The Biological Mechanism of Maternal Depression’s Negative Influences on Offspring Development: A Review

Maternal depression is a prevalent disorder among mothers: nearly 20% of women have experienced different levels of depressive symptoms during motherhood. The symptoms usually disappear by three years after their children were born, but some women experience them chronically. Maternal depression has been researched in terms of its negative influence on offspring since the 1960s. Children of chronically depressed mothers show delays in cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development. Moreover, they may even face mental health challenges themselves. How does maternal depression influence offspring? Previous studies have focused on the behaviors of mothers and found that mothers with depression interact with their children in a less engaging way. Recently, more researchers started to pay attention to the biological mechanism of this maternal depression’s negative influence. Cortisol, a hormone associated with stress, is regarded as a potential pathway of the transgenerational transmission of depression. Mothers with prenatal depression have elevated cortisol level during pregnancy, which is passed down to their children. After they are born, children of depressed mothers react to stress with more dramatic changes in cortisol level and compromised stress-coping abilities. Moreover, prenatal maternal depression also seems to shape the functional connectivity of amygdala, a brain area related to stress and emotions. For life situations like schooling, competing with peers or making significant decisions, children with decreased or abnormal stress-coping abilities will be in disadvantageous positions. Attenuated stress coping abilities brought by hormonal and neural changes may be a biological mechanism for children’s lower performance in cognitive and behavioral tasks.

Are extracurricular activities stress busters to enhance students’ well-being and academic performance? Evidence from a natural experiment

PurposeThe stress-coping model is extensively studied in the academic context. Past studies have primarily focused on different coping strategies adopted by students to overcome academic stress. However, an important question, how to equip students to cope with stress, was ignored. Drawing on stress-coping theory and the extracurricular activity (ECA) literature, the current study investigates the intervention of ECA participation on students’ coping, academic performance, and well-being in a natural setting.Design/methodology/approachThe study follows a “cross-sectional post-test only quasi-experimental design” using a natural experimental setting.FindingsThe findings indicate that participation in ECA has a significant influence on academic outcomes. Different types of ECA participation influence well-being, whereas time spent on ECA positively affects academic performance. Further, the findings also indicate that involvement in ECA moderates the relationship between academic stress and coping.Practical implicationsThe study results have practical implications for designing interventional ECA to enhance students’ academic outcomes and well-being.Originality/valueThe study indicates the effectiveness of ECA participation in dealing with academic stress and the development of constructive coping strategies. Hence, the authors advise the academic administrators to integrate ECA in the academic setting.

Mental Health Well-Being and Attitudes on Mental Health Disorders among Family Physicians during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Connection with Resilience and Healthy Lifestyle

Family physicians (FPs) are exposed to high amounts of stress, and could be susceptible to the development of mental health disorders (MHD), especially after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the current study was to assess MHD history, attitudes toward MHDs and stress‑coping strategies in FPs. An additional goal was to estimate their comprehensive well-being and investigate connections with resilience and a healthy lifestyle. A total of 483 FPs submitted their responses via online survey. MHD attitudes were assessed with the according questionnaires, while burnout levels, healthy lifestyle, resilience, job and life satisfaction were estimated with validated scales. Results have shown that 32.5% of FPs disclosed positive MHD history, while 68.7% used professional help. Resilience and healthy lifestyle levels were significantly higher in MHD negative FPs (p < 0.001), while burnout levels were lower (p < 0.001). Moreover, healthy lifestyle (β = 0.03, p < 0.001) was an independent correlate of resilience, while healthy lifestyle (β= −0.35, p < 0.001, and resilience (β= −1.82, p < 0.001) were of burnout levels. Finally, resilience (OR = 0.387, p < 0.001) and healthy lifestyle (OR = 0.970, p = 0.021) were shown as independent predictors of positive MHD history status. Strong promotion and education of FP population regarding resilience and healthy lifestyle should be utilized in practice in order to alleviate the possibility of mental health disturbances and the according consequences.

A descriptive study of welfare and mental health issues among health-related sciences undergraduate students at the Medical University of Gdansk

Purpose and methods: We surveyed a large sample of health-related sciences undergraduate students at the Medical University of Gdańsk (MUG), Poland in a pilot study to assess self-reported somatic/mental health-related issues, measure the level of burnout using Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), the presence of depressive symptoms with Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9) and assess the problematic alcohol intake (CAGE questionnaire). Additionally, stress coping mechanisms were investigated. Results: A total of 864 students participated in the survey. The mean total OLBI and PHQ-9 scores equalled 43.3 ± 2.7 and 11.3±5.8 points, respectively. The CAGE questionnaire was positive in 21.6% of students. Three most prevalent stress coping mechanisms included TV binge-watching, binge-eating and cigarette chain smoking (51.0%, 45.0% and 28.0% respectively). Conclusions: Future studies are required to confirm the obtained results, assess, and monitor trends and set-up interventions to improve the welfare of health-related science MUG students.

Correction: Rogowska et al. Changes in Stress, Coping Styles, and Life Satisfaction between the First and Second Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Cross-Lagged Study in a Sample of University Students. J. Clin. Med. 2021, 10, 4025

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]

Quality of Life After Myocardial Infarction as a Function of Temperamental Traits, Stress Coping Styles, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

The presented study aims to explore the relationship between quality of life after myocardial infarction and factors such as temperamental traits, stress coping, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Ninety-six participants, including 51 females and 45 males aged 24–85 years, who have survived ST-elevation myocardial infarction were asked to complete the Formal Characteristics of Behavior—Temperament Inventory, Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, PTSD Inventory, and Quality of Life SF-36 questionnaire. According to the obtained results, a lower level of briskness and sensory sensitivity, as well as a higher level of perseverance and endurance, correlates with a higher level of emotion-oriented coping, whereas a higher level of perseverance, endurance, and activity correlates with a higher level of avoidant-distracted coping. Moreover, a higher level of briskness and activity is correlated with a higher level of avoidant-social coping. A higher level of emotion-oriented and avoidant-distracted coping is, in turn, associated with a higher intensity of PTSD symptoms, whereas a higher level of avoidant-social coping correlates with lower intensity of PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, a higher level of avoidant-distracted coping is correlated to a better physical quality of life, whereas higher levels of endurance and activity are associated with a better emotional quality of life. Also, the more severe the PTSD symptoms, the lower quality of life in general. Contrastingly, higher sensory sensitivity and briskness correlate with better quality of life. The meaning of other temperamental traits, however, is more ambiguous. Nevertheless, the findings support the model of psychological processes in which the subsequent stages are temperament, coping, PTSD, and quality of life.