude strength, suppress emotions, resist vulnerability, succeed despite limitations, and help others to their own self-neglect. Using a sample of Black women (N = 390) in early-midlife (between 30 and 46 years old; M = 37.54 years; SD = 4.29), this study integrates the intersectionality framework and the stress process model to examine the independent and interactive effects of SWS endorsement as well as socioeconomic status (SES) and financial strain on Black women’s mental health. Study results reveal that SWS dimensions “emotion suppression” and “obligation to help others” are associated with elevated depressive symptoms. In addition, net worth and financial strain, but not traditional measures of socioeconomic status such as education and income, moderate the association between SWS endorsement and depressive symptoms. Specifically, the association between SWS and depressive symptoms is strongest among Black women reporting negative net worth or high financial strain (e.g., not being able to make ends meet). Broader implications and future research directions are discussed.

Factorial validity and gender invariance of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) in student-athletes

Background/purpose Depressive symptoms are prevalent in student-athletes. Evidence for the factorial validity of measures assessing depressive symptoms in student-athletes is presently absent from the literature. This study examined the best fitting factorial structure and invariance across sexes of the PHQ-9. Methods Data were collected from 1,524 student-athletes from institutions in the North-Eastern United States. Confirmatory factor analyses of 4 factorial structures of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were conducted, followed by invariance analyses across sexes. Results All tested models showed an excellent fit for all tested models and a unidimensional model of the PHQ-9 was chosen for further analyses. Metric and scalar invariance for the identified model across sexes was supported. The participants in this study reported an unusually low (3.13%) prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms, which may indicate underreporting of symptoms. Conclusion Using a unidimensional, composite score via the PHQ-9 is a valid assessment of depressive symptoms in male and female student-athletes.

Heterogeneity in drinking motives among college student drinkers: a latent profile analysis

Scant research has utilized person-centred approaches to investigate associations between patterns of drinking motive facets and alcohol-related outcomes and depressive symptoms. To address this gap, 1,216 first- and second-year Chinese college students (Mean age = 19.14, SD = 0.94, 37.3% male) who had consumed alcohol in the past year were surveyed by questionnaires. Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct classes based on four drinking motives: enhancement, coping, conformity, and social motives. A 5-profile solution provided the best overall model fit to the data, including the ‘low’ (n = 712; 58.6%), ‘moderate’ (n = 213; 17.5%), ‘high’ (n = 120; 9.9%), ‘high external/low internal reinforcing’ (n = 108; 8.9%), and ‘high positive/low negative reinforcing’ motives groups (n = 63; 5.2%). Students with high drinking motives endorsed the highest levels of alcohol use outcomes and depression symptoms, while reporting the lowest level of drinking refusal self-efficacy. Students with moderate motives tended to occupy the middle position across all outcome variables. Students characterized by high external/low internal motives reported elevated depressive symptoms and drinking-related problems. Those with high positive/low negative motives exhibited high drinking intention and alcohol consumption, but low levels of drinking-related problems and depressive symptoms. These findings shed light on the heterogeneity among college student drinkers, paving the way for targeted alcohol interventions tailored to diverse drinking motive patterns.

Association between prenatal and childhood PM2.5 exposure and preadolescent anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure has been linked to anxiety and depression in adults; however, there is limited research in the younger populations, in which symptoms often first arise. We examined the association between early-life PM2.5 exposure and symptoms of anxiety and depression in a cohort of 8-11-year-olds in Mexico City. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Spanish versions of the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale and Children's Depression Inventory. Daily PM2.5 was estimated using a satellite-based exposure model and averaged over several early and recent exposure windows. Linear and logistic regression models were used to estimate the change in symptoms with each 5-µg/m3 increase in PM2.5. Models were adjusted for child's age, child's sex, maternal age, maternal socioeconomic status, season of conception, and temperature. Average anxiety and depressive symptom T-scores were 51.0 (range 33-73) and 53.4 (range 44-90), respectively. We observed consistent findings for exposures around the fourth year of life, as this was present for both continuous and dichotomized anxiety symptoms, in both independent exposure models and distributed lag modeling approaches. This window was also observed for elevated depressive symptoms. An additional consistent finding was for PM2.5 exposure during early pregnancy in relation to both clinically elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms, this was seen in both traditional and distributed lag modeling approaches. Both early life and recent PM2.5 exposure were associated with higher mental health symptoms in the child highlighting the role of PM2.5 in the etiology of these conditions.

Fathers’ mental health and coping strategies: a qualitative study in Mwanza, Tanzania

ObjectivesTo investigate the nature of paternal mental health problems, their causes and the coping strategies used by fathers of young children under the age of 2 years.Design and settingWe conducted...

Maternal contingent responses to distress facilitate infant soothing but not in mothers with depression or infants high in negative affect.

Depression in mothers is consistently associated with reduced caregiving sensitivity and greater infant negative affect expression. The current article examined the real-time behavioral mechanisms underlying these associations using Granger causality time series analyses in a sample of mothers (N = 194; 86.60% White) at elevated risk for depression and their 3-month-old infants (46.40% female) living in a major metropolitan area in the United States. Overall, mothers contingently responded to infant distress, and mothers' responses to infant distress increased the likelihood of infant soothing in real time. However, there was no evidence for maternal contingent responding or facilitation of infant soothing in subsamples of mothers who were currently experiencing elevated depression symptoms or in mothers of highly negative infants. These findings suggest real-time behavioral mechanisms by which risks for maladaptive self-regulation may develop. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).