High Prevalence Of Depressive Symptoms Research Articles

Strength use and nurses' depressive symptoms: The mediating role of basic psychological needs satisfaction.

This study aimed to reveal the role of satisfying basic psychological needs in the relationship between strength use and depressive symptoms in nurses. There is a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among nurses. Previous studies on different groups have reported that strength use is beneficial for alleviating individuals' depressive symptoms. A total of 475 participating Chinese nurses completed questionnaires. Hypotheses were tested using the PROCESS macro. Strength use was positively correlated with basic psychological needs satisfaction overall and negatively correlated with depressive symptoms. Furthermore, autonomy and relatedness satisfaction acted as mediating mechanisms through which strength use influenced depressive symptoms. Autonomy and relatedness satisfaction can mediate the influence of strength use on depressive symptoms in nurses. Focus should be placed on improving nurses' strength use level to reduce their depressive symptoms. Hospital managers should create an organisational environment conducive to meeting nurses' basic psychological needs and thereby reduce their depressive symptoms.

Rejection of workers’ compensation claims may increase depressive symptoms among firefighters with occupational injury: a nationwide study in South Korea

This study sought to examine whether the experience of occupational injuries was associated with depressive symptoms and whether the rejection of workers' compensation claims was associated with depressive symptoms among Korean firefighters. We conducted a nationwide survey of 6793 Korean firefighters in 2015. Based on the experience of occupational injuries and workers' compensation claims over the past year, respondents were classified into four groups: "Not injured", "Injured, not applied", "Injured, applied, but rejected" and "Injured, applied, and accepted." Depressive symptoms over the preceding week were assessed using the 11-item version of the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Compared to firefighters who did not get injured, injured firefighters had a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (PR 2.01, 95% CI 1.83, 2.22) after controlling for confounders including job assignment. Also, when we restricted the analysis to injured firefighters, a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms was observed among "Injured, applied, but rejected" (PR 1.70, 95% CI 1.11, 2.59) group, compared to "Injured, applied, and accepted" group. This finding suggests that rejection of workers' compensation claims, as well as the experience of occupational injuries, may increase the risk of depressive symptoms among Korean firefighters.

Self-Reported Shorter Than Desired Ejaculation Latency and Related Distress—Prevalence and Clinical Correlates: Results From the European Male Ageing Study

BackgroundFew data have looked at the occurrence and clinical correlates of self-reported shorter than desired ejaculation latency (rapid ejaculation, RE) and its related distress in the general population. AimTo determine the prevalence and clinical correlates of self-reported RE and RE- related distress in middle age and older European men. MethodsSubjects were recruited from population samples of men aged 40-79 years across 8 European centers. OutcomesSelf-reported RE and its related distress were derived from the European male Aging Study (EMAS) sexual function questionnaire (EMAS-SFQ). Beck's depression Inventory (BDI) was used for the quantification of depressive symptoms, the Short Form 36 health survey (SF-36) for the assessment of the quality of life, the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) for the evaluation of lower urinary tract symptoms. ResultsAbout 2,888 community dwelling men aged 40-79 years old (mean 58.9 ± 10.8 years) were included in the analysis. Among the subjects included, 889 (30.8%) self-reported RE. Among them, 211 (7.3%) claimed to be distressed (5.9% and 1.4% reported mild or moderate-severe distress, respectively). Increasing levels of RE-related distress were associated with a progressive worse sexual functioning, higher risk of ED and with couple impairment, along with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, a worse quality of life and higher IPSS score were associated with RE-related distress (all P < 0.05). The aforementioned results were confirmed even when patients using drugs possibly interfering with ejaculation or those without a stable relationship were excluded from the analysis. Clinical ImplicationsRE is a frequent condition in men from the general population; however, its related distress is relatively modest. Nonetheless, men with any degree of self-reported RE show increasing levels of depression, worse quality of life and worse couple satisfaction. Strengths & LimitationsThis is the first study estimating the prevalence of self-reported RE and its related distress, along with their biological and psychological correlates, in a population sample of European middle age and older men. However, is should be recognized that the diagnosis of RE was derived from patient reports and not supported by Intra-ejaculatory-Latency-Time (IELT) measurements. ConclusionSelf-reported RE is relatively common in European men aged more than 40 years. The reported limited RE-related distress may explain the relatively low number of medical consultations for RE. RE-related distress is associated with worse sexual function, couple impairment, and more LUTS resulting in a worse quality of life and mood disturbances.Corona G, Rastrelli G, Bartfai G, et al. Self-Reported Shorter Than Desired Ejaculation Latency and Related Distress—Prevalence and Clinical Correlates: Results From the European Male Ageing Study. J Sex Med Rev 2021;18:908–919.

Comorbidity between depressive symptoms and substance use in-patients hospitalized for non-psychiatric diseases

IntroductionEpidemiological studies have shown a high prevalence and concurrence between depression and substance use. This is known as “dual diagnosis” and is associated with a worse prognosis for patients. ObjectiveTo establish the comorbidity between depressive symptoms and substance abuse in patients admitted with acute or chronic diseases to a public hospital. MethodsA descriptive, cross-sectional study of prevalence which included 296 patients aged 18–65, to whom the PHQ-9 and ASSIST 3.0 scales were applied to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and substance abuse. Other clinical and sociodemographic variables were also taken into account. Results50.7% were women with a median age of 41 and an interquartile range of 27 years. Moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms were found in 27.4% of the patients. Alcohol was the substance with the highest consumption in the previous 3 months with 53.7%, followed by cigarettes (47.6%), marijuana (26.7%) and cocaine (14.5%). A significant association was found between severe depressive symptoms PHQ-9 ≥ 20 and problematic use of alcohol, marijuana and cocaine (ASSIST score >26); alcohol (RP 27.30, 95% CI [2.37–314.16], P = 0.01); marijuana (RP 15.00, 95% CI [3.46–64.96], P = 0.001) and cocaine (RP 10.65, 95% CI [2.23–51.10], P = 0.01). DiscussionA high prevalence of depressive symptoms and substance use was found in patients hospitalised for non-psychiatric medical conditions, which worsens the prognosis of the underlying medical condition. ConclusionsTo provide better hospital care for patients, we need to give visibility to the problem of dual pathology. This could be achieved by conducting more related research in these clinical scenarios.

Prevalence and correlates of depression among the trans-genders of Pakistan

IntroductionCensus conducted by government of Pakistan in 2017 has shown that more than 10000 trans-genders live in Pakistan. HIV, illicit substance use and mental health issues including depression are the main health problems faced by this part of coummunityObjectivesTo assess the prevalence of depression among the transgender population and analyze the relationship of socio-demographic factors with depression.MethodsThe sample population comprised of one hundred and forty two transgender people of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Beck depressive inventory II (BDI-II) was used to record the presence and severity of the depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were categorized as mild, moderate and severe. Relationship of the age, smoking, family income, illicit substance use and education was studied with the presence of depressive symptoms among these transgender population of twin cities of PakistanResultsA total of 142 transgender people were included in the final analysis. Mean age of the study participants was 39.55 ± 6.18. Out of these, 45.1% had no depressive symptoms while 31.7% had mild, 12.7% had moderate and 10.6% had severe depressive symptomatology. After applying the binary logistic regression we found that presence of depressive symptoms had significant association with illicit substance use among the target population.ConclusionsThis study showed a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among transgender population of twin cities of Pakistan. Use of illicit substances like tobacco, cannabis, opiates and alcohol should be discouraged and those using these should be routinely screened for the presence of other mental health issues in order to timely diagnose and treat them

Association between engagement in COVID-19-related work and depressive symptoms among hospital workers in a designated COVID-19 hospital in Japan: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesTo examine whether engagement in COVID-19-related work was associated with an increased prevalence of depressive symptoms among the staff members working in a designated medical institution for COVID-19 in Tokyo,...

Functional outcomes among stroke patients in Alagoas, Brazil: observational study.

Stroke is the principal cause of disability around the world and the ensuing functional dependence (FD) can be correlated with different factors. To determine how demographic factors and clinical characteristics after stroke distinguish patients who achieve functional independence from those who do not. Observational study at specialized neurovascular clinic in Alagoas, Brazil. FD was classified according to the modified Rankin scale (mRs): 0 to 2 points were classified as independent (FD-), and 3 to 5 points were classified as dependent (FD+). Logistic regression analysis included age, sedentary lifestyle, the Center for Epidemiological Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D) and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The Mann-Whitney test and χ2 test were used to compare groups. We included 190 stroke patients with a mean age of 60.02 ± 14.22 years. We found that 34.8% of the patients were classified as FD+. Lower NIHSS and CES-D scores were more associated with achieving functional independence. Most of the patients had access to physical therapy, and the mean duration of rehabilitation therapy was 65.2 minutes per week. Females had higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (P = 0.005) and rehabilitation time was shorter for hemorrhagic stroke (P = 0.02). We found a FD rate four times greater than in another Brazilian study. Lower stroke severity and fewer depressive symptoms were associated with achieving functional independence. Less than half of the patients were referred to a rehabilitation service at hospital discharge and few had access to multidisciplinary treatment.

Factors Associated with Quality of Life in Adults with Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms.

To assess demographic, clinical, and injury characteristics associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in adults with persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS). Adults with PPCS presenting to a specialized brain injury clinic completed demographic, injury, and clinical outcome questionnaires at the initial clinic assessment. Clinical outcome measures were collected including the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7), and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). HRQOL was measured using the Quality of Life after Brain Injury (QOLIBRI) questionnaire. Stepwise hierarchical multiple regression analysis adjusting for age, sex, and months since injury was used to determine associations between quality of life and clinical outcome measures. Overall, 125 participants were included. The PHQ-9, FSS, and GAD-7 were significant predictors of QOLIBRI scores (R2 = 0.481, p < .001), indicating that participants with higher levels of depressive symptoms, fatigue, and anxiety reported poorer HRQOL. The PHQ-9 score was the strongest predictor, accounting for 42.0% of the variance in QOLIBRI scores. No demographic or injury characteristics significantly predicted QOLIBRI scores. There was a high prevalence of depressive symptoms with 72.8% of participants having PHQ-9 scores ≥ 10. Among patients with PPCS, mental health and fatigue are important contributors to HRQOL. As there is a high burden of mood disorders and fatigue in this population, targeted treatments for these concerns may impact the quality of life.

The prevalence and risk factors for depressive symptoms in frontline nurses under COVID-19 pandemic based on a large cross-sectional study using the propensity score-matched method

IntroductionTo explore the prevalence of depressive symptoms and the associated risk factors in frontline nurses under COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted from February 20, 2020 to March 20, 2020 and involved 562 frontline nurses. The effective response rate was 87.68%. After propensity score matched, there were 498 participants left. Extensive characteristics, including demographics, dietary habits, life-related factors, work-related factors, and psychological factors were collected based on a self-reported questionnaire. Specific scales measured the levels of sleep quality, physical activity, depressive symptoms, perceived organization support and psychological capital. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were determined by binary paired logistic regression.ResultsOf the nurses enrolled in the study, 50.90% had depressive symptoms. Three independent risk factors were identified: poor sleep quality (OR = 1.608, 95% CI: 1.384–1.896), lower optimism of psychological capital (OR = 0.879, 95% CI: 0.805–0.960) and no visiting friend constantly (OR = 0.513, 95% CI: 0.286–0.920).ConclusionsThis study revealed a considerable high prevalence of depressive symptoms in frontline nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak, and identified three risk factors, which were poor sleep quality, lower optimism of psychological capital, and no visiting friend constantly. Protecting mental health of nurses is important for COVID-19 pandemic control and their wellbeing. These findings enrich the existing theoretical model of depression and demonstrated a critical need for additional strategies that could address the mental health in frontline nurses for policymakers.

Neighborhood farm density, types of agriculture, and depressive symptoms among older farmers: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundFarmers may have an increased risk for poor mental health. In connection with this, factors specific to the neighborhood environment such as farm density and the type of agriculture, might be important for mental wellbeing. In this study we aimed to clarify the cross-level interaction on depressive symptoms between farm density at the neighborhood level by type of agriculture and the longest occupation of individuals (farmer or non-farmer).MethodsData came from the 2016 wave of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) that were linked to governmental agricultural data. Information was analyzed from 147,549 respondents aged 65 years or older, residing in 1024 neighborhoods in 39 municipalities. We calculated farm (crop or animal husbandry) density at the neighborhood level, dividing the number of agricultural management entities by the population. Three-level (individual, neighborhood, and municipality) Poisson regression analysis was used to calculate the prevalence rate ratios of depressive symptoms.ResultsThe prevalence of depressive symptoms was higher among individuals whose longest occupation was farmer compared to non-farmer. The estimated probability of depressive symptoms by a cross-level interaction analysis showed that among farmers of both genders, those who were residing in neighborhoods where the farm density was low had a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, regardless of the type of agriculture. The slope of the relationship between depressive symptoms and animal husbandry farm density varied by occupation, with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms observed in male farmers compared to male non-farmers.ConclusionsThe high prevalence of depressive symptoms among farmers in neighborhoods with a low farm density may reflect a scarcity of formal and informal social support in such communities. The health effects of the neighborhood environment on farmers, such as farm density, which may vary by the type of agriculture, should be further researched.

Le rôle de la stigmatisation dans la symptomatologie dépressive de femmes françaises en surpoids ou en situation d’obésité

IntroductionDespite the high prevalence of depressive symptoms among women being overweight or having obesity, the role of stigma and causal attributions in the expression of these symptoms in French women has been largely under-explored to date. ObjectiveThe aim of this research is to study the role of internalized stigmatization, stigmatizing experiences and causal attribution in the intensity of depressive symptoms in overweight and obese French women. MethodThese four variables were measured in 160 French women being overweight or having obesity. ResultsOur analyses highlight positive correlations between stigmatizing experiences, internalized stigmatization and depressive symptomatology. It is important to note that stigmatizing experiences seem to play a more preponderant role than internalized stigmatization in the expression of depressive symptoms. ConclusionFor women with significant depressive symptoms, it appears essential to integrate interventions aimed at reducing their level of stigma. Moreover, from a preventive perspective, it also seems essential to promote campaigns in France aimed at reducing the stigmatization in this population.

Depressive symptoms associated with loneliness and physical activities among graduate university students in Bangladesh: findings from a cross-sectional pilot study

In low-resource settings like Bangladesh, there is a dearth of research on the mental health of university students. This pilot study aimed to identify the prevalence of depressive symptoms, loneliness, and physical activities as well as the associated factors of depressive symptoms among graduate students in a public university of Bangladesh.This cross-sectional study was carried out among 323 graduate students between February 2019 and May 2019. By the convenience sampling technique, data were collected by a pretested, structured questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the validated Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) tool with a cut-off score of ≥10 vs. less; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness scale was applied to assess loneliness, International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) scale was used to measure physical activity level.The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 52% and about 43% of participants felt most lonely. About 32.8% of students were involved in low physical activity. Being female, from lower income families, having poor academic performance, experiencing shorter sleep time, lower physical activity, and being lonely were potential risk factors for depressive symptoms among graduate university students. A positive correlation was found between loneliness and depressive symptoms of students (r = 0.367, p < 0.001).The higher prevalence of depressive symptoms among Bangladeshi graduate university students suggests the need for situation analysis, confirmatory clinical diagnosis, in-depth qualitative explorations, and large-scale surveys to explore the burden of such disorders and design appropriate low-intensity interventions like implementing student counselling service, offering mental assistance or other mental health support program in the country.

Increased Levels of Serum Glycosylated Hemoglobin are Associated with Depressive Symptoms in a Population with Cancer (≥49 Years): An Antidepressant-Stratified Analysis.

PurposePatients with cancer tend to have a high prevalence of depressive symptoms. The direct relationship between serum glycosylated hemoglobin (GHb) levels and depressive symptoms in cancer patients is still uncertain. We aimed to evaluate the association with serum GHb levels with depressive symptoms in the population (aged ≥49 years) with cancer.Patients and MethodsLongitudinal data in 204 participants with cancer obtained from The Irish LongituDinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) were used to investigate the association of serum GHb levels with depressive symptoms.ResultsOur results suggested a positive and significant association between serum GHb levels and depression score, independent of age, gender, body mass index (BMI), currently married, education, smoking status, drink alcohol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), physical activity, self-reported cardiovascular diseases and laboratory measurement in participants with cancer (coefficient =0.141, P<0.001; Model 2) at baseline (wave 1). Higher GHb levels did associate with higher prevalence of depressive symptoms in participants with cancer (OR=2.100, 95% CI 1.105–5.036, P=0.004; Model 2) after adjustment for these same confounding factors in wave 1 was made. Stratified analysis further showed that these significant associations were interfered by antidepressants. Sensitivity analysis showed that higher serum GHb levels in subjects with cancer were linked to higher prevalence of depression events during a follow-up of 4 years.ConclusionOur results found a significant association between elevated serum GHb levels and increased risk of depressive symptoms in the population aged ≥49 years with cancer after confounding factors were adjusted.

Sex-specific effects of comorbid depression on mortality and risk of cognitive decline and dementia in heart failure: an analysis of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Centre prospective cohort

A significant proportion of heart failure (HF) patients have multiple co-morbidities. Depression is prevalent in 20-40% and increases secondary event risk over 2-fold. Although females have a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, whether co-morbid depression has sex-specific effects on long-term survival and cognitive outcomes in HF remains unclear.

The prevalence of depression in patients attending Comprehensive Care Centre, Islamabad, Pakistan

Introduction: Depression is one of the most common neuropsychiatric complications of HIV disease, and this leads to worse HIV-related health outcomes. With 350 million people affected worldwide, rates of depression are roughly two times greater in people living with HIV than in the general population. Objective: Determine prevalence of depression in patients attending Comprehensive Care Centre Shifa international Hospital, Islamabad Methods: This data is from a bigger study ‘prevalence of alcohol use disorders and depression in patients attending Comprehensive Care Centre (CCC). The study population consisted of PLWHA attending the CCC. Two hundred and seventy-two (N=272) participants from CCC attendants were recruited. All consenting male and female aged 18-65 years were interviewed using the researcher’s designed questioner to collect their socio-demographic characteristics. Fully completed questionnaires were entered into excel sheets and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20. Results: The overall prevalence of depression was 23.8%, with mild depression at 9.7%, moderate depression at 10.4% and severe depression accounting for 3.7%, respectively. Depression was associated with alcohol use (p=0.024). A significant difference between depression and age where depression levels worsens as age advances; respondents in age category of 18-21 years had less or no depression compared to those in the age category of 33 years and above. We found an association between depression and employment. Those laid-off work (1/3), and the retired (15%) had more depression compared to the employed (11%) or self-employed 6%, with a P value of 0.55 (borderline). On multivariate analysis severity of depression (OR=5.5, 95% CI of OR [2.1 –14.3], p&lt;0.0001) was associated with male gender (OR=10, 95% CI of OR [3.6 –28.3], p&lt;0.0001). Conclusion: The study findings indicate a high prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients attending the CCC. There is need to set-up appropriate interventions and strategies to reduce the prevalence of mental health disorders into routine HIV clinical care and support.

Prevalence and its associated factors of depressive symptoms among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused a mental health crisis around the world. The psychological health of college students also faces great challenges. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and the related factors of depressive symptoms among Chinese college students.MethodsThis online cross-sectional survey was conducted via Wenjuanxing platform from March 3–15, 2020 and received 1681 effective questionnaires. Each questionnaire contains the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, the Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Herth Hope Index, and the self-designed items. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to determine the significantly associated factors of depressive symptoms.ResultsThe prevalence of depressive symptoms among college students was 56.8%. Sleep problems (OR 2.678, 95%CI 2.094–3.424), family members’ going out (OR 1.775, 95%CI 1.089–2.894), perceived more stress for online education (OR 1.642, 95%CI 1.191–2.263), fear of COVID-19 (OR 1.450, 95%CI 1.121–1.876), influence on social interaction (OR 1.354, 95%CI 1.053–1.741) and higher grade (OR 1.378, 95%CI 1.046–1.816) were considered as risk factors of depressive symptoms. Perceived social support (OR 0.354, 95%CI 0.259–0.484), hope (OR 0.052, 95%CI 0.034–0.080), female (OR:0.557, 95%CI 0.427–0.725) and higher monthly disposable income (OR 0.666, 95%CI 0.447–0.993) were identified as protective factors against depressive symptoms.ConclusionsThere was a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to find ways to alleviate the pressure and fear of college students, to provide them with more social support, and to help them adapt to the changes in learning style and lifestyle.

The association between home ownership and the health of older men: Cross-sectional analysis of the Australian Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project.

To investigate the association between home ownership and health in older men. Cross-sectional analysis of 909 community-dwelling Australian men (mean age: 81.3±4.6) from the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP, 2012-2013). We considered self-rated health, frailty status, multimorbidity, and anxiety and depressive symptoms which identify different dimensions of health. Most participants were owner-occupiers (89.7%). In age- and country of birth-adjusted analyses, not being an owner-occupier was associated with an increased likelihood of depressive symptoms [prevalence ratio: 1.82, 95% confidence intervals 1.17 to 2.84]. There were no associations between home ownership and other health conditions. Lack of home ownership was associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, largely explained by poorer social support. Thus, targeting mental health programs at older divorced or separated men who do not own their own home could be an appropriate community-based intervention.

Effects of social support, hope and resilience on depressive symptoms within 18\xa0months after diagnosis of prostate cancer

BackgroundThe prevalence of depression symptoms and related modifiable factors in prostate cancer (PCa) are not well evaluated. We aimed to assess the effects of perceived social support, hope and resilience on depressive symptoms within 18 months after diagnosis of PCa, and to evaluate the role of hope and resilience as mediators of that relationship.MethodA cross-sectional study was analyzed in consecutive inpatients with PCa during the months of January 2018 and August 2019. A total of 667 patients eligible for this study completed questionnaires on demographic and clinic variables, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Adult Hope Scale, and Resilience Scale (14 items). All registered patients were all volunteers and anonymous. Depressive symptoms, perceived social support, hope and resilience were measured anonymously. Out of 667 patients, a total of 564 effective respondents (< 30% missing data) became our subjects. Hierarchical linear regression was used to identify the factors associated with depressive symptoms. Asymptotic and resampling strategies were used to conduct the mediating effects of hope and resilience.ResultsThe prevalence of depressive symptoms was 65.9% in PCa patients. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that perceived social support, hope, and resilience together accounted for 27.5% variance of depressive symptoms. Support from family, hope, and resilience significantly associated with depressive symptoms, respectively. Hope (a*b = − 0.0783, BCa95% CI: − 0.134 to − 0.0319, p < 0.05), and resilience (a*b = − 0.1315, BCa95% CI: − 0.1894 to − 0.0783, p < 0.05) significantly mediated the association between perceived social support and depressive symptoms.ConclusionsThe high prevalence of depressive symptoms among PCa patients should receive more attention. Perceived social support, hope and resilience could be positive resources for combating depressive symptoms, and hope and resilience mediated the association between perceived social support and depressive symptoms. Enhancing social support, particularly the support form family, and improving patients’ outlook and resilience may be potential targets for future psychosocial interventions aimed at reducing depressive symptoms.

IMPACT of distance learning on student mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic

Education is one of the industries significantly affected by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic. Whole countries and cities were isolated, public and private institutions ceased their activities, and the country's higher educational institutions were forced to stop full-time education and switch to distance learning. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare the indicators of the mental state (depression, anxiety) of students during full-time and distance learning. The first study was carried out by us during the full-time study period (February 10-17, 2020, sample size n = 154), and the second study was conducted during the distance learning period (October 19-26, 2020, sample size n = 154). The study evaluated such indicators as satisfaction with academic performance, the severity of depressive symptoms and anxiety. The results obtained indicate that the prevalence of depressive symptoms and anxiety among students was significantly higher during the distance learning period compared to similar indicators obtained during the full-time study period. The results of this study indicate that a sudden shift from one learning regime to another was a causative factor in stressful stress, which led to a high prevalence of depressive symptoms and anxiety among undergraduate students.

Culture-related grief beliefs and social support influence depressive symptoms of Shidu parents in rural China

ABSTRACT Background: Parents who have lost their only child are known as Shidu parents in China. Losing an only child is an enormous tragedy for parents that can trigger severe depressive symptoms. Few studies have explored the influence of cultural beliefs and social support on depressive symptoms. Objective: This study aimed to explore the relationship between culture-related grief beliefs, social support and depressive symptoms among Shidu parents in rural China. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Sujiatun district of Shenyang, China. Data were collected from November 2019 to February 2020 from 228 rural Shidu parents. Questionnaires consisted of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scales (CES-D), the Culture-related Grief Beliefs of Shidu Parents Questionnaire (CBSQ), the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), and demographic and bereavement-related information. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the associations among culture-related grief beliefs, social support and depressive symptoms. Results: Of the 228 Shidu parents, 87.0% reported depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥ 16). The mean age of the participants was 62.91 years, ranging from 50 to 86. Regression analysis indicated that parents’ younger age, lower education level and debts were prominent risk factors for depressive symptoms. Perceived stigma (a subscale of CBSQ) was positively associated with depressive symptoms. Social support was negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Given the high prevalence of depressive symptoms in rural Shidu parents, there is a critical need to reduce perceived stigma and increase social support to alleviate depressive symptoms among Shidu parents in rural China.