scholarly journals Trajectories of depression and anxiety symptoms over time in the transition to university: Their co-occurrence and the role of self-critical perfectionism

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Shelby L. Levine ◽  
Nassim Tabri ◽  
Marina Milyavskaya
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Symptom Development ◽  
Transition To University ◽  
Symptom Trajectories ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Little is known about how mental health symptoms develop during the transition to university. Most anxiety and depression research fails to consider how symptom development differs over time across different individuals, and how symptom co-occurrence influences the severity of mental health problems. Students (N = 658) completed online surveys on mental health prior to starting university and every 2 months until April. To better understand mental health problems during this transitional period, latent class growth curve analyses were run to determine how anxiety and depressive symptoms co-develop over time, as well, if self-critical perfectionism was a transdiagnostic risk factor for more severe symptom trajectories in this transition. About 40% of students experienced depression and anxiety symptoms prior to entering/during the transition to university. There is substantial variation between students in terms of how they experience depression and anxiety symptoms, and research needs to take this heterogeneity into account to properly identify which students might benefit most from resources. Self-critical perfectionism was a transdiagnostic risk factor, such that students higher in this trait experienced more severe anxiety and depressive symptom trajectories during this transition. This research further implicates the importance of understanding and studying individual differences in symptom development.

scholarly journals Trajectories of depression and anxiety symptoms over time in the transition to university: Their co-occurrence and the role of self-critical perfectionism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelby L. Levine ◽  
Nassim Tabri ◽  
Marina Milyavskaya
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Symptom Development ◽  
Transition To University ◽  
Symptom Trajectories ◽  
Over Time

Little is known about how mental health symptoms develop during the transition to university. Most anxiety and depression research fail to consider how symptom development differs over time across different individuals, and how symptom co-occurrence influences the severity of mental heath problems. Students (N = 658) completed online surveys on mental health prior to starting university and every 2 months until April. To better understand mental health problems during this transitional period, latent class growth curve analyses were run to determine how anxiety and depressive symptoms co-develop over time, as well, if self-critical perfectionism was a transdiagnostic risk factor for more severe symptom trajectories in this transition. About 40% of students experienced depression and anxiety symptoms prior to entering/ during the transition to university. There is substantial variation between students in terms of how they experience depression and anxiety symptoms, and research needs to take this heterogeneity into account to properly identify which students might benefit most from resources. Self-critical perfectionism was a transdiagnostic risk factor, such that students higher in this trait experienced more severe anxiety and depressive symptom trajectories during this transition. This research further implicates the importance of understanding and studying individual differences in symptom development.

scholarly journals The effect of intolerance of uncertainty on anxiety and depression, and their symptom networks, during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack L Andrews ◽  
Meiwei Li ◽  
Savannah Minihan ◽  
Annabel Songco ◽  
Elaine Fox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
First Year ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Network Analyses ◽  
Over Time

Individuals vary in their ability to tolerate uncertainty. High intolerance of uncertainty is a known risk factor for mental health problems. In the current study we examined the degree to which intolerance of uncertainty predicted depression and anxiety symptoms and their interrelations across the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined these associations across three time points (May 2020 – April 2021) in an international sample of adults (N = 2087, Mean age = 41.13) from three countries (UK, USA, Australia) with varying degrees of COVID-19 risk. We found that individuals with high and moderate levels of intolerance of uncertainty reported reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms over time. However, symptom levels remained significantly elevated compared to individuals with low intolerance of uncertainty. Individuals with low intolerance of uncertainty had low and stable levels of depression and anxiety across the course of the study. Network analyses further revealed that the relationships between depression and anxiety symptoms became stronger over time among individuals with high intolerance of uncertainty and identified that feeling afraid showed the strongest association with intolerance of uncertainty. Our findings are consistent with previous work identifying intolerance of uncertainty as an important risk factor for mental health problems, especially in times marked by actual health, economic and social uncertainty. The results highlight the need to explore ways to foster resilience among individuals who struggle to tolerate uncertainty, as ongoing and future geopolitical, climate and health threats will likely lead to continued exposure to significant uncertainty.

scholarly journals A comparison of depression and anxiety symptom trajectories between women who had an abortion and women denied one

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 2073-2082 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Foster ◽  
J. R. Steinberg ◽  
S. C. M. Roberts ◽  
J. Neuhaus ◽  
M. A. Biggs
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Brief Symptom Inventory ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Symptom Trajectories ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Post Abortion ◽  
Over Time

BackgroundThis study prospectively assesses the mental health outcomes among women seeking abortions, by comparing women having later abortions with women denied abortions, up to 2 years post-abortion seeking.MethodWe present the first 2 years of a 5-year telephone interview study that is following 956 women who sought an abortion from 30 facilities throughout the USA. We use adjusted linear mixed-effects regression analyses to assess whether symptoms of depression and anxiety, as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory-short form and the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders Patient Health Questionnaire, differ over time among women denied an abortion due to advanced gestational age, compared with women who received abortions.ResultsBaseline predicted mean depressive symptom scores for women denied abortion (3.07) were similar to women receiving an abortion just below the gestational limit (2.86). Depressive symptoms declined over time, with no difference between groups. Initial predicted mean anxiety symptoms were higher among women denied care (2.59) than among women who had an abortion just below the gestational limit (1.91). Anxiety levels in the two groups declined and converged after 1 year.ConclusionsWomen who received an abortion had similar or lower levels of depression and anxiety than women denied an abortion. Our findings do not support the notion that abortion is a cause of mental health problems.

scholarly journals Gender differences of depression and anxiety among social media users during the COVID-19 outbreak in China:a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengsu Hou ◽  
Fengying Bi ◽  
Rong Jiao ◽  
Dan Luo ◽  
Kangxing Song
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Prevalence Of Depression

Abstract Background Studies have shown that the outbreak of infectious diseases would result in mental health problems. Females are in greater risk for psychological problems than males. The present study investigated gender differences of depression and anxiety and explored associated factors during the COVID-19 epidemic among Chinese social media users. Methods We recruited 3088 participants through social media cross China. Participants completed sociodemographic and the COVID-19 epidemic related questions, the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2), and the 2-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-2), the Chinese version of the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. We applied Chi-square test and ANOVA for data description and linear regression analysis for exploring factors associated with depression and anxiety. Results Of 3063 participants eligible for analysis, the total prevalence of depression and anxiety was 14.14 and 13.25%. Females were experiencing more severe stress and anxiety symptoms, while males showed better resilience to stress. The severity of depression symptoms would decrease with the increase of age resilience, and it would increase if being unemployed, feeling less adapted, being more stressed. The severity of anxiety symptoms would decrease with higher education and better resilience, and it would increase if being female, spending over 60 min on COVID-19 related information, less adapted, and being more stressed. Conclusion The findings show the increased prevalence of depression and anxiety in Chinese population during the COVID-19 epidemic, and females are experiencing more severe anxiety symptoms than males. As social media is the current main resource of information related to COVID-19, interventions should be implemented to help users to limit the time they spend on social media and to get key information related to the epidemic from authoritative and authentic resource to avoid infodemic and prevent mental health problems.

scholarly journals The effects of cumulative stressful educational events on the mental health of doctoral students during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasilis Sideropoulos ◽  
Emily Midouhas ◽  
Dora Kokosi ◽  
Jana Brinkert ◽  
Keri Wong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Social Trust ◽  
Coping Skills ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Depression And Anxiety

High rates of psychological distress including anxiety and depression are common in the doctoral community. With the COVID-19 pandemic taking a toll on mental health it is necessary to explore the riskand protective factors for this population. Using data from the Covid-19: Global Study of Social Trust and Mental Health, the present study examined the relationship between COVID-19-related cumulativestressful educational experiences and doctoral students’mental health problems. Moreover, it assessed therole of attentional ability and coping skills in promoting good mental health.Mental health problems were assessed using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire and the 7-itemGeneralized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire to measure depression and anxiety symptoms, respectively.We measured coping skills using a 14-item questionnaire and attentional ability using a 7-itemquestionnaire. The results of multiple linear regression analyses showed that cumulative stressful educational experiencewere related to increased depression symptoms but not anxiety symptoms in fully adjusted models.Additionally, coping skills and attentional ability were related to both depression and anxiety symptoms.Finally, no associations between mental health problems and demographic factors or other covariates werefound. The experience of multiple educational stressful events due to COVID-19 is a key risk factor for increasedmental illness in the doctoral community. This could be explained by the uncertainty that the COVID-19pandemic has caused to the students.

scholarly journals Examining the Psychosocial and Academic Factors Predicting Depression and Anxiety Symptomology Across First-Year and Later-Year University Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Eckberg ◽  
Aileen M. Pidgeon ◽  
Heidi Magyar
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
University Students ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
First Year ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
First Year University

University students across the world report higher levels of mental health problems compared to the general population. Past research has focused on investigating mental health problems among first-year university students. However, a paucity of existing research compares the prevalence of mental health problems in first-year university students to students in later year-levels. To address this gap, the current study compared the level of depression and anxiety symptomology experienced by university students (n = 198) from Australia and the United States, across first, second, third, and fourth-year levels. The results found no significant differences in the level of depression and anxiety symptomology between university students from these countries, and no significant differences in the level of depression symptoms across year-levels. However, university students in the secondyear level reported significantly higher levels of anxiety symptoms compared to first, third, and fourth-year levels. The current study assessed the role of stress appraisal, psychosocial, and coping factors as predictors of depression and anxiety symptoms across all year-levels of university students. Hierarchical multiple regressions indicated higher levels of perceived stress and lower levels of perceived social support from family significantly predicted higher levels of depression symptoms. Higher levels of perceived stress and academic avoidance coping, and lower levels of campus connectedness significantly predicted higher levels of anxiety symptoms. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Trauma, Sleep and Mental Health Problems in Low-Income Young Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1145
Author(s):  
Rachel A. Fusco ◽  
Yan Yuan ◽  
Hyunji Lee ◽  
Christina E. Newhill
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Trauma Exposure ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
The Relationship

Low-income young adults are more likely to have exposure to trauma, which increases risk for mental health problems. Although adequate sleep promotes good health, people with histories of trauma are more likely to have sleep problems. The current study explored whether poor sleep mediated the relationship between trauma exposure and mental health. A sample of 143 low-income 18–24-year-old young adults completed depression, anxiety, and trauma exposure measures and wore sleep monitors for four nights. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine both direct and indirect effects of variables. Results showed that higher trauma exposure was associated with depression and anxiety. Mean sleep hours per night was fewer than six, far below recommended guidelines for optimal health and functioning. Fewer sleep hours partially mediated the relationship between both trauma exposure and depression and anxiety, and the direct effect from trauma remained significant after adjusting for the partial mediation from sleep.

scholarly journals Parallel Process Latent Growth Modeling of the Relationships Between Social Cohesion and Mental Health in Later Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 307-307
Author(s):  
Sok An ◽  
Kyeongmo Kim ◽  
Minhong Lee
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Initial Level ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Latent Growth ◽  
Functional Disabilities ◽  
Score Range ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Previous literature suggests that social factors (e.g., social cohesion, social support) are protective predictors of mental health problems. However, there might be a reciprocal relationship between social factors and mental health and the relationship changes over time. Therefore, this study examined the longitudinal relationship between community social cohesion and mental health using a latent growth curve model with 8 waves of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS; 2011-2018), a nationally representative panel study of Medicare beneficiaries in the United States. Social cohesion measured the perceived level of mutual trust by three items (score range: 0-6) and mental health was measured by PHQ-4 (score range: 0-12). The final model including covariates (age, gender, functional disabilities) fit the data well: χ2=1036.383, p<.001; RMSEA=.037; CFI=.960; and SRMR=.070. Initial level of social cohesion was negatively associated with initial level of mental health problem (β=−.23, p< .001), suggesting that higher levels of social cohesion was associated with lower levels of mental health problems. The covariance between social cohesion slope and mental health slope was significant (β=−.16, p< .01), suggesting an increase in social cohesion was associated with a decrease in mental health problems over time. Functional disabilities significantly influenced mental health over time, while functional disabilities did not influence social cohesion consistently. This study adds to the growing literature on the ways mental health status and social connection have reciprocal relationships over time. Therefore, mental health status in later life could be decreased by improving social cohesion and connectedness with the community.

scholarly journals COVID-19 pandemic related long-term chronic stress on the prevalence of depression and anxiety in the general population

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tian Qi ◽  
Ting Hu ◽  
Qi-Qi Ge ◽  
Xiao-Na Zhou ◽  
Jia-Mei Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Population ◽  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Factors Associated

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted for more than 1 year, causing far-reaching and unprecedented changes in almost all aspects of society. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on depression and anxiety, and explore the factors associated with it. Methods A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted to assess mental health problems from February 2 to February 9, 2021 by using patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7). The insomnia severity index (ISI), demographic data and COVID-19 related variables were measured by a self-designed questionnaire. The factors associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms were identified by Pearson chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis. Results In the study that 1171 participants enrolled, the overall prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms among general people was 22.6 and 21.4% respectively in the present study. Living alone was a potential risk factor for depressive symptoms, while regular exercises was a potential protective factor. The prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms was significantly associated with the severity of insomnia symptoms and the negative feelings about pandemic. Conclusion COVID-19 pandemic- related chronic stress has brought about profound impacts on long-term mental health in the general population. The level of insomnia and a negative attitude towards the pandemic are significantly correlated with unfavorable mental health. However, we failed to found a significant association of age and gender with the mental health symptoms, although they were recognized as well-established risk factors during the outbreak by some other studies. This discrepancy may be because the acute and chronic effects of the pandemic are influenced by different factors, which reminds that more attention should be paid to the intrinsic psychological factors and physical reactions towards COVID-19.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document