Does Social Support Mediate the Association Between Maltreatment Experiences and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonya Negriff ◽  
Julie A. Cederbaum ◽  
Daniel S. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Adolescent Development ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Family Social Support ◽  
Path Models

The current study examined social support as a mediator between maltreatment experiences (number of victimizations, maltreatment types) and depressive symptoms in adolescence. The data came from the first two time points of a longitudinal study of the effects of maltreatment on adolescent development. The enrolled sample were 454 male and females ( n = 303 maltreated, n = 151 comparison) between 9 and 13 years ( M age = 10.82); Time 2 (T2) occurred approximately 1 year after baseline. Maltreatment data came from case records; participants reported on perceived social support and depressive symptoms. Results from path models indicated that depressive symptoms mediated the association between maltreatment experiences (i.e., physical abuse, neglect, and number of maltreatment victimizations) and family social support. There was no evidence that social support functioned as a mediator. This is the first study to find support for depressive symptoms as a mechanism linking maltreatment with decreased perceived family support. These findings point to the importance of assessing mental health and social support simultaneously to understand the functioning of youth with maltreatment histories.

scholarly journals Depressive and anxiety symptoms and COVID-19-related factors among men and women in Nigeria

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256690
Author(s):  
Olakunle Ayokunmi Oginni ◽  
Ibidunni Olapeju Oloniniyi ◽  
Olanrewaju Ibigbami ◽  
Victor Ugo ◽  
Ayomipo Amiola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Middle Income

Despite the greater adverse economic impacts in low and middle-income (LAMI) compared to high-income countries, fewer studies have investigated the associations between COVID-19-related stressor and mental health in LAMI countries. The objectives of this study were to determine the associations between COVID-19-related stressors and anxiety and depressive symptoms while controlling for known risk and protective factors and to investigate any sex differences. An online survey was carried out to assess sociodemographic, psychosocial (previous mental health conditions, sexual orientation, intimate partner violence and perceived social support) and COVID-19-related variables. Hierarchical linear regression was carried out with anxiety and depressive symptoms as separate outcomes. Of the COVID-19-related factors, testing positive for COVID-19 infection, having COVID-19 symptoms, having other medical conditions, self-isolating due to COVID-19 symptoms, worry about infection, perception of the pandemic as a threat to income and isolation during the lockdown were significantly associated with higher anxiety and depressive symptoms. Of these, worry about infection, isolation during lockdown and disruption due to the pandemic retained independent associations with both outcomes. The variance in anxiety and depressive symptoms explained by COVID-19-related factors was larger in women (11.8%) compared to men (6.1% and 0.8% respectively). COVID-19-related stressors are associated with higher anxiety and depressive symptoms, with these effects being larger in men compared to women. Enhancing social support can be an affordable strategy to mitigate this risk but this needs to be investigated using appropriate designs.

scholarly journals 717 Sleeping Well During a Pandemic: The Role of Various Forms of Social Support in Protecting Against Insomnia

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A280-A280
Author(s):  
Samantha Jankowski ◽  
Sara Cloonan ◽  
Michael Grandner ◽  
William Killgore
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Significant Others ◽  
Significant Other ◽  
Sources Of Support

Abstract Introduction Social support from friends, family, and significant loved ones is critical to sustaining mental health during crises. During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the populace has had to restrict many aspects of normal social contact. Consequently, social isolation and accompanying feelings of loneliness have spiked. There has also been a contemporaneous increase in the rates of insomnia. Considering this correlation, we investigated the potential role of various types of social/emotional support on the severity of insomnia. We hypothesized that greater social support from family, friends, and significant loved ones would all contribute to lower insomnia during the pandemic. Methods During October 2020, 1020 participants (58.2% female) completed an online survey that included the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), a measure of social support, and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), a measure of insomnia. The severity of insomnia was predicted using multiple linear regression, with the three sources of support from the MSPSS (family, friend, and significant other) entered stepwise. Results All three sources of support were significantly correlated with lower ISI scores (family, r=-.163, p= p = 1.6x10-7; friend, r=-.125, p=6.5x10-5; significant other, r=-.095, p=.002). However, when all three variables were entered into stepwise regression, only increased familial support was significantly associated with lower insomnia levels (R2 = 0.027, β =-.163, p = 1.6x10-7). In contrast, neither the support of friends nor support from significant others added any additional predictive power once family support was in the model. Conclusion While perceived social support from friends and significant others was correlated with lower insomnia, we found that ISI scores were most significantly associated with perceived family support. In fact, once family support was accounted for, other sources of support did not account for additional variance. Ongoing family support plays a critical role in mental health and wellbeing, which is clearly demonstrated in the quality of sleep. During the social distancing imposed by the pandemic, it is vital that we find creative ways to maintain familial social support. Future work may benefit by examining the association between the use of electronic technologies to sustain social support and sleep outcomes. Support (if any):

scholarly journals Depressive and anxiety symptoms and COVID-19-related factors among men and women in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olakunle Ayokunmi Oginni ◽  
Ibidunni O Oloniniyi ◽  
Olanrewaju Ibigbami ◽  
Victor Ugo ◽  
Ayomipo Amiola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Middle Income

Despite the greater adverse economic impacts in low and middle-income (LAMI) compared to high-income countries, fewer studies have investigated the associations between COVID-19-related stressor and mental health in LAMI countries. The objectives of this study were to determine the associations between COVID-19-related stressors and anxiety and depressive symptoms while controlling for known risk and protective factors and to investigate any sex differences. An online survey was carried out to assess sociodemographic, psychosocial (previous mental health conditions, sexual orientation, intimate partner violence and perceived social support) and COVID-19-related variables. Hierarchical linear regression was carried out with anxiety and depressive symptoms as separate outcomes. Of the COVID-19-related factors, testing positive for COVID-19 infection, having COVID-19 symptoms, having other medical conditions, self-isolating due to COVID-19 symptoms, worry about infection, perception of the pandemic as a threat to income and isolation during the lockdown were significantly associated with higher anxiety and depressive symptoms. Of these, worry about infection, isolation during lockdown and disruption due to the pandemic retained independent associations with both outcomes. The variance in anxiety and depressive symptoms explained by COVID-19-related factors was larger in women (6.1% and respectively) compared to men (6.1% and respectively). COVID-19-related stressors are associated with higher anxiety and depressive symptoms, with these effects being larger in men compared to women. Enhancing social support can be an affordable strategy to mitigate this risk but this needs to be investigated using appropriate designs.

scholarly journals Emerging Adults’ Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Longitudinal Study on the Importance of Social Support

2021 ◽  
pp. 216769682110399
Author(s):  
Yvonne H. M. van den Berg ◽  
William J. Burk ◽  
Antonius H. N. Cillessen ◽  
Karin Roelofs
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Best Friends ◽  
General Psychological Distress

The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate emerging adults’ mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether social support from mothers, fathers, and best friends moderated the change in mental health. Participants were 98 emerging adults (46% men) who were assessed prior to COVID-19 ( Mage = 20.60 years) and during the first lockdown ( Mage = 22.67 years). Results indicated that the pandemic did not uniformly lead to elevated levels of mental health problems, but instead depended on level of mental health problems prior to COVID-19 and the source of support. For emerging adults who already experienced more problems prior to COVID-19, more maternal support was related to decreases in general psychological distress and depressive symptoms, whereas more paternal support was related to increases in general psychological distress and depressive symptoms. Support from best friends were not associated with (changes in) mental health.

scholarly journals Associations of exercise and social support with mental health during quarantine and social-distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey in Germany

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonie Louisa Bauer ◽  
Britta Seiffer ◽  
Clara Deinhart ◽  
Beatrice Atrott ◽  
Gorden Sudeck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
German Population ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sleeping Disorder

AbstractIntroductionSocial distancing and quarantine measures applied during the COVID-19 pandemic might result in mental health problems. In this cross-sectional study we examined if perceived social support, exercise in minutes per week and change in exercise are protective factors regarding symptoms of depression, anxiety, and sleeping disorders.MethodIn April 2020, n = 4271 German adults completed an online survey including mental health questionnaires regarding depression (PHQ-D), anxiety (PHQ-D) and sleep (PSQI), as well as questionnaires related to protective factors such as exercise (BSA-F), physical activity-related health competence (PAHCO) and social support (F-SozU).ResultsComplete case analysis (n = 3700; mean age 33.13 ± 11.73 years, 78.6 % females) resulted in elevated prevalence of depressive disorder (31.4%), panic disorder (5.7%) and other anxiety disorders (7.4%). 58.3% reported symptoms of insomnia. Three separate models of multiple regression were conducted. Perceived social support was associated with lower values of anxiety (beta = −0.10; t(19) = −6.46; p >0.001), lower values of depressive symptoms (beta = −0.22; t(19) = −15.71; p < .001) and lower values of sleeping disorder symptoms (beta = −0.15; t(19) = −9.55; p < .001). Change towards less exercise compared to the time before Covid-19 was associated with and higher values of anxiety (beta = −0.05; t(19) = −2.85; p= .004), higher values of depressive symptoms (beta = −0.08; t(19) = - 5.69; p < .001), and higher values of sleeping disorder symptoms (beta = −0.07; t(19) = −4.54; p < .000). Post-hoc analysis (ANOVAs) revealed that a change towards less exercise was significantly associated with more depressive, anxiety and sleeping disorder symptoms whereas a positive change was not. No significant association was found for exercise in minutes per week for all outcomes.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic seems to have a negative impact on mental health in the German population. Social Support and a stable amount of exercise might attenuate these negative mental health consequences. Ongoing monitoring of the impact of the pandemic on mental health and possible protective factors is needed in order to create a basis for the development of appropriate prevention and intervention measures.

scholarly journals The Moderating Role of Perceived Social Support on the Relationship between Physical Functional Impairment and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Nursing Home Elderly in Hong Kong

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 1017-1026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Y. C. L. Kwok ◽  
Dannii Y. L. Yeung ◽  
Annie Chung
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Functional Impairment ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Education Level ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role

With reference to the stress-buffering model, this study aimed to examine the moderating role of perceived social support (including institutional peer support and family support) on the relationship between physical functional impairment, as a source of stress, and depressive symptoms among Chinese nursing home elderly in Hong Kong. The study used a cross-sectional survey method and convenience sampling. The subjects were recruited from two private nursing homes. A total of 187 elderly (54 males and 133 females) participated in the survey. Interviews were conducted by experienced research assistants. The Geriatric Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptoms of each participant. Pearson correlational analyses showed that females reported more depressive symptoms than their male counterparts, and a positive relationship was found between education level and depressive symptoms. Perceived institutional peer support was negatively correlated, while physical functional impairment was positively correlated with depressive symptoms. However, there was no significant correlation between perceived family support and depressive symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that physical functional impairment and perceived institutional peer support were significant predictors of elderly depressive symptoms, while perceived family support was not a significant predictor, after statistically controlling for the influence of gender and education level. Perceived institutional peer support, but not perceived family support, was found to moderate the negative impact of physical functional impairment on elderly depressive symptoms. The theoretical and practical implications of this study were then discussed.

scholarly journals Perceived Social Support and Mental Health After Suicide Loss

Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Oexle ◽  
Lindsay Sheehan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Caucasian Women ◽  
Linear Regression Modeling

Abstract. Background: Despite great need, social support is limited after suicide loss, which could contribute to worse mental health outcomes including increased suicidality among suicide loss survivors. Aims: To examine the associations between perceived social support, grief difficulties, depressive symptoms, suicidality, and personal growth among 195 suicide loss survivors. Method: The associations between perceived social support, grief difficulties, depressive symptoms, suicidality, and personal growth were tested using linear regression modeling. Results: In controlled models, more perceived social support was significantly associated with decreased grief difficulties, depressive symptoms, and suicidality, as well as with increased personal growth. Limitations: Participants were mostly Caucasian women who participated in a cross-sectional online survey. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that programs to increase social support after suicide loss may be an important aspect of suicide postvention.

scholarly journals Preventing postnatal depression: a causal mediation analysis of a 20-year preconception cohort

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1827) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Spry ◽  
Margarita Moreno-Betancur ◽  
Melissa Middleton ◽  
Louise M. Howard ◽  
Stephanie J. Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Postnatal Depression ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Antenatal Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Causal Mediation Analysis

Postnatal depression (PND) is common and predicts a range of adverse maternal and offspring outcomes. PND rates are highest among women with persistent mental health problems before pregnancy, and antenatal healthcare provides ideal opportunity to intervene. We examined antenatal perceived social support as a potential intervention target in preventing PND symptoms among women with prior mental health problems. A total of 398 Australian women (600 pregnancies) were assessed repeatedly for mental health problems before pregnancy (ages 14–29 years, 1992–2006), and again during pregnancy, two months postpartum and one year postpartum (2006–2014). Causal mediation analysis found that intervention on perceived antenatal social support has the potential to reduce rates of PND symptoms by up to 3% (from 15 to 12%) in women with persistent preconception symptoms. Supplementary analyses found that the role of low antenatal social support was independent of concurrent antenatal depressive symptoms. Combined, these two factors mediated up to more than half of the association between preconception mental health problems and PND symptoms. Trialling dual interventions on antenatal depressive symptoms and perceived social support represents one promising strategy to prevent PND in women with persistent preconception symptoms. Interventions promoting mental health before pregnancy may yield an even greater reduction in PND symptoms by disrupting a developmental cascade of risks via these and other pathways. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Multidisciplinary perspectives on social support and maternal–child health’.

scholarly journals Spry_Preventing postpartum depression_Preprint

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Spry ◽  
Margarita Moreno-Betancur ◽  
Louise Howard ◽  
Stephanie Brown ◽  
Christopher Greenwood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Antenatal Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Causal Mediation Analysis

Postnatal depression (PND) is common and predicts a range of adverse maternal and offspring outcomes. PND rates are highest amongst women with persistent mental health problems before pregnancy, and antenatal healthcare provides ideal opportunity to intervene. We examined antenatal perceived social support as a potential intervention target in preventing PND symptoms among women with prior mental health problems. A total of 398 Australian women (600 pregnancies) were assessed repeatedly for mental health problems before pregnancy (ages 14-29 years, 1992-2006), and again during pregnancy, 2 months postpartum, and 1 year postpartum (2006-2014). Causal mediation analysis found that intervention on perceived antenatal social support has the potential to reduce rates of PND symptoms by up to 3% (from 15% to 12%) in women with persistent preconception symptoms. Supplementary analyses found that the role of low antenatal social support was independent of concurrent antenatal depressive symptoms. Combined, these two factors mediated up to more than half of the association between preconception mental health problems and PND symptoms. Trialing dual interventions on antenatal depressive symptoms and perceived social support represents one promising strategy to prevent PND in women with persistent preconception symptoms. Interventions promoting mental health before parenthood may yield greater reduction in PND symptoms by disrupting a developmental cascade of risks via these and other pathways.

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