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Objective: Depression is a common mental illness with a high prevalence rate and is a significant contributor to the global burden of diseases. Various factors are associated with depression, and its etiology is complex. Instead of focusing on single-factor effects, this study aimed to explore a combination of high-risk factor sets for depression among adult community residents. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in Shenzhen, China, from January 2021 to March 2021. A simple sampling method was used to enroll participants. A total of 1,965 adult residents completed the survey and were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Scale for Chinese (EPQ-RSC), and the Psychosocial Stress Survey for Groups (PSSG). The fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis method was used to explore the high-risk factor sets for depression among adult community residents. Results: The prevalence of depression among the surveyed adult residents in Shenzhen was 6.36%. The mean scores of PHQ-9 were higher among women and unmarried residents. The combination of low extroversion (e) and high neuroticism (N) in personality traits, along with high scores for life events (V), negative emotional responses to events (G), positive emotional responses to events (O), and positive coping styles to events (I) (denoted as e*N*V*G*O*I) constituted a high-risk factor set for depression. The overall consistency was 0.843, and the overall coverage was 0.330. Conclusion: Our study suggested that stressful life events together with personality traits including neuroticism and introversion serve as crucial factors for depression among adult community residents, regardless of the coping strategies they adopt. This study provides data for developing comprehensive interventions such as regulating neuroticism and introversion levels and reducing stressors to prevent the occurrence of depression among adult community residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the relationship between life events and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in college students, as well as the mediating effect of sleep disturbances and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). After excluding invalid questionnaires, 5,754 were retained, and the valid efficiency was 75.94%. The subjects were aged 16 to 29 years (M = 19.166; SD = 1.392), with 1,969 males (34.22%) and 3,785 females (65.78%). Life events, sleep disturbances, PLEs, and NSSI were assessed using standard scales. Data were analyzed by Pearson Correlation Analysis and bias-correction percentile Bootstrap method. The results show that (1) life events were significant positive predictors of NSSI, sleep disturbances, and PLEs; (2) sleep disturbances, PLEs, and the chain mediation between the two, were mediators between life events and NSSI. Life events are thus shown to be an important external factor influencing NSSI in university students, and this process is mediated through sleep disturbances, PLEs, and the chain between the two. Interventions for NSSI can therefore be made by improving college students’ sleep quality and reducing PLEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increased hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) have been found in clinical samples of schizophrenia, first episode psychosis and clinical risk for psychosis, but evidence of such is scarce in schizotypy. High HCC are supposed to reflect elevated chronic stress. However, HCC were not directly associated with adversity measures and stress-related phenotypes in previous research. This study tested whether HCC moderated the association between a comprehensive range of psychosocial stressors with several stress-related phenotypes in a sample of nonclinical young adults. It was expected that stressors, either distal (i.e., early- life) or recent, would be associated with subclinical features, particularly for those with elevated HCC, reflecting the effects of a potential biological sensitization to stress. Methods: The sample comprised 132 nonclinical young adults belonging to the Barcelona Longitudinal Investigation of Schizotypy Study (BLISS). Participants completed a questionnaire of childhood adversity and two complementary measures of recent life events, tapping threatening vs. more general life events. Both the frequency and subjective impact (positive vs. negative) of general life events were also assessed. Psychotic (i.e., schizotypy, suspiciousness) and non- psychotic (i.e., depression, anxiety) subclinical features as well as appraisals of perceived stress were examined. Hierarchical linear regressions and simple slope analyses were computed. Results: HCC moderated the effects of both early and recent stress on suspiciousness as well as the effects of recent life events on perceived stress, such that those with higher HCC presented increased suspiciousness and perceived stress at higher levels of stress exposure. Positive, but not negative, recent life events were associated with decreased perceived stress and depression, and these associations were moderated by low HCC, indicating a buffering effect for those with a non-impaired HPA axis. Conclusion: In line with the neural diathesis-stress model, results highlight the role of the interplay between the HPA axis and exposure to stressful experiences in exacerbating psychosis features and extend evidence to the nonclinical expression of the psychosis continuum. In addition, findings support the protective effect of positive experiences in decreasing stress appraisals and affective disturbances, which is consistent with emerging research about the relevance of positive factors in reducing the likelihood of psychopathological outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundIncreased hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) have been found in clinical samples of schizophrenia, first episode psychosis and clinical risk for psychosis, but evidence of such is scarce in schizotypy. High HCC are supposed to reflect elevated chronic stress. However, HCC were not directly associated with adversity measures and stress-related phenotypes in previous research. This study tested whether HCC moderated the association between a comprehensive range of psychosocial stressors with several stress-related phenotypes in a sample of nonclinical young adults. It was expected that stressors, either distal (i.e., early-life) or recent, would be associated with subclinical features, particularly for those with elevated HCC, reflecting the effects of a potential biological sensitization to stress.MethodsThe sample comprised 132 nonclinical young adults belonging to the Barcelona Longitudinal Investigation of Schizotypy Study (BLISS). Participants completed a questionnaire of childhood adversity and two complementary measures of recent life events, tapping threatening vs. more general life events. Both the frequency and subjective impact (positive vs. negative) of general life events were also assessed. Psychotic (i.e., schizotypy, suspiciousness) and non-psychotic (i.e., depression, anxiety) subclinical features as well as appraisals of perceived stress were examined. Hierarchical linear regressions and simple slope analyses were computed.ResultsHCC moderated the effects of both early and recent stress on suspiciousness as well as the effects of recent life events on perceived stress, such that those with higher HCC presented increased suspiciousness and perceived stress at higher levels of stress exposure. Positive, but not negative, recent life events were associated with decreased perceived stress and depression, and these associations were moderated by low HCC, indicating a buffering effect for those with a non-impaired HPA axis.ConclusionIn line with the neural diathesis-stress model, results highlight the role of the interplay between the HPA axis and exposure to stressful experiences in exacerbating psychosis features and extend evidence to the nonclinical expression of the psychosis continuum. In addition, findings support the protective effect of positive experiences in decreasing stress appraisals and affective disturbances, which is consistent with emerging research about the relevance of positive factors in reducing the likelihood of psychopathological outcomes.

Available longitudinal evidence suggests that personal growth following adversity may not be as prevalent as suggested in cross-sectional research. Firm conclusions regarding resiliency versus post-traumatic growth following adverse events are further tempered by the restricted range of outcomes assessed when examining resilience, the focus on specific adverse events or cumulative adversity scores that hinder comparisons between event types, and the relative scarcity of analyses including matched control groups. The current study addresses these gaps by leveraging longitudinal panel data comparing annual change in well-being from 2018 to 2019 for people who experienced a major life stressor relative to propensity score matched controls who did not experience such stressors over the same period. Moreover, independent comparisons are conducted across three distinct event categories: traumatic interpersonal events (Nmatched pairs = 1,030), job loss (Nmatched pairs = 1,361), and birth (Nmatched pairs = 1,225), and five self-reported well-being indicators: life satisfaction, felt belongingness, selfesteem, meaning in life, and gratitude. Results indicate that people's wellbeing (across all five indicators) remained consistent over the year in independent analyses of samples experiencing each of the three types of events, and did not differ from matched controls. These findings indicate high population levels of psychological resilience, in the sense that people did not decrease in annual well-being following various life events. These findings also fail to detect significant evidence for possible post-traumatic growth, insofar as such growth might relate to a broad range of different aspects of well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Available longitudinal evidence suggests that personal growth following adversity may not be as prevalent as suggested in cross-sectional research. Firm conclusions regarding resiliency versus post-traumatic growth following adverse events are further tempered by the restricted range of outcomes assessed when examining resilience, the focus on specific adverse events or cumulative adversity scores that hinder comparisons between event types, and the relative scarcity of analyses including matched control groups. The current study addresses these gaps by leveraging longitudinal panel data comparing annual change in well-being from 2018 to 2019 for people who experienced a major life stressor relative to propensity score matched controls who did not experience such stressors over the same period. Moreover, independent comparisons are conducted across three distinct event categories: traumatic interpersonal events (Nmatched pairs = 1,030), job loss (Nmatched pairs = 1,361), and birth (Nmatched pairs = 1,225), and five self-reported well-being indicators: life satisfaction, felt belongingness, self-esteem, meaning in life, and gratitude. Results indicate that people’s well-being (across all five indicators) remained consistent over the year in independent analyses of samples experiencing each of the three types of events, and did not differ from matched controls. These findings indicate high population levels of psychological resilience, in the sense that people did not decrease in annual well-being following various life events. These findings also fail to detect significant evidence for possible post-traumatic growth, insofar as such growth might relate to a broad range of different aspects of well-being.

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is a global public health concern. However, the association between life events (LEs) and HTN is complex. Thus, we conducted a prospective cohort study to explore this complex association. Methods: A total of 8,077 government employees without HTN were recruited through cluster sampling between 2018 and 2019 in Hunan Province, China. At baseline, information regarding sociodemographic characteristics, LEs, and behavioral factors was collected. After the 1-year follow-up, the participants were revisited to obtain the HTN diagnosis. Crude and adjusted Poisson regression models were constructed to calculate the incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Cubic regression spline models were used to visualize the trends between LEs and HTN IRRs. Interactive and subgroup analyses were also performed. Results: The 1-year HTN incidence rate among government employees in Hunan province was 4.30% (95% CI: 3.86–4.74%). LEs were associated with a higher HTN risk (IRR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.00–1.04). When calculating positive and negative LEs scores separately, only the latter was a risk factor for HTN incidence (IRR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.03–1.06); conversely, positive LEs reduced the risk (IRR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.85–0.96). Compared with patients in the lowest quartile of LEs score, those in quartiles two (IRR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.96–1.71), three (IRR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.04–1.96), and four (IRR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.26–2.37) were at progressively higher risk. In restricted spline curves, a non-linear association was noted between LEs and HTN risk. Regarding the subcategories of LEs, work-related LEs, personal LEs, and all subcategories of negative LEs were associated with an increased risk of HTN. However, among positive LEs, only the family-related cases were associated with a lower risk of HTN. Conclusion: LEs had a non-linear association with an increased risk of HTN. Negative LEs were risk factors for HTN incidence, whereas positive LEs reduced the risk of HTN. Thus, the importance of LEs should be highlighted in the development of HTN prevention strategies and initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth mindset refers to our core belief that our talents can be developed through practice, which may influence our thoughts and behaviors. Growth mindset has been studied in a variety of fields, including education, sports, and management. However, few studies have explored whether differences in individuals' growth mindsets influence college students' self-reported mental health. Using the Growth Mindset Scale, Adolescent Self-rating Life Events Checklist, and SCL-90 Scale, data was collected from 2,505 freshmen in a University in China. Findings revealed that the students within the growth mindset group scored significantly lower on "mental health issues" and "stress due to life events" than the students in the fixed mindset group. Our findings suggest that individuals with a growth mindset are less prone to mental health problems than individuals with a fixed mindset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examines changes in the economic, social, and well-being life events that women and men reported during the first 7 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyses compared monthly averages in cross-sectional national probability data from two annual waves of the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study collected between October 2018–September 2019 (N = 17,924), and October 2019–September 2020 (N = 41,653), which included the first 7 months of the pandemic (Mar–Sep 2020). Results indicated that people (particularly women) reported increased job loss in the months following an initial COVID-19 lockdown relative to the same months the year earlier. Women also experienced an increase in family troubles when restrictions eased and reported increased negative lifestyle changes that persisted throughout the first 7 months of the pandemic. The proportion of people experiencing many other life events (e.g., mental health, financial concerns) in New Zealand did not differ reliably from the pre-pandemic monthly baseline. These results highlight resilience to many potential negative life events within the first 7 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the pandemic did not affect everyone equally, and the burden of increased negative events appears more heavily borne by women. As the pandemic continues more than 18 months from initial community transmission of COVID-19, our findings provide important insight into the impact of the pandemic on potential negative life events, especially among women, that may have critical consequences for mental health, gender equality, and social well-being over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundHypertension (HTN) is a global public health concern. However, the association between life events (LEs) and HTN is complex. Thus, we conducted a prospective cohort study to explore this complex association.MethodsA total of 8,077 government employees without HTN were recruited through cluster sampling between 2018 and 2019 in Hunan Province, China. At baseline, information regarding sociodemographic characteristics, LEs, and behavioral factors was collected. After the 1-year follow-up, the participants were revisited to obtain the HTN diagnosis. Crude and adjusted Poisson regression models were constructed to calculate the incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Cubic regression spline models were used to visualize the trends between LEs and HTN IRRs. Interactive and subgroup analyses were also performed.ResultsThe 1-year HTN incidence rate among government employees in Hunan province was 4.30% (95% CI: 3.86–4.74%). LEs were associated with a higher HTN risk (IRR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.00–1.04). When calculating positive and negative LEs scores separately, only the latter was a risk factor for HTN incidence (IRR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.03–1.06); conversely, positive LEs reduced the risk (IRR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.85–0.96). Compared with patients in the lowest quartile of LEs score, those in quartiles two (IRR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.96–1.71), three (IRR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.04–1.96), and four (IRR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.26–2.37) were at progressively higher risk. In restricted spline curves, a non-linear association was noted between LEs and HTN risk. Regarding the subcategories of LEs, work-related LEs, personal LEs, and all subcategories of negative LEs were associated with an increased risk of HTN. However, among positive LEs, only the family-related cases were associated with a lower risk of HTN.ConclusionLEs had a non-linear association with an increased risk of HTN. Negative LEs were risk factors for HTN incidence, whereas positive LEs reduced the risk of HTN. Thus, the importance of LEs should be highlighted in the development of HTN prevention strategies and initiatives.

Growth mindset refers to our core belief that our talents can be developed through practice, which may influence our thoughts and behaviors. Growth mindset has been studied in a variety of fields, including education, sports, and management. However, few studies have explored whether differences in individuals’ growth mindsets influence college students’ self-reported mental health. Using the Growth Mindset Scale, Adolescent Self-rating Life Events Checklist, and SCL-90 Scale, data was collected from 2,505 freshmen in a University in China. Findings revealed that the students within the growth mindset group scored significantly lower on “mental health issues” and “stress due to life events” than the students in the fixed mindset group. Our findings suggest that individuals with a growth mindset are less prone to mental health problems than individuals with a fixed mindset.

The current study examines changes in the economic, social, and well-being life events that women and men reported during the first 7 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyses compared monthly averages in cross-sectional national probability data from two annual waves of the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study collected between October 2018–September 2019 (N = 17,924), and October 2019–September 2020 (N = 41,653), which included the first 7 months of the pandemic (Mar–Sep 2020). Results indicated that people (particularly women) reported increased job loss in the months following an initial COVID-19 lockdown relative to the same months the year earlier. Women also experienced an increase in family troubles when restrictions eased and reported increased negative lifestyle changes that persisted throughout the first 7 months of the pandemic. The proportion of people experiencing many other life events (e.g., mental health, financial concerns) in New Zealand did not differ reliably from the pre-pandemic monthly baseline. These results highlight resilience to many potential negative life events within the first 7 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the pandemic did not affect everyone equally, and the burden of increased negative events appears more heavily borne by women. As the pandemic continues more than 18 months from initial community transmission of COVID-19, our findings provide important insight into the impact of the pandemic on potential negative life events, especially among women, that may have critical consequences for mental health, gender equality, and social well-being over time.

Objective: Depression is a common mental illness with a high prevalence rate and is a significant contributor to the global burden of diseases. Various factors are associated with depression, and its etiology is complex. Instead of focusing on single-factor effects, this study aimed to explore a combination of high-risk factor sets for depression among adult community residents., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in Shenzhen, China, from January 2021 to March 2021. A simple sampling method was used to enroll participants. A total of 1,965 adult residents completed the survey and were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Scale for Chinese (EPQ-RSC), and the Psychosocial Stress Survey for Groups (PSSG). The fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis method was used to explore the high-risk factor sets for depression among adult community residents., Results: The prevalence of depression among the surveyed adult residents in Shenzhen was 6.36%. The mean scores of PHQ-9 were higher among women and unmarried residents. The combination of low extroversion (e) and high neuroticism (N) in personality traits, along with high scores for life events (V), negative emotional responses to events (G), positive emotional responses to events (O), and positive coping styles to events (I) (denoted as e * N * V * G * O * I) constituted a high-risk factor set for depression. The overall consistency was 0.843, and the overall coverage was 0.330., Conclusion: Our study suggested that stressful life events together with personality traits including neuroticism and introversion serve as crucial factors for depression among adult community residents, regardless of the coping strategies they adopt. This study provides data for developing comprehensive interventions such as regulating neuroticism and introversion levels and reducing stressors to prevent the occurrence of depression among adult community residents., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Yang, Yu, Zhang, Wei, Xie and Wang.)

Various theoretical approaches assume that identity diffusion is an influencing factor of extremism. However, there are hardly any empirical tests on this relationship. Based on a nationwide survey of 8,317 young people in Switzerland, the study analyses whether identity diffusion is associated with right-wing extremist, left-wing extremist, and Islamist extremist attitudes. In addition, the study tests whether identity diffusion mediates the influence of family and school-related variables on extremist attitudes. The results show that identity diffusion primarily increases approval of left-wing extremist and Islamist extremist attitudes. Furthermore, identity diffusion mediates to a small extent the influence of parenting on extremist attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various theoretical approaches assume that identity diffusion is an influencing factor of extremism. However, there are hardly any empirical tests on this relationship. Based on a nationwide survey of 8,317 young people in Switzerland, the study analyses whether identity diffusion is associated with right-wing extremist, left-wing extremist, and Islamist extremist attitudes. In addition, the study tests whether identity diffusion mediates the influence of family and school-related variables on extremist attitudes. The results show that identity diffusion primarily increases approval of left-wing extremist and Islamist extremist attitudes. Furthermore, identity diffusion mediates to a small extent the influence of parenting on extremist attitudes.

Sex-offenders are at risk of criminal recidivism. For the treatment to be truly effective, it must be individualized. For this purpose, an accurate assessment should focus on criminological, psychological, and psychopathological features. The present study compared sex offenders with other offenders on historical experiences (i.e., problems with violence, anti-social behaviors, problems with personal relationships, problems with substance use, traumatic experiences, and parenting style). In addition, given the association between life events and psychopathy, we explored whether the relation between life events and crime type (sexual crime vs. other types of crime) might be moderated by psychopathy traits (interpersonal and affective deficits and antisocial behavior). Eighty-eight sex offenders (76% of whom child molesters) and 102 other offenders were included. The Historical, Clinical and Risk Management - 20 item Version 3 (HCR-20V3) and Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) were administered. The scores of the HCR-20V3 Historical scale items were computed to assess life events. The scores of the PCL-R factors, F1 Interpersonal affective deficits and F2 Antisocial behavior, were recorded. The presence of a history of problems with non-intimate relationships was the only significant risk factor for sexual crime compared with other crimes. Interpersonal and affective deficits provided an increased likelihood of being sex offenders as compared with other offenders when problems with non-intimate relationships were possibly/partially or certainly present.

Personality changes throughout the life course and change is often caused by environmental influences, such as critical life events. In the present study, we investigate personality trait development in emerging adulthood as a result of experiencing two major life events: graduating from school and moving away from home. Thereby, we examined the occurrence of the two life events per se and the subjective perception of the critical life event in terms of valence. In addition, we postulate a moderation effect of the construct of mindset, which emphasizes that beliefs over the malleability of global attributes can be seen as predictors of resilience to challenges. This suggests that mindset acts as a buffer for these two distinct events. In a large longitudinal sample of 1,243 people entering adulthood, we applied latent structural equation modeling to assess mean-level changes in the Big Five, the influence of life events per se, the subjective perception of life events, and a moderating role of mindset. In line with maturity processes, results showed significant mean-level changes in all Big Five traits. While no changes in the Big Five dimensions were noted when the mere occurrence of an event is assessed, results indicated a greater increase in extraversion and diminished increase in emotional stability when we accounted for the individual's (positive/negative) perception of the critical life event. In case of extraversion, this also holds true for the moderator mindset. Our findings contribute valuable insights into the relevance of subjective appraisals to life events and the importance of underlying processes to these events.

Sex-offenders are at risk of criminal recidivism. For the treatment to be truly effective, it must be individualized. For this purpose, an accurate assessment should focus on criminological, psychological, and psychopathological features. The present study compared sex offenders with other offenders on historical experiences (i.e., problems with violence, anti-social behaviors, problems with personal relationships, problems with substance use, traumatic experiences, and parenting style). In addition, given the association between life events and psychopathy, we explored whether the relation between life events and crime type (sexual crime vs. other types of crime) might be moderated by psychopathy traits (interpersonal and affective deficits and antisocial behavior). Eighty-eight sex offenders (76% of whom child molesters) and 102 other offenders were included. The Historical, Clinical and Risk Management - 20 item Version 3 (HCR-20V3) and Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) were administered. The scores of the HCR-20V3 Historical scale items were computed to assess life events. The scores of the PCL-R factors, F1 Interpersonal affective deficits and F2 Antisocial behavior, were recorded. The presence of a history of problems with non-intimate relationships was the only significant risk factor for sexual crime compared with other crimes. Interpersonal and affective deficits provided an increased likelihood of being sex offenders as compared with other offenders when problems with non-intimate relationships were possibly/partially or certainly present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personality changes throughout the life course and change is often caused by environmental influences, such as critical life events. In the present study, we investigate personality trait development in emerging adulthood as a result of experiencing two major life events: graduating from school and moving away from home. Thereby, we examined the occurrence of the two life events per se and the subjective perception of the critical life event in terms of valence. In addition, we postulate a moderation effect of the construct of mindset, which emphasizes that beliefs over the malleability of global attributes can be seen as predictors of resilience to challenges. This suggests that mindset acts as a buffer for these two distinct events. In a large longitudinal sample of 1,243 people entering adulthood, we applied latent structural equation modeling to assess mean-level changes in the Big Five, the influence of life events per se , the subjective perception of life events, and a moderating role of mindset. In line with maturity processes, results showed significant mean-level changes in all Big Five traits. While no changes in the Big Five dimensions were noted when the mere occurrence of an event is assessed, results indicated a greater increase in extraversion and diminished increase in emotional stability when we accounted for the individual's (positive/negative) perception of the critical life event. In case of extraversion, this also holds true for the moderator mindset. Our findings contribute valuable insights into the relevance of subjective appraisals to life events and the importance of underlying processes to these events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the relationship between life events and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in college students, as well as the mediating effect of sleep disturbances and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). After excluding invalid questionnaires, 5,754 were retained, and the valid efficiency was 75.94%. The subjects were aged 16 to 29 years (M = 19.166; SD = 1.392), with 1,969 males (34.22%) and 3,785 females (65.78%). Life events, sleep disturbances, PLEs, and NSSI were assessed using standard scales. Data were analyzed by Pearson Correlation Analysis and bias-correction percentile Bootstrap method. The results show that (1) life events were significant positive predictors of NSSI, sleep disturbances, and PLEs; (2) sleep disturbances, PLEs, and the chain mediation between the two, were mediators between life events and NSSI. Life events are thus shown to be an important external factor influencing NSSI in university students, and this process is mediated through sleep disturbances, PLEs, and the chain between the two. Interventions for NSSI can therefore be made by improving college students' sleep quality and reducing PLEs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wang, Liu, Zeng, Liu, Yang, Qi, Wu and Hu.)

The differential susceptibility model and the diathesis-stress model on the interaction effect between the individuals’ traits and environmental factors will be conducive to understand in depth whether the psychophysiological traits are the risk factors of child development. However, there is no study focusing on the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. We examined whether the HPA activity serves as a physiological marker of the differential susceptibility model or the diathesis-stress model by exploring the interactive effect of life events and hair cortisol on perceived stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents. The participants were 324 students in senior high school. They reported their psychological states with questionnaires in their first semester after a 3-month adaptation period; 2 weeks later, they provided 1-cm hair segments closest to the scalp. We measured hair cortisol concentration as a biomarker of HPA activity using high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. There was a significant interaction effect of academic events and hair cortisol on adolescents’ perceived stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. We also observed a significant interaction between interpersonal events and hair cortisol on adolescents’ anxiety symptoms. Looking at the region of significance, proportion of interaction index, and proportion affected index, we found that adolescents with higher cortisol levels had a tendency to experience higher perceived stress and anxiety symptoms when they had high academic events scores, but lower perceived stress and anxiety symptoms when they had lower academic events scores. By contrast, adolescents with higher cortisol levels had a greater risk of experiencing high depressive symptoms only when they had higher academic events scores. Adolescents with higher cortisol levels also tended to have lower anxiety symptoms when they had higher interpersonal events scores, but greater anxiety symptoms when they had lower interpersonal events scores. These results suggested that HPA activity might serve as a biomarker of the differential susceptibility model for perceived stress and anxiety symptoms, while for depressive symptoms, it might serve as a marker of the diathesis-stress model.

The differential susceptibility model and the diathesis-stress model on the interaction effect between the individuals' traits and environmental factors will be conducive to understand in depth whether the psychophysiological traits are the risk factors of child development. However, there is no study focusing on the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. We examined whether the HPA activity serves as a physiological marker of the differential susceptibility model or the diathesis-stress model by exploring the interactive effect of life events and hair cortisol on perceived stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents. The participants were 324 students in senior high school. They reported their psychological states with questionnaires in their first semester after a 3-month adaptation period; 2 weeks later, they provided 1-cm hair segments closest to the scalp. We measured hair cortisol concentration as a biomarker of HPA activity using high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. There was a significant interaction effect of academic events and hair cortisol on adolescents' perceived stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. We also observed a significant interaction between interpersonal events and hair cortisol on adolescents' anxiety symptoms. Looking at the region of significance, proportion of interaction index, and proportion affected index, we found that adolescents with higher cortisol levels had a tendency to experience higher perceived stress and anxiety symptoms when they had high academic events scores, but lower perceived stress and anxiety symptoms when they had lower academic events scores. By contrast, adolescents with higher cortisol levels had a greater risk of experiencing high depressive symptoms only when they had higher academic events scores. Adolescents with higher cortisol levels also tended to have lower anxiety symptoms when they had higher interpersonal events scores, but greater anxiety symptoms when they had lower interpersonal events scores. These results suggested that HPA activity might serve as a biomarker of the differential susceptibility model for perceived stress and anxiety symptoms, while for depressive symptoms, it might serve as a marker of the diathesis-stress model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Need for Cognition (NFC) is conceptualized as an individuals’ tendency to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive activity and, thus, captures one’s cognitive engagement. It plays a well-established role in information processing in experimental or academic contexts. However, so far comparably little is known about its consequences for other than purely cognitive or academic outcomes. Indeed, NFC is positively associated with personality traits pertaining to Positive Emotionality (PE) and negatively to traits related to Negative Emotionality (NE). Moreover, evidence suggests NFC to be related to an active, problem-focused coping style. We therefore hypothesized NFC to mediate between life events and individual differences in PE and NE. In a sample of N = 202 volunteers from the general population, we observed that the number of past positive and negative life events had direct effects on PE, and NE, respectively, and that for positive life events, a mediating effect on PE via NFC was observed, with a higher number of past positive life events being related to higher NFC that in turn was related to increased PE. Thus, the present results lend support to the notion of NFC as an important factor supporting personal well-being by way of its mediating role between the number of past positive life events and positive affect.

Most behavioral decision research takes place in carefully controlled laboratory settings, and examination of relationships between performance and specific real-world decision outcomes is rare. One prior study shows that people who perform better on hypothetical decision tasks, assessed using the Adult Decision-Making Competence (A-DMC) measure, also tend to experience better real-world decision outcomes, as reported on the Decision Outcomes Inventory (DOI). The DOI score reflects avoidance of outcomes that could result from poor decisions, ranging from serious (e.g., bankruptcy) to minor (e.g., blisters from sunburn). The present analyses go beyond the initial work, which focused on the overall DOI score, by analyzing the relationships between specific decision outcomes and A-DMC performance. Most outcomes are significantly more likely among people with lower A-DMC scores, even after taking into account two variables expected to produce worse real-world decision outcomes: younger age and lower socio-economic status. We discuss the usefulness of DOI as a measure of successful real-world decision making.

Most behavioral decision research takes place in carefully controlled laboratory settings, and examination of relationships between performance and specific real-world decision outcomes is rare. One prior study shows that people who perform better on hypothetical decision tasks, assessed using the Adult Decision-Making Competence (A-DMC) measure, also tend to experience better real-world decision outcomes, as reported on the Decision Outcomes Inventory (DOI). The DOI score reflects avoidance of outcomes that could result from poor decisions, ranging from serious (e.g., bankruptcy) to minor (e.g., blisters from sunburn). The present analyses go beyond the initial work, which focused on the overall DOI score, by analyzing the relationships between specific decision outcomes and A-DMC performance. Most outcomes are significantly more likely among people with lower A-DMC scores, even after taking into account two variables expected to produce worse real-world decision outcomes: younger age and lower socio-economic status. We discuss the usefulness of DOI as a measure of successful real-world decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of self-control to a wide range of developmental outcomes prompted the current investigation of negative life events and self-control in early adolescence. In three prospective, longitudinal studies, negative life events reported by the mother (in Study 1) or child (in Studies 2 and 3) predicted rank-order decreases in self-control over time. In all studies, self-control was measured at two different time points using questionnaires completed by three separate raters, including a classroom teacher who knew the child well and two other raters (parents, caregivers, and/or the child himself/herself). Psychological distress measured in Studies 2 and 3 mediated the deleterious effects of negative life events on self-control. These findings extend prior experimental laboratory research documenting the acute effects of stress on self-control.

The importance of self-control to a wide range of developmental outcomes prompted the current investigation of negative life events and self-control in early adolescence. In three prospective, longitudinal studies, negative life events reported by the mother (in Study 1) or child (in Studies 2 and 3) predicted rank-order decreases in self-control over time. In all studies, self-control was measured at two different time points using questionnaires completed by three separate raters, including a classroom teacher who knew the child well and two other raters (parents, caregivers, and/or the child himself/herself). Psychological distress measured in Studies 2 and 3 mediated the deleterious effects of negative life events on self-control. These findings extend prior experimental laboratory research documenting the acute effects of stress on self-control.