Pornography Use and Depressive Symptoms: Examining the Role of Moral Incongruence

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel L. Perry

While studies have consistently observed an association between pornography use and depressive symptoms, data limitations have precluded understanding the nature of this relationship. Drawing on data from a representative panel study of American adults and building on insights from stress process theory, this article demonstrates that the connection between pornography use and depressive symptoms hinges on the (1) (in)congruence between Americans’ moral beliefs about pornography and their viewing practices and (2) gender. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses reveal that American men (not women) who believe viewing pornography is always immoral but watch it anyway are more likely to experience depressive symptoms compared to others who do not report this incongruence. Results also suggest the connection between viewing pornography and depressive symptoms is bidirectional, contingent on men’s moral evaluation of its use. For male porn users who morally reject it, pornography use predicts depressive symptoms at low frequencies, likely stemming from cognitive stress or dissonance. For those who do not morally reject porn, however, only viewing it at the highest frequencies is associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, which suggests reverse causation—depressed men likely view higher levels of pornography as a coping aid, especially when they do not view it as immoral.

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 721-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Ehlke ◽  
Michelle L. Kelley

This cross-sectional study examined whether depressive symptoms strengthened the relationship between different forms of sexual coercion victimization and drinking to cope motivations, which was hypothesized to influence alcohol use. Participants were 214 female undergraduates who completed an online survey. Participants who experienced any lifetime sexual coercion and reported higher depressive symptoms were the most likely to report drinking to cope motivations, which in turn were associated with alcohol use. Depressive symptoms did not strengthen the relationship between specific forms of sexual coercion, drinking to cope, and alcohol use. Increasing emotion regulation strategies among sexual coercion victims may reduce drinking.


2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 397-407
Author(s):  
Madihah Shukri ◽  
Mohd Azman Mustofai ◽  
Md Aris Safree Md Yasin ◽  
Tuan Sharipah Tuan Hadi

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine how burden and quality of life predict anxiety and depressive symptoms among caregivers of hemodialysis patients. Social support was included in the model as a proposed moderator in the above relationships. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 340 caregivers of chronic kidney patients undergoing hemodialysis. The setting was in Terengganu, Malaysia. The caregivers completed the measures of caregiving burden, quality of life, social support, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Results About 28.8% and 52.4% of caregivers showed clinically moderate levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. Furthermore, 35.9% and 3.8% of them showed clinically high levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. Analyses showed that general quality of life was a significant predictor of both anxiety and depressive symptoms. Burden and psychological domains of quality of life significantly predicted anxiety. In addition, a lack of social support was a determinant of depressive symptoms. Evidence suggested that social support moderated the burden–anxiety relationship. Specifically, caregivers with low levels of social support showed more elevated levels of anxiety symptoms when their burden was higher. Conclusion There is an urgent need for early detection to initiate prompt treatment in this population. The study provides some important insights into offering comprehensive intervention to help caregivers cope more effectively through the provision of sufficient social support to buffer the effects of caregiving burden and improve mental health.


Author(s):  
Stefanie Lange ◽  
Hermann Burr ◽  
Uwe Rose ◽  
Paul Maurice Conway

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of self-reported workplace bullying on depressive symptoms in a prospective study among a representative sample of employees from Germany. We focused specifically on the role of the perpetrator (co-workers and superiors), which was never done before in a longitudinal design. Methods We used data from a nation-wide representative panel study with a 5-year follow-up (N = 2172). Data on bullying exposure were obtained separately for different perpetrators (co-workers and superiors) and degree of severity (severe bullying, i.e., at least weekly). Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). We used logistic regression analyses to examine the effect of workplace bullying at baseline on depressive symptoms at follow-up. Results After adjusting for baseline depressive symptoms, severe bullying by co-workers significantly increased the 5-year risk of depressive symptoms (OR = 2.50). Severe bullying by superiors had a nonsignificant effect. Conclusions Workplace bullying is a risk factor for depressive symptoms among employees in Germany. The type of perpetrator seems to be an important factor to consider, as indicated by the elevated risk of depressive symptoms when bullying is perpetrated by co-workers.


Author(s):  
Unni Karin Moksnes ◽  
Geir Arild Espnes

This study investigated the associations between sex, age, socio-economic status, stress, sense of coherence (SOC), and health (mental wellbeing, depressive symptoms, self-rated health, and subjective health complaints) in Norwegian adolescents aged 13–19 years. Furthermore, the study investigated the potential protective or compensatory role from SOC on the association between stress and health. Methods: The study was based on a cross-sectional sample of 1233 adolescents. Data were analyzed with descriptive, comparative, and multiple linear regression analyses. Results: Girls reported significantly higher scores on depressive symptoms and subjective health complaints than boys. Stress was significantly and positively associated with depressive symptoms. SOC associated significantly with all outcome variables; and especially with mental wellbeing and depressive symptoms. Significant interaction effects of sex in combination with stress and SOC were found in association with depression and mental wellbeing. Associations were strongest for girls. Conclusion: The findings provided support for the significant role of SOC as a coping resource, especially in relation to adolescents’ mental health; weaker associations were found with subjective health complains and self-rated health. The findings also mainly supported a compensatory role of SOC on the association between stress and health during adolescence.


2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg Matthes ◽  
Franziska Marquart ◽  
Christian von Sikorski

AbstractWe test the role of like-minded and cross-cutting political discussion as a facilitator of online and offline political participation and examine the role of strong versus weak network ties. Most prior research on the topic has employed cross-sectional designs that may lead to spurious relationships due to the lack of controlled variables. The findings of a two-wave panel survey controlling the autoregressive effects suggest that cross-cutting talk with weak ties significantly dampens online but not offline political participation. However, no such effects were detectable for cross-cutting talk with strong ties. In addition, we found no effect of discussions involving like-minded individuals in either weak or strong network connections on online and offline forms of political engagement. Implications are discussed.


Author(s):  
Roberta Gasparro ◽  
Cristiano Scandurra ◽  
Nelson Mauro Maldonato ◽  
Pasquale Dolce ◽  
Vincenzo Bochicchio ◽  
...  

Containment measures adopted to reduce the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have produced a general perception of job insecurity. Dentists have been highly affected by such measures, as they represent an easy source of contagion. As perceived job insecurity is associated with psychological distress and Italian dentists have been highly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in terms of potential financial loss and the risk of being infected, this study aimed at assessing whether the fear of COVID-19 moderated the effect of perceived job insecurity on depressive symptoms. This cross-sectional online study has included 735 Italian dentists recruited during the lockdown and ranging in age from 27 to 70 years old (495 men and 240 women). A quantile regression model with an inference based on the median and with an interaction term between the fear of COVID-19 and perceived job insecurity has been used to estimate the hypothesized associations. The results indicated that both perceived job insecurity and fear of COVID-19 were positively associated with depressive symptoms, and that the effect of perceived job insecurity on depressive symptoms was weaker among those with a low fear of COVID-19. The findings may inform public health policies for dentists in relation to reducing the risk of developing negative mental health outcomes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 645-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Panagioti ◽  
Ioannis Angelakis ◽  
Nicholas Tarrier ◽  
Patricia Gooding

AbstractInconsistent findings have been reported by previous cross-sectional studies regarding the association between specific posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters and suicidality. To advance the understanding of the role of specific PTSD symptoms in the development of suicidality, the primary aim of this study was to investigate the predictive effects of the three specific PTSD symptom clusters on suicidal ideation prospectively. Fifty-six individuals diagnosed with PTSD completed a two-stage research design, at baseline and 13–15 months follow-up. The clinician administered PTSD scale (CAPS) was used to assess the severity of the PTSD symptom clusters and validated self-report measures were used to assess suicidal ideation, severity of depressive symptoms and perceptions of defeat entrapment. The results showed that only the hyperarousal symptom cluster significantly predicted suicidal ideation at follow-up after controlling for baseline suicidal ideation, severity of depressive symptoms and perceptions of defeat and entrapment. These findings suggest that both disorder-specific and transdiagnostic factors are implicated in the development of suicidal ideation in PTSD. Important clinical implications are discussed in terms of predicting and treating suicidality in those with PTSD.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Pang ◽  
Haiyan Dong ◽  
Lei Deng ◽  
Yi Zhang

Abstract BackgroundPatients with ovarian cancer (OC) often suffer from depressive symptoms, but there is little research on coping style such as perceived social support and resilience. The aim of the present study was to explore whether resilience plays a mediating role between perceived social support and depressive symptoms. MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed between August 2018 and March 2019. Perceived social support, resilience, and depressive symptoms were measured with the Multi‐dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale and the Connor‐Davidson Resilience Scale (CD‐RISC). Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to assess the mediating role of resilience between these variables. ResultsOf 230 consecutive patients identified, a total of 217 completed questionnaires. After controlling for covariates, perceived social support was negatively correlated with depressive symptoms (β = -0.482, p < 0.01) and explained 22.8% of the variance. In addition, after controlling for covariates and perceived social support, resilience was also negatively associated with depressive symptoms (β = -0.492, p < 0.01) and explained 18.1% of the variance. Bootstrapping test confirmed that the BCa 95% CI for resilience excludes 0 in Table 4 (BCa95% CI: -0.342, -0.143), therefore resilience partially mediated the associations of perceived social support with depressive symptoms. ConclusionsResults revealed that resilience could mediate the association between social support and depressive symptoms, and concluded that it was critical to focus on social support as well as resilience in the management strategy of OC.


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