Browsing by Subject "Depressive symptoms"
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Item The benefits of expressive writing on overgeneral memory and depressive symptoms(2009-12) Maestas, Kacey Little; Rude, Stephanie SandraTwo decades of research suggest that a non-specific style of autobiographical memory retrieval–known as overgeneral memory–may be a cognitive style that increases depression vulnerability. Recent theorizing and empirical evidence suggest the mechanisms underlying overgeneral memory include rumination and avoidance. This study provided a preliminary investigation of the effectiveness of an expressive writing intervention, which has been found to reduce rumination and avoidance, in reducing overgeneral memory, with the ultimate goal of preventing future depressive symptoms among non-depressed college students. Two hundred and seven non-depressed college students completed the expressive writing intervention, in addition to a one-month and six month follow-up assessment. Participants were randomized one of three writing conditions: traditional expressive writing, specific expressive writing, or control writing. Participants in the traditional and specific expressive writing conditions were instructed to write about their deepest thoughts and feelings about an emotional event; the specific expressive writing condition contained the additional instruction that participants describe the events in a vivid and detailed manner. Participants in the control condition were instructed to write about a neutral topic (i.e., time management). All groups wrote for 20 minutes on three consecutive days. Study results showed that compared to participants in the control writing condition, participants in the traditional and specific expressive writing conditions demonstrated significantly greater autobiographical memory specificity at the six-month follow-up, but not at the one-month follow-up. Furthermore, the observed increase in autobiographical memory specificity for the expressive writing conditions could not be attributed to change in depressive symptoms over the same time interval. Results revealed that the effect of the traditional expressive writing intervention on increased autobiographical memory specificity was partially mediated by a reduction in avoidance assessed at the one-month follow-up. The hypothesis that rumination would partially mediate the effect of the expressive writing intervention on increased autobiographical memory specificity was not supported. Despite preliminary evidence that an expressive writing intervention compared to a control wiring condition is effective in increasing autobiographical memory specificity over a six-month period for initially non-depressed college students, it remains to be seen if increased autobiographical memory specificity decreases vulnerability to future depressive symptoms.Item Depressive symptoms, behavioral health risk factors, and physical illness among older Mexican Americans(2010-12) Talavera-Garza, Liza; Holahan, Charles J.; Bigler, Rebecca S.; Iscoe, Ira; Ramirez, Manuel; Warner, David C.This study utilized data from the Hispanic Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (H-EPESE) at two different time points, seven years apart, to examine the relationship between physical illness and depressive symptoms in elderly Mexican Americans. The two physical illnesses studied are coronary artery disease and type II diabetes due to their high prevalence among Mexican Americans. The relationship between physical illness and depressive symptoms is examined longitudinally and prospectively, in both directions. In addition, the relationship between depressive symptoms and three behavioral health risk factors: alcohol use, cigarette smoking, and physical inactivity, at baseline is examined. The roles of gender, acculturation, nativity, and locus of control are examined as moderators of the key relationships studied. Additionally, self-rated health at baseline is examined as a predictor of physical illness and mortality at follow-up.Item Long-term associations between childhood sexual/physical violence experience, alcohol use, depressive symptoms, and risky sexual behaviors among young adult women(2013-05) Jun, Jina; Pomeroy, Elizabeth Cheney, 1955-Current literature lacks longitudinal understandings of the association between childhood sexual/physical violence, alcohol use, depressive symptoms, and indiscriminant sexual behaviors among young women, as well as the racial/ethnic differences in these associations. Therefore, using the 1994-2008 National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study examined a) heterogeneous growth trajectories of problem alcohol use during the transition from adolescents to young adulthood and the impact of childhood sexual/physical violence on drinking trajectories, b) the long-term impact of childhood sexual/physical violence on alcohol use and depressive symptoms, and c) the structural associations between childhood sexual/physical violence and indiscriminant sexual behaviors by examining alcohol use and depressive symptoms as mediators between White and African-American women. First, with 1,702 women, LCGM was used to identify trajectories of problem alcohol use using the first three waves. Four trajectories of problem alcohol use emerged: stable abstainers; decliners (moderate-low); incliners (low-moderate); and rapid incliners (low-high). From the bivariate level analyses, in reference to stable abstainers, White women who experienced childhood sexual/physical violence were more likely to be rapid incliners (low-high). Second, with 1,756 women, autoregressive cross-lagged path models were performed to test longitudinal associations between childhood sexual/physical violence, problem alcohol use, and depressive symptoms of White and African-American women. Both groups demonstrated significant association between childhood sexual/physical violence and subsequent development of depressive symptoms, while only White women demonstrated significant association with subsequent problem alcohol use. Third, with 1,388 women, SEM and multigroup SEM were used to test pathways between childhood sexual/physical violence and indiscriminant sexual behaviors for White and African-American women. SEM indicates that problem alcohol use and depressive symptoms mediated the proposed relationship. Multigroup SEM indicates that, for White women, both problem alcohol use and depressive symptoms mediated the association between childhood sexual/physical violence and indiscriminant sexual behaviors, while only depressive symptoms mediated the proposed association for African-American women. These findings highlight the importance of designing and providing effective prevention and treatment programs for women who experienced childhood sexual/physical violence to interrupt subsequent problem alcohol use, depressive symptoms, and indiscriminant sexual behaviors.Item The multidimensional influences of positive emotions on stress, coping, resilience, wellness, and work engagement(2013-05) Gloria, Christian Tolentino, 1981-; Steinhardt, MaryAccording to Fredrickson's broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, positive emotions -- such as joy, contentment, and love -- help individuals cope with stress, maintain well-being, and flourish in life. Guided by this theory, this dissertation project conducted three studies which explored the multidimensional influences of positive emotions on stress, coping strategies, resilience, trait anxiety, depressive symptoms, and work engagement. Study 1 examined the mediating role of coping strategies on the link between positive emotions and resilience; in addition, the moderating effect of resilience on the influence of stress toward trait anxiety and depressive symptoms was tested. Study 2 investigated if one's positivity would distinguish differences in their levels of stress, trait anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Finally, Study 3 examined whether stress and positive emotions would account for the variance in work engagement, over and above what has been explained by known predictors -- specifically, work meaningfulness and supervisor support. Path analysis, interaction analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were used to test the different models within these studies. A sample of 200 postdoctoral fellows completed the survey (38% response rate). Results showed that a) coping strategies partially mediated the link between positive emotions and resilience; b) resilience moderated the effect of stress on trait anxiety and depressive symptoms; c) the different categories of positivity distinguished differences in experienced stress, trait anxiety, and depressive symptoms; d) stress and positive emotions accounted for additional variance in work engagement, above what is already explained by work meaningfulness and supervisor support; and e) positive emotions completely mediated the relationship between supervisor support and work engagement. Findings support the broaden-and-build theory's hypotheses that positive emotions enhance adaptive coping strategies and fuel resilience. The data also demonstrated that resilience protected postdocs from experiencing heightened levels of trait anxiety and depressive symptoms by diminishing their relationships with stress. One strategy to optimize health would be to increase opportunities for postdocs to experience positive emotions, which would subsequently spark the upward spiral toward improved coping, greater resilience, and reduced stress, anxiety, and depression. To promote work engagement, it is important for supervisors to not only be mindful of assigning meaningful work to their employees (or help employees find meaning in their work), but supervisors should also be a supportive leader within a positive workplace environment.Item Parental contributions to perfectionism, depressive symptoms, and perceived social support in Asian American adolescents : investigation, intervention, and evaluation(2011-08) Wan, Judith T.; Borich, Gary D.; Cawthon, Stephanie W.The purpose of the study is to examine the influence of parental contributions to perfectionism on depressive symptoms for Asian American adolescents and whether perceived parental support and/or social support may buffer/moderate the relationship. Perceived support from parents and peers may serve as protective factors from experiencing distress associated with the high pressures experienced by Asian Americans to succeed academically and be perfect in school. Asian American adolescents will fill out self-report measures for dimensions of perfectionism, depressive symptoms, and perceived parental and social support. Multiple regressions will be used to test the hypothesis of this study. Implications for the proposed study suggested the development of an intervention to help cultivate coping skills related to parent-driven stress for Asian American adolescents.Item Religious and non-religious coping, depressive symptoms, financial stress, and cigarette use among post-secondary vocational students(2011-05) King Horton, Karissa Diane; Loukas, Alexandra; Ellison, Christopher G.; Holahan, Carole; Pasch, Keryn; Steinhardt, MaryResearch suggests that depressive symptoms and financial stress are both associated with increased levels of cigarette smoking, yet not every individual who experiences depressive symptoms or financial stress smokes. The primary purpose of this study was to examine whether positive and negative religious coping moderated the influence of depressive symptoms and financial stress on current (past 30-day) cigarette smoking over and above the contributions of demographic covariates and nonreligious problem- and emotion-focused coping. Participants were drawn from a larger study comprised of a convenience sample of 1,120 post-secondary vocational/technical school students enrolled in programs such as welding, air-conditioning, and vocational nursing at two different two-year public colleges in Texas. These students are training to work in blue-collar occupations, which have higher smoking rates compared to white-collar occupations. Negative binomial regression analysis was used to test the study hypotheses. Depressive symptoms and financial stress increased the likelihood of smoking for female students, whereas financial stress decreased the likelihood of smoking for male students. Positive religious coping decreased the likelihood of smoking for females only. Consistent with religious coping theory and as expected, negative religious coping moderated the depressive symptoms-smoking relationship such that negative religious coping exacerbated the impact of depressive symptoms on cigarette smoking among females. Positive religious coping also moderated the depressive symptoms-cigarette smoking relationship for females. Contrary to expectations, positive religious coping exacerbated the likelihood of cigarette smoking among females with high levels of depressive symptoms. Negative religious coping moderated the financial stress-cigarette smoking relationship such that males who reported low financial stress and high levels of negative religious coping had the highest likelihood of smoking in the past month. For females, religious coping was associated with current cigarette use, but did not moderate the association between financial stress and smoking. Even after controlling for demographic covariates and nonreligious coping, positive and negative religious coping influenced the smoking behaviors of vocational students experiencing depressive symptoms and financial stress, and these outcomes varied by gender. Study limitations, implications, and suggestions for future directions in research are discussed.