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Introduction: Helping others within and beyond the family has been related to living a healthy and long life. Compassion is a prosocial personality trait characterized by concern for another person who is suffering and the motivation to help. The current study examines whether epigenetic aging is a potential biological mechanism that explains the link between prosociality and longevity. Methods: We used data from the Young Finns Study that follows six birth-cohorts from age 3–18 to 19–49. Trait-like compassion for others was measured with the Temperament and Character Inventory in the years 1997 and 2001. Epigenetic age acceleration and telomere length were measured with five DNA methylation (DNAm) indicators (DNAmAgeHorvath, IEAA_Hannum, EEAA_Hannum, DNAmPhenoAge, and DNAmTL) based on blood drawn in 2011. We controlled for sex, socioeconomic status in childhood and adulthood, and body-mass index. Results and discussion: An association between higher compassion in 1997 and a less accelerated DNAmPhenoAge, which builds on previous work on phenotypic aging, approached statistical significance in a sex-adjusted model (n = 1,030; b = −0.34; p = 0.050). Compassion in 1997 predicted less accelerated epigenetic aging over and above the control variables (n = 843; b = −0.47; p = 0.016). There was no relationship between compassion in 2001 (n = 1108/910) and any of the other four studied epigenetic aging indicators. High compassion for others might indeed influence whether an individual’s biological age is lower than their chronological age. The conducted robustness checks partially support this conclusion, yet cannot rule out that there might be a broader prosocial trait behind the findings. The observed associations are interesting but should be interpreted as weak requiring replication.

Tiivistelmä Myötätunto tarkoittaa toisen ihmisen kärsimyksen havaitsemista ja sen synnyttämää halua lievittää toisen kärsimystä. Itsemyötätunto on nimensä mukaisesti myötätuntoa itseä kohtaan. Myötätunto itseä ja potilaita kohtaan kuuluvat suomalaisiin valmistuvan lääkärin osaamistavoitteisiin. Vahva itsemyötätunto on lääkäreillä ja lääketieteen opiskelijoilla liittynyt vähäisempään työuupumukseen ja suurempaan työhön tai opintoihin sitoutumiseen. Myötätuntouupumus on lääkärien keskuudessa yleistä.

The current pilot study examines the effects of a mindfulness intervention versus relaxation-based active control on psychophysiological reactivity measured by heart rate (HR), high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), skin conductance level (SCL), and number of skin conductance responses (SCR) in adolescents. A total of 110 students, ages 12 and 15, participated from four schools. The conditions of a 9-week mindfulness intervention or a relaxation-based active control were randomly assigned to schools. At the baseline (preintervention), participants completed a test protocol with three different tasks: an arithmetic task, a minimal stress task, and a social stress-inducing speech task, divided into argue, oppose, and comment subtasks. The test protocol was repeated postintervention at 9 weeks and followed up at 26 weeks. For the speech task (oppose), the number of SCRs increased in the control group during both (9-week and 26-week) follow-ups, but stayed at the same level in the intervention group (i.e., the stress response in the control group increased). Additionally, HR and SCL reactivity were close to significance, demonstrating an increase in the control group and increased stress. There were no significant differences in HR, HF-HRV, and SCL between the intervention and control groups. The results of this pilot study suggest that in a highly stressful social situation, mindfulness, compared to the active control, might have a subtle effect in lowering sympathetically driven physiological stress reactivity. Other measures show either no effects or tentative findings that should be addressed in future studies with larger samples.

We investigated (a) whether psychosocial factors (experienced stress, anticipatory worry, social detachment, sleeping disturbances, alcohol use) predict the course of paranoid ideation between the ages of 24 to 50 years and (b) whether the predictive relationships are more likely to proceed from the psychosocial factors to paranoid ideation, or vice versa. The participants (N = 1534–1553) came from the population-based Young Finns study. Paranoid ideation and psychosocial factors were assessed by reliable self-report questionnaires in 2001, 2007, and 2011/2012. The data were analyzed using growth curve and structural equation models. High experienced stress, anticipatory worry, social detachment, frequent sleeping disturbances, and frequent alcohol use predicted more paranoid ideation. More risk factors predicted increasing paranoid ideation. There were bidirectional predictive relationships of paranoid ideation with experienced stress, anticipatory worry, social detachment, and sleeping disturbances. The link between alcohol use and paranoid ideation was only correlative. In conclusion, paranoid ideation increases by reciprocal interactions with stress, worry, social detachment, and sleeping disturbances. The findings support the threat–anticipation model of paranoid ideation, providing important implications for treatment of paranoia.

We investigated whether temperament modifies an association between polygenic intelligence potential and cognitive test performance in midlife. The participants (n = 1647, born between 1962 and 1977) were derived from the Young Finns Study. Temperament was assessed with Temperament and Character Inventory over a 15-year follow-up (1997, 2001, 2007, 2012). Polygenic intelligence potential was assessed with a polygenic score for intelligence. Cognitive performance (visual memory, reaction time, sustained attention, spatial working memory) was assessed with CANTAB in midlife. The PGSI was significantly associated with the overall cognitive performance and performance in visual memory, sustained attention and working memory tests but not reaction time test. Temperament did not correlate with polygenic score for intelligence and did not modify an association between the polygenic score and cognitive performance, either. High persistence was associated with higher visual memory (B = 0.092; FDR-adj. p = 0.007) and low harm avoidance with higher overall cognitive performance, specifically better reaction time (B = −0.102; FDR-adj; p = 0.007). The subscales of harm avoidance had different associations with cognitive performance: higher “anticipatory worry,” higher “fatigability,” and lower “shyness with strangers” were associated with lower cognitive performance, while the role of “fear of uncertainty” was subtest-related. In conclusion, temperament does not help or hinder one from realizing their genetic potential for intelligence. The overall modest relationships between temperament and cognitive performance advise caution if utilizing temperament-related information e.g. in working-life recruitments. Cognitive abilities may be influenced by temperament variables, such as the drive for achievement and anxiety about test performance, but they involve distinct systems of learning and memory.

The genetic basis for the emergence of creativity in modern humans remains a mystery despite sequencing the genomes of chimpanzees and Neanderthals, our closest hominid relatives. Data-driven methods allowed us to uncover networks of genes distinguishing the three major systems of modern human personality and adaptability: emotional reactivity, self-control, and self-awareness. Now we have identified which of these genes are present in chimpanzees and Neanderthals. We replicated our findings in separate analyses of three high-coverage genomes of Neanderthals. We found that Neanderthals had nearly the same genes for emotional reactivity as chimpanzees, and they were intermediate between modern humans and chimpanzees in their numbers of genes for both self-control and self-awareness. 95% of the 267 genes we found only in modern humans were not protein-coding, including many long-non-coding RNAs in the self-awareness network. These genes may have arisen by positive selection for the characteristics of human well-being and behavioral modernity, including creativity, prosocial behavior, and healthy longevity. The genes that cluster in association with those found only in modern humans are over-expressed in brain regions involved in human self-awareness and creativity, including late-myelinating and phylogenetically recent regions of neocortex for autobiographical memory in frontal, parietal, and temporal regions, as well as related components of cortico-thalamo-ponto-cerebellar-cortical and cortico-striato-cortical loops. We conclude that modern humans have more than 200 unique non-protein-coding genes regulating co-expression of many more protein-coding genes in coordinated networks that underlie their capacities for self-awareness, creativity, prosocial behavior, and healthy longevity, which are not found in chimpanzees or Neanderthals.

The aim of the current study was to examine the associations of dispositional optimism and pessimism with cognitive abilities in adulthood. We performed two studies with data sets from the prospective Northern Finland Birth Cohort Studies: 26-year-olds (N = 383) and 46-year-olds (N = 5042). In both samples, dispositional optimism and pessimism were measured with Carver and Scheier’s Life Orientation Test -Revised. In the data of 26-year-olds, the cognitive abilities assessed were reasoning, vocabulary, verbal fluency, fine-motor skills, selective attention, impulse control, and memory, while in 46-year-olds, memory was assessed. The analyses were carried out using multiple linear regression, and the associations were adjusted for gender, educational level, mother’s educational level, and depression. Our results indicated that (I.) higher dispositional optimism and lower pessimism were associated with higher reasoning skills in young adults, and (II.) higher pessimism was related to lower scores on memory test in middle-aged adults. The findings provide a closer look on how dispositional optimism and pessimism are associated with the core cognitive abilities in adults.

Introduction: There is accumulating evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in alleviating depressive symptoms. A crucial question is, however, whether mindfulness interventions are more effective for some individuals than others, depending on individual characteristics before a mindfulness intervention. We exploratorily investigated whether the effectiveness of school-based mindfulness intervention against depressive symptoms is modified by executive functions, rumination, and emotion regulation among adolescents. Methods: The longitudinal data included adolescents with at least mild depressive symptoms at the baseline (n = 369, at the 6th–8th grade, 68.4% female) who were randomized into a 9-week school-based mindfulness intervention group, into an active control group receiving relaxation program, or into an inactive control group. Adolescents’ executive functions, rumination, and emotion regulation (i.e., acceptance, catastrophizing, and positive reappraisal) were assessed at the baseline; and depressive symptoms at three time points (at the baseline and at 9-week and 6-month follow-ups). Results and conclusions: In adolescents with at least mild depressive symptoms at the baseline, high catastrophizing, high acceptance, and low executive functions were found to increase the effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention against depressive symptoms. There seemed to be some sex differences. Thus, when aiming to alleviate depressive symptoms, mindfulness-based intervention may possibly be more effective for adolescents with high catastrophizing, high acceptance, and low executive functioning (than for adolescents with the opposite dispositions). However, as this study was exploratory by nature and corrections for multiple testing were not used, the findings must be regarded as preliminary and need confirmation in further studies.

Objective: To examine the role of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SED) for work engagement. Methods: We used data from Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 Study (n = 3046 to 4356) to analyze self-reported weekly leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), daily leisure-time sitting time (LTST) and work engagement. PA and SED 24-hour were also measured with accelerometer for 14 days. The data were analyzed using linear regression analyses. Results: High self-reported LTPA and sports participation were associated with higher work engagement and its subdimensions. High self-reported ST was associated with lower work engagement, vigor, and absorption. Accelerometer-measured light PA was associated with higher work engagement and vigor, and accelerometer-measured steps were linked to higher vigor. Accelerometer-measured SED was associated with lower work engagement, vigor, and dedication. Conclusions: Self-reported and accelerometer-measured PA and SED may play a role in people’s work engagement.

The development of compassion for others might be influenced by the social experiences made during childhood and has a genetic component. No research has yet investigated whether the parent–child relationship quality interacts with genetic variation in the oxytocin and dopamine systems in predicting compassion over the life span. In the prospective Young Finns Study (N = 2099, 43.9% men), we examined the interaction between mother-reported emotional warmth and intolerance toward their child assessed in 1980 (age of participants, 3–18 years) and two established genetic risk scores for oxytocin levels and dopamine signaling activity. Dispositional compassion for others was measured with the Temperament and Character Inventory 1997, 2001, and 2012 (age of participants, 20–50 years). We found a gene–environment interaction (p = 0.031) that remained marginally significant after adjustment for multiple testing. In line with the differential susceptibility hypothesis, only participants who carry alleles associated with low dopamine signaling activity had higher levels of compassion when growing up with emotionally warm parents, whereas they had lower levels of compassion when their parents were emotionally cold. Children’s genetic variability in the dopamine system might result in plasticity to early environmental influences that have a long-lasting effect on the development of compassion. However, our findings need replication.

We investigated (i) the predictive relationships of compassion with negative emotionality (a marker of susceptibility to stress) and vital exhaustion (a marker of chronic stress response) and (ii) the effect of compassion on the developmental courses of negative emotionality and vital exhaustion over a follow-up from early adulthood to middle age. We used the prospective Young Finns data (n = 1031–1495, aged 20–50). Compassion was evaluated in 1997, 2001, and 2012; and vital exhaustion and negative emotionality in 2001, 2007, and 2012. The predictive paths from compassion to vital exhaustion and negative emotionality were stronger than vice versa: high compassion predicted lower vital exhaustion and lower negative emotionality. The effect of high compassion on lower vital exhaustion and lower negative emotionality was evident from early adulthood to middle age. Overall, high compassion appears to protect against dimensions of stress from early adulthood to middle age, whereas this study found no evidence that dimensions of stress could reduce disposition to feel compassion for others’ distress over a long-term follow-up.

Background: We define compassion as an enduring disposition that centers upon empathetic concern for another person’s suffering and the motivation to act to alleviate it. The contribution of specific candidate genes to the development of dispositional compassion for others is currently unknown. We examine candidate genes in the oxytocin and dopamine signaling pathways. Methods: In a 32-year follow-up of the Young Finns Study (N = 2,130, 44.0% men), we examined with multiple indicators latent growth curve modeling the molecular genetic underpinnings of dispositional compassion for others across the life span. We selected five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) whose functions are known in humans: rs2268498 (OXTR), rs3796863 (CD38) (related to lower oxytocin levels), rs1800497 (ANKK1/DRD2), rs4680 (COMT), and rs1611115 (DBH) (related to higher dopamine levels). Compassion was measured with Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory on three repeated observations spanning 15 years (1997–2012). Differences between gender were tested. Results: We did not find an effect of the five SNPs in oxytocin and dopamine pathway genes on the initial levels of dispositional compassion for others. Individuals who carry one or two copies of the T-allele of DBH rs1611115, however, tend to increase faster in compassion over time than those homozygotes for the C-allele, b = 0.063 (SE = 0.027; p = 0.018). This effect was largely driven by male participants, 0.206 (SE = 0.046; p < 0.001), and was not significant in female participants when analyzed separately. Conclusions: Men who are known to have, on average, lower compassion than women seem to reduce this difference over time if they carry the T-allele of DBH rs1611115. The direction of the association indicates that dopamine signaling activity rather than overall dopamine levels might drive the development of compassion.

The objective of this study was to investigate (i) whether childhood family SES predicts offspring’s compassion between ages 20–50 years and (ii) whether adulthood SES predicts compassion or vice versa. We used the prospective population-based Young Finns data (N = 637–2300). Childhood family SES was evaluated in 1980; participants’ adulthood SES in 2001 and 2011; and compassion for others in 1997, 2001, and 2012. Compassion for others was evaluated with the Compassion scale of the Temperament and Character Inventory. The results showed that high childhood family SES (a composite score of educational level, occupational status, unemployment status, and level of income) predicted offspring’s higher compassion between ages 30–40 years but not in early adulthood or middle age. These results were obtained independently of a variety of potential confounders (disruptive behavior in childhood; parental mental disorder; frequency of parental alcohol use and alcohol intoxication). Moreover, high compassion for others in adulthood (a composite score of educational level, occupational status, and unemployment status) predicted higher adulthood SES later in their life (after a 10-year follow-up), but not vice versa. In conclusion, favorable socioeconomic environment in childhood appears to have a positive effect on offspring’s compassion in their middle adulthood. This effect may attenuate by middle age. High compassion for others seems to promote the achievement of higher SES in adulthood.

Previously, schizophrenia is found to be related to the variability of the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal in the white matter. However, evidence about the relationship between genetic vulnerabilities and physiological fluctuation in the brain is lacking. We investigated whether familial risk for psychosis (FR) and polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (PRS) are linked with physiological fluctuation in fMRI data. We used data from the Oulu Brain and Mind study (n = 140−149, aged 20−24 years) that is a substudy of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. The participants underwent a resting-state fMRI scan. Coefficient of variation (CV) of blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal (CVBOLD) was used as a proxy of physiological fluctuation in the brain. Familial risk was defined to be present if at least one parent had been diagnosed with psychosis previously. PRS was computed based on the results of the prior GWAS by the Schizophrenia Working Group. FR or PRS were not associated with CVBOLD in cerebrospinal fluid, white matter, or grey matter. The findings did not provide evidence for the previous suggestions that genetic vulnerabilities for schizophrenia become apparent in alterations of the variation of the BOLD signal in the brain.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate (i) whether somatic complaints predict the developmental course of compassion in adulthood, and (ii) whether this association depends on alexithymic features. Methods: The participants came from the population-based Young Finns study (N = 471–1037). Somatic complaints (headache, stomachache, chest pain, backache, fatigue, exhaustion, dizziness, heartburn, heartbeat, and tension) were evaluated with a self-rating questionnaire in 1986 when participants were aged between 18 and 24 years. Compassion was assessed with the Compassion Scale of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in 1997, 2001, and 2012. The data were analyzed using growth curve models. Results: We obtained a significant compassion-age interaction (B = −0.137, p = 0.02) and a compassion-age squared interaction (B = 0.007, p = 0.006), when predicting the course of somatic complaints. Specifically, in participants without frequent somatic complaints, compassion steadily increased with age in adulthood. In participants with frequent somatic complaints, however, compassion remained at a lower level until the age of 40 years, then started to increase, and achieved the normal level of compassion approximately at the age of 50 years. The association between somatic complaints and compassion over age was found to be independent of alexithymic features. The analyses were adjusted for a variety of covariates (age, gender, use of health care in childhood, depression in childhood, parental socioeconomic factors, parental care-giving practices, stressful life events, parental alcohol intoxication, and participants’ socioeconomic factors in adulthood). Conclusions: Frequent somatic complaints may predict delayed development of compassion in adulthood. This association was found to be independent of alexithymic features.

Background: Physiological brain pulsations have been shown to play a critical role in maintaining interstitial homeostasis in the glymphatic brain clearance mechanism. We investigated whether psychotic symptomatology is related to the physiological variation of the human brain using fMRI. Methods: The participants (N = 277) were from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986. Psychotic symptoms were evaluated with the Positive Symptoms Scale of the Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes (SIPS). We used the coefficient of variation of BOLD signal (CVBOLD) as a proxy for physiological brain pulsatility. The CVBOLD-analyses were controlled for motion, age, sex, and educational level. The results were also compared with fMRI and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) meta-analyses of schizophrenia patients (data from the Brainmap database). Results: At the global level, participants with psychotic-like symptoms had higher CVBOLD in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and white matter (WM), when compared to participants with no psychotic symptoms. Voxel-wise analyses revealed that CVBOLD was increased, especially in periventricular white matter, basal ganglia, cerebellum and parts of the cortical structures. Those brain regions, which included alterations of physiological fluctuation in symptomatic psychosis risk, overlapped <6% with the regions that were found to be affected in the meta-analyses of previous fMRI and VBM studies in schizophrenia patients. Motion did not vary as a function of SIPS. Conclusions: Psychotic-like symptoms were associated with elevated CVBOLD in a variety of brain regions. The CVBOLD findings may produce new information about cerebral physiological fluctuations that have been out of reach in previous fMRI and VBM studies.

Executive functions (EFs) are essential for student’s learning and classroom functioning. The current cluster randomized controlled trial examines the effects of mindfulness intervention vs. active control program (i.e., relaxation) focusing on the main EFs (i.e., working memory, response inhibition, cognitive processing, cognitive flexibility and verbal fluency). A total of 131 students from 6th grade and 8th grade (median age 12 and 15) from four comprehensive schools participated. The schools were to equal shares randomized to intervention and active control groups, i.e., groups who underwent a 9-week mindfulness practice or relaxation program, respectively. Participants completed a cognitive test-package at baseline/pre-intervention, post-intervention at 9 weeks and follow-up at 6 months. Both intervention and active relaxation-based control groups improved on a majority of EF measures at both 9 weeks and 6 months. There was no significant difference between the mindfulness intervention group and the active control program in EFs. The current study suggests that mindfulness intervention and active control program do not differ in their effects to EFs, although both may have positive outcomes. Further research with both active and inactive control groups is needed to map the potential benefits of similar programs for cognitive functioning.

Introduction: Evidence has remained scarce whether teaching practices might be linked to students’ educational equality. This study investigated (i) whether student-oriented teaching practices are associated with students’ learning outcomes in mathematics, and (ii) whether student-oriented teaching might increase equality in learning outcomes between students with different backgrounds. Methods: We used the Finnish PISA 2012 data (N=5052–5660) that provides a nationally representative sample of the Finnish 15-year-old students. The data were analyzed using structural equation models. Results: Frequent student-oriented teaching practices were associated with students’ weaker learning outcomes in mathematics. The effect of frequent student-oriented teaching practices was especially negative among students with risky backgrounds (i.e. risky family structure, low family wealth, low maternal education, immigrant status, student’s previous truancy behavior at school). Our additional analyses showed that also frequent inquiry-based teaching practices were related to weaker learning outcomes in science. Discussion and Conclusions: In conclusion, student-oriented teaching practices appear to be linked with students’ weaker learning outcomes in comprehensive school. Student-oriented teaching may expand the gaps in learning outcomes between students coming from different backgrounds., Resumen Introducción: La evidencia ha sido escasa sobre la posible relación de las prácticas de enseñanza con la igualdad educativa de los estudiantes. Este trabajo investigó (i) si las prácticas de enseñanza orientada al alumno están asociadas con los resultados de aprendizaje en matemáti-cas, y (ii) si la de enseñanza orientada al alumno podría aumentar la igualdad en los resultados de aprendizaje entre estudiantes de diferente trasfondo. Método: Utilizamos los datos finlandeses de PISA 2012 (N = 5052–5660), que proporcionan una muestra representativa a nivel nacional de los estudiantes finlandeses de 15 años. Los datos se analizaron utilizando modelos de ecuaciones estructurales. Resultados: Lapráctica frecuente de la enseñanza orientada al alumno se ha asociado con peor resultados de aprendizaje en matemáticas. El efecto de la práctica frecuente de la enseñanza orientada al alumno fue especialmente negativo entre los estudiantes con factores de riesgo (es decir, familia desestructurada, pobreza familiar, bajo nivel de estudios de la madre, condición de inmigrante, previos comportamientos de absentismo escolar). Nuestros análisis adicionales mostraron que la frecuente práctica de enseñanza basada en la indagación también estaba relacionada con peores resultados de aprendizaje en las ciencias naturales. Discusión y conclusión: En conclusión, las prácticas de enseñanza orientada al alumno pare-cen estar vinculadas con peores resultados de aprendizaje de los estudiantes en centros de educación secundaria. La enseñanza orientada al alumno puede ampliar la brecha en los resultados de aprendizaje entre estudiantes de diferentes trasfondos.

Objective: We conducted a multimodal coordinate-based meta-analysis (CBMA) to investigate structural and functional brain alterations in first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients (FRs). Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search from electronic databases to find studies that examined differences between FRs and healthy controls using whole-brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or voxel-based morphometry (VBM). A CBMA of 30 fMRI (754 FRs; 959 controls) and 11 VBM (885 FRs; 775 controls) datasets were conducted using the anisotropic effect-size version of signed differential mapping. Further, we conducted separate meta-analyses about functional alterations in different cognitive tasks: social cognition, executive functioning, working memory, and inhibitory control. Results: FRs showed higher fMRI activation in the right frontal gyrus during cognitive tasks than healthy controls. In VBM studies, there were no differences in gray matter density between FRs and healthy controls. Furthermore, multi-modal meta-analysis obtained no differences between FRs and healthy controls. By utilizing the BrainMap database, we showed that the brain region which showed functional alterations in FRs (i) overlapped only slightly with the brain regions that were affected in the meta-analysis of schizophrenia patients and (ii) correlated positively with the brain regions that exhibited increased activity during cognitive tasks in healthy individuals. Conclusions: Based on this meta-analysis, FRs may exhibit only minor functional alterations in the brain during cognitive tasks, and the alterations are much more restricted and only slightly overlapping with the regions that are affected in schizophrenia patients. The familial risk did not relate to structural alterations in the gray matter.

This study examined the quality of social interaction with respect to well-being at work and in higher education. Study I examined the association between student counselors’ interpersonal skills and clients’ emotions indicated by heart rate variability. Study II investigated the role of social skills in engagement and burnout among university students. Study III researched the role of social support at work and in private life for work engagement in middle age. Study I was executed in a laboratory setting with students in a counseling psychology course forming ten counselor-client pairs. Counseling skills were measured by video-based analysis, and heart rate variability was assessed in clients using a heart rate monitoring system. Participants in Study II were university students (n = 351) who answered a questionnaire about social skills, study engagement, and study burnout. Study III utilized participants (n = 5,259–5,376) from the Northern Finland birth cohort 1966 study. We used a 46-year follow-up study in our analyses of social support and work engagement. The results revealed that counseling skills were associated with clients’ increased heart rate variability in Study I. Increased heart rate variability reflects the parasympathetic activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which indicates relaxation. Study II showed that social skills were associated with increased engagement and decreased burnout among university students. Higher engagement was also associated with lower burnout. In Study III, results revealed that higher social support at work and in one’s private life was associated with higher work engagement. This research implies that social skills and social support might act as significant resources for emotional well-being and the development of both work and study-related engagement. Moreover, social skills and social support may buffer the risk of burnout. However, since the study was cross-sectional, causal inferences cannot be mad, Tiivistelmä Väitöstutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin vuorovaikutustaitojen sekä sosiaalisen tuen yhteyttä työn imuun ja uupumukseen työ- ja opiskeluympäristöissä. Tutkimuksessa tätä ilmiötä tarkastellaan ohjausvuorovaikutustilanteessa tarkastelemalla ohjaajan vuorovaikutustaitojen vaikutusta ohjattavan emotionaaliseen tilaan. Lisäksi aihetta tutkitaan arvioimalla opiskelijoiden vuorovaikutustaitoja ja selvittämällä niiden yhteyttä opiskeluintoon ja -uupumukseen. Tutkimus myös selvittää ennustaako työssä ja yksityiselämässä koettu sosiaalinen tuki työn imun kokemista. Osatutkimus I toteutettiin laboratorio-olosuhteissa, jossa asiakkaana toimivilta mitattiin sykevälivaihtelua ja ohjaajilta arvioitiin ohjaustaitoja videoanalyysia hyödyntäen. Osallistujina toimivat ohjauksen psykologian opiskelijat, jotka muodostivat kymmenen ohjaaja-asiakas paria. Osatutkimus II aineisto koostui yliopisto-opiskelijoista (n = 351), joille toteutettiin kyselytutkimus opiskelu-uupumukseen, -intoon ja vuorovaikutustaitoihin liittyen. Osatutkimus III:ssa tutkittavat (n = 5,259–5,376) kuuluivat Pohjois-Suomen syntymäkohorttiin, josta hyödynnettiin sosiaaliseen tukeen ja työn imuun liittyviä mittareita. Tulokset osoittivat ohjaustaitojen olevan yhteydessä asiakkaan korkeampaan sykevälivaihteluun. Onnistuneen ohjauksen aikana asiakas rentoutui, mikä näkyi korkeampana sykevälivaihteluna ja parasympaattisena aktiviteettina autonomisessa hermostossa. Tutkimustulokset esittivät, että vuorovaikutustaidot olivat yhteydessä korkeampaan opiskeluintoon ja matalampaan opiskelu-uupumukseen. Sosiaalinen tuki työssä ja yksityiselämässä oli yhteydessä korkeampaan työn imun kokemiseen. Tämän tutkimuksen perusteella näyttää siltä, että vuorovaikutustaidoilla ja sosiaalisella tuella on merkitystä psyykkiselle hyvinvoinnille niin opiskelu- kuin työympäristöissä. Sosiaalinen tuki näyttäisi myös olevan yhteydessä työn imun kokemiseen. Lisäksi sosiaaliset taidot ja tuki voivat suojata uupumusriskiltä. Työpaikoilla olisi

Experimental studies of learning suggest that human temperament may depend on the molecular mechanisms for associative conditioning, which are highly conserved in animals. The main genetic pathways for associative conditioning are known in experimental animals, but have not been identified in prior genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of human temperament. We used a data-driven machine learning method for GWAS to uncover the complex genotypic–phenotypic networks and environmental interactions related to human temperament. In a discovery sample of 2149 healthy Finns, we identified sets of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that cluster within particular individuals (i.e., SNP sets) regardless of phenotype. Second, we identified 3 clusters of people with distinct temperament profiles measured by the Temperament and Character Inventory regardless of genotype. Third, we found 51 SNP sets that identified 736 gene loci and were significantly associated with temperament. The identified genes were enriched in pathways activated by associative conditioning in animals, including the ERK, PI3K, and PKC pathways. 74% of the identified genes were unique to a specific temperament profile. Environmental influences measured in childhood and adulthood had small but significant effects. We confirmed the replicability of the 51 Finnish SNP sets in healthy Korean (90%) and German samples (89%), as well as their associations with temperament. The identified SNPs explained nearly all the heritability expected in each sample (37–53%) despite variable cultures and environments. We conclude that human temperament is strongly influenced by more than 700 genes that modulate associative conditioning by molecular processes for synaptic plasticity and long-term memory.

Human personality is 30–60% heritable according to twin and adoption studies. Hundreds of genetic variants are expected to influence its complex development, but few have been identified. We used a machine learning method for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to uncover complex genotypic–phenotypic networks and environmental interactions. The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) measured the self-regulatory components of personality critical for health (i.e., the character traits of self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence). In a discovery sample of 2149 healthy Finns, we identified sets of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that cluster within particular individuals (i.e., SNP sets) regardless of phenotype. Second, we identified five clusters of people with distinct profiles of character traits regardless of genotype. Third, we found 42 SNP sets that identified 727 gene loci and were significantly associated with one or more of the character profiles. Each character profile was related to different SNP sets with distinct molecular processes and neuronal functions. Environmental influences measured in childhood and adulthood had small but significant effects. We confirmed the replicability of 95% of the 42 SNP sets in healthy Korean and German samples, as well as their associations with character. The identified SNPs explained nearly all the heritability expected for character in each sample (50 to 58%). We conclude that self-regulatory personality traits are strongly influenced by organized interactions among more than 700 genes despite variable cultures and environments. These gene sets modulate specific molecular processes in brain for intentional goal-setting, self-reflection, empathy, and episodic learning and memory.

Introduction: Social skills may prevent burnout and enhance engagement in students by increasing social support and improving relationships with peers and teachers. Method: This study explores the interrelation between self-reported social skills and experienced burnout and engagement among 351 university students (70.5% women, 29.5% men) in different study fields. The Study Burnout Inventory (SBI-9), the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student (UWES-S) and a social skills questionnaire were utilised. The data was analysed using linear regression analysis. Results: The results show an association between higher social skills and lower burnout and higher engagement. Higher engagement was also associated to lower burnout. Discussion and Conclusion: The findings imply that targeting social skills might offer a way to increase engagement and diminish burnout among students., Resumen Introducción: Las habilidades sociales pueden evitar el agotamiento y mejorar la participación en los estudiantes al aumentar el apoyo social y mejorar las relaciones con sus compañeros y maestros. Método: Este estudio explora la interrelación entre las habilidades sociales autoinformadas y el agotamiento experimentado y el compromiso entre 351 estudiantes universitarios (70.5% mujeres, 29.5% hombres) en diferentes campos de estudio. Se utilizaron el Study Burnout Inventory (SBI-9), la Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student (UWES-S) y un cuestionario de habilidades sociales. Los datos se analizaron mediante análisis de regresión lineal. Resultados: Los resultados muestran una asociación entre mayores habilidades sociales y menor agotamiento y mayor compromiso. Un mayor compromiso también se asoció a un menor agotamiento. Discusión y conclusión: Los hallazgos implican que enfocarse en las habilidades sociales podría ofrecer una forma de aumentar el compromiso y disminuir el agotamiento entre los estudiantes.

This study (i) conducted a meta-analysis to examine whether relatives of schizophrenia patients (FRs) have structural or functional abnormalities in the brain when compared to healthy controls, (ii) conducted original studies whether familial, genetic, or symptomatic risk for psychosis is related to physiological fluctuation in the brain, and (iii) examined whether those brain-level abnormalities at risk for psychosis overlap with the regions that exhibit abnormalities in schizophrenia patients (using the BrainMap database). In the meta-analysis, we included altogether 39 studies (1639 FRs; 1734 controls) that examined differences between FRs and healthy controls using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In the original studies, we used the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 data (N=140–277). All the participants underwent fMRI scan at rest. Symptomatic risk for psychosis was assessed with a structured psychiatric interview. Familial risk for psychosis was defined on the basis of parents’ previous psychoses. Polygenic risk score for schizophrenia was computed on the basis of previous genome-wide association studies. Physiological fluctuation was measured with the coefficient of variation of the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal (CVBOLD). In the meta-analysis, no differences were found in the gray matter volume. FRs (vs. healthy controls) had higher activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus during cognitive tasks. The alterations in FRs were very restricted when compared to the brain regions affected in schizophrenia patients. In the original studies, symptomatic risk (but not familial or genetic risk) for psychosis was linked to higher physiological fluctuation in such brain regions that overlapped only slightly with the regions that exhibited alterations in schizophrenia patients in previous fMRI studies (using traditional analyzing methods). There may be functional abnormalities during cognitive, Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksessa (i) selvitettiin meta-analyysillä, onko skitsofreniapotilaiden 1. asteen sukulaisilla rakenteellisia tai toiminnallisia poikkeamia aivoissa verrattuna terveisiin kontrolleihin, (ii) tehtiin alkuperäistutkimusta siitä, liittyykö psykoosin familiaalinen, geneettinen tai oirepohjainen riski aivojen fysiologiseen vaihteluun, ja (iii) tutkittiin, sijoittuvatko ko. psykoosiriskiin liittyvät poikkeamat aivoissa päällekkäin niiden alueiden kanssa, joilla ilmenee poikkeamia skitsofreniapotilailla (käyttäen BrainMap-datakantaa). Meta-analyysiin sisältyi yhteensä 39 tutkimusta (1639 skitsofreniapotilaiden sukulaista; 1734 tervettä kontrollia), joissa tutkittiin eroja ryhmien välillä käyttäen vokselipohjaista morfometriaa (VBM) tai toiminnallista magneettikuvantamista (fMRI). Alkuperäistutkimuksissa käytettiin Pohjois-Suomen vuoden 1986 syntymäkohortti -aineistoa (N = 140–277). Oirepohjainen psykoosiriski arvioitiin strukturoidulla psykiatrisella haastattelulla. Familiaalinen riski psykoosille määriteltiin vanhempien psykoositaustan perusteella. Skitsofrenian polygeeninen riski laskettiin aiempien genomilaajuisten tutkimusten pohjalta. Fysiologisen vaihtelun mittarina käytettiin BOLD-signaalin varianssikerrointa (CVBOLD). Meta-analyysissä eroja ei havaittu harmaan aineen tilavuudessa. Skitsofreniapotilaiden sukulaisilla oli korkeampi aktivaatio oikeanpuoleisessa alemmassa otsalohkopoimussa verrattuna terveisiin kontrolleihin. Skitsofreniapotilaiden sukulaisilla havaitut poikkeamat olivat selvästi suppeampia verrattaessa skitsofreniapotilaisiin. Alkuperäistutkimuksissa psykoosin oirepohjainen riski (mutta ei familiaalinen tai geneettinen riski) liittyi korkeampaan fysiologiseen vaihteluun aivoalueilla, jotka olivat vain niukasti päällekkäisiä niiden alueiden kanssa, joilla on havaittu poikkeamia skitsofreniapotilailla aiemmissa fMRI-tutkimuksissa (käyttäen perinteisiä analyysimenetelmiä). Skitsofreniapotilaiden 1. asteen sukulaisilla (vs. terveillä kont

Compassion is known to predict prosocial behavior and moral judgments related to harm. Despite the centrality of compassion to social life, factors predicting adulthood compassion are largely unknown. We examined whether qualities of parent–child-relationship, namely, emotional warmth and acceptance, predict offspring compassion decades later in adulthood. We used data from the prospective population-based Young Finns Study. Our sample included 2,761 participants (55.5% women). Parent–child-relationship qualities were reported by each participant’s parents at baseline in 1980 (T0) when participants were between 3 and 18 years old. Compassion was self-reported 3 times: in 1997 (T1), 2001 (T2), and 2012 (T3) with the Temperament and Character Inventory (Cloninger, Przybeck, Svrakic, & Wetzel, 1994). By using age at the assessment as a time-variant variable, we applied multilevel modeling for repeated measurements to examine developmental trajectories of compassion from the ages of 20 (the age of the youngest cohort at T1) to 50 (the age of the oldest cohort at T3). On average, compassion increased in a curvilinear pattern with age. Higher acceptance (p = .013) and higher emotional warmth (p < .001) were related to higher compassion in adulthood. After adjusting for childhood confounds (i.e., participant gender, birth cohort, externalizing behavior, parental socioeconomic status, and parental mental health problems), only emotional warmth (p < .001) remained a significant predictor of compassion. Quality of the parent–child-relationship has long-term effects on offspring compassion. An emotionally warm and close relationship, in particular, may contribute to higher offspring compassion in adulthood.

Purpose: Physical activity, sleep problems, and symptoms of depression contribute to overall well-being. The factors are reciprocally associated, but the nature of these associations remains unclear. The present study examined whether sleep problems mediated the association between physical activity and depressive symptoms. Methods: The eligible population (n = 3596) consisted of adults from the ongoing, population-based Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study started in 1980. Participants’ leisure-time physical activity was assessed with physical activity index (2007) and sleep problems with Jenkins’ Sleep Questionnaire in 2007 and 2011. Depressive symptoms were measured using modified Beck Depression Inventory in 2007 and 2012, from which the items reflecting sleep problems were excluded. Mediation analyses, through which the associations between the variables were examined, were adjusted for sex and a set of health-related covariates assessed in 2007 and 2011. Results: Physical activity was associated with decreased levels of sleep problems and depressive symptoms (P < 0.05). The association between physical activity and depressive symptoms (b = −0.10, P < 0.01) was partly mediated by sleep problems (proportion mediated = 0.36, P < 0.01). The adjustment for depressive symptoms at baseline attenuated the mediation effect (proportion mediated = 0.30, P > 0.05). Conclusions: Physical activity’s favorable contribution to depressive symptoms was mediated partly by sleep, but the mediation effect disappeared after adjusting for the previous depressive symptoms in adulthood.

This study examined the association between five‐factor model personality traits and perceptions of organisational justice. The sample for the study comprised 903 participants (35–50 years old; 523 women) studied in 2007 and 2012. Measures used were the Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Five‐Factor Inventory questionnaire and the short organisational justice measure. The results showed that high neuroticism was associated with low distributive, procedural and interactional justice. Furthermore, high agreeableness was associated with high procedural and interactional justice and high openness with high distributive justice. This study suggests that neuroticism, agreeableness and openness are involved in perceptions of organisational justice and that personality should be considered in research and in practices at the workplace.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate (i) the direction of the relationships between dispositional compassion for others and depressive symptoms over a 15-year follow-up in adulthood and (ii) the longitudinal associations of dispositional compassion with total depressive symptoms and various depressive subsymptoms (i.e. negative attitude, performance difficulties, and somatic complaints) from early adulthood to middle age. Methods: The participants (N = 1676) came from the prospective Young Finns Study. Dispositional compassion was assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory and depressive symptoms with a modified version of the Beck Depression Inventory. The measurements were conducted between 1997−2012 including three measurement points. The data was analyzed using structural equation models and multilevel models for longitudinal design. Results: The predictive relationships were more likely to proceed from high dispositional compassion for others to lower depressive symptoms than in the opposite direction. Additionally, high dispositional compassion predicted a lower total score of depressive symptoms and also lower scores of various depressive subsymptoms (negative attitude, performance difficulties, somatic complaints) in early adulthood. These associations, however, weakened over years and became non-significant in middle age. All the findings were sustained after controlling for age, gender, and socioeconomic factors in childhood and adulthood. Limitations: Depressive symptoms were mostly mild and non-clinical in our sample. The findings cannot be directly generalized to severe depressive symptomatology. Conclusions: When tailoring psychiatric interventions, it is necessary to be aware that compassion for others may lower the risk for the onset and maintenance of depressive symptoms, especially in early adulthood.

Objective: To examine associations between temperament traits and early retirement intentions. Methods: In the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, we analyzed early retirement intentions at the age 46 according to Cloninger temperament traits at the age 46 (n = 4409) and at the age 31 (n = 3226). Ordinal logistic regression analyses were used. Adjustments were made for marital status, education, work type, job satisfaction, perceived health, and mental health problems. Results: 11% of men and 9% of women had strong retirement intentions. Especially higher harm avoidance was associated with higher early retirement intentions in both sexes at the age of 46. A similar pattern of results, although with weaker associations, was found for temperament assessed at the age of 31. Conclusions: Temperament and especially harm avoidance is related to early retirement intentions.

Sociability is a widely studied trait that has been linked both with individual well- and ill-being. Although early childcare has been shown to affect social competence in children, its role in the development of different aspects of adulthood sociability is poorly understood. Using a longitudinal population-based sample (N = 464), this study investigated whether childcare arrangements at ages 3 or 6 are associated with self-reported adulthood sociability at ages 20 to 35 years. A total of five aspects of sociability were measured using three well-established personality inventories (EAS, NEO-FFI, and TCI). Multilevel modeling was applied to examine the association between early care and adulthood sociability, adjusting for several sources of random variation (between-individual variance, within-individual variance between measurement times, variance between used sociability indicators, and error variance that cannot be attributed to the previously mentioned) and potential confounders (disruptive behavior in childhood, parental socio-economic status, parent–child relationship quality, maternal age, and the number of children in the family). Based on our results, in comparison to home care, family daycare and center-based daycare at age 3 and center-based daycare at age 6 were associated with higher sociability later in life. The association was strongest for aspects of sociability that emphasize the willingness to be surrounded by other people and to be attached to them. In other words, characteristics of early care may contribute uniquely to the development of these aspects of sociability with effects that persist into adult life.

Intergenerational transmission of life satisfaction has been empirically established, but less is known about the continuity of satisfaction as being reflected across multiple life domains, unique effects of parental domain-specific satisfaction on offspring overall life satisfaction, and potential gender effects. In this population-based prospective study, the association between the life satisfaction of parents (G1) (2191 mothers and 2156 fathers) and their children (G2) (921 sons and 1277 daughters) was examined. In both generations, satisfaction as a parent, as a spouse, and at work was assessed in about the same developmental stage (mean age for G1 38–42 years, and for G2 38–43 years at the times when LS was measured). When both parents were considered jointly, only mothers’ overall life satisfaction had an independent effect on their adult children’s overall life satisfaction, with the effect diminishing over time. However, we also found a robust effect of paternal satisfaction at work on offspring’s overall life satisfaction in adulthood. Gender of the offspring did not significantly moderate the strength of the associations between generations. The current findings emphasize the high interdependence of life satisfaction within families long after children have moved out of the parental home.

Sociability and social domain-related behaviors have been associated with better well-being and endogenous oxytocin levels. Inspection of the literature, however, reveals that the effects between sociability and health outcomes, or between sociability and genotype, are often weak or inconsistent. In the field of personality psychology, the social phenotype is often measured by error-prone assessments based on different theoretical frameworks, which can partly explain the inconsistency of the previous findings. In this study, we evaluated the generalizability of “sociability” measures by partitioning the population variance in adulthood sociability using five indicators from three personality inventories and assessed in two to four follow-ups over a 15-year period (n = 1,573 participants, 28,323 person-observations; age range 20–50 years). Furthermore, we tested whether this variance partition would shed more light to the inconsistencies surrounding the “social” genotype, by using four genetic variants (rs1042778, rs2254298, rs53576, rs3796863) previously associated with a wide range of human social functions. Based on our results, trait (between-individual) variance explained 23% of the variance in overall sociability, differences between sociability indicators explained 41%, state (within-individual) variance explained 5% and measurement errors explained 32%. The genotype was associated only with the sociability indicator variance, suggesting it has specific effects on sentimentality and emotional sharing instead of reflecting general sociability.

Academic emotions in the context of master’s thesis work is a highly understudied issue. This study examined the association between self-regulated learning skills and academic emotions elicited by master’s thesis work. Altogether, 84 behavioural sciences students conducting their master’s theses completed a survey comprised of a modified version of Pintrich’s Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MLSQ) and academic emotions derived from Pekrun’s (2006) Achievement Emotions Questionnaire complemented by enthusiasm. Linear and logistic regressions were employed in the data analyses. Higher skills in combining prior and new knowledge, application of theories, self-assessment and the combination of all learning skills were associated with higher positive academic emotions. Higher skills in self-assessment were associated with lower negative academic emotions. Higher combined learning skills were associated with higher pride and enthusiasm and lower shame elicited by master’s thesis work. Supporting students to develop their self-regulated learning skills might reflect positively on their academic emotions and vice versa.

Background: Lack of social support is an established risk factor across health outcomes, making it important to examine its family environmental and genetic determinants. Methods: In a 27-year follow-up of the Young Finns Study (N = 2341), we examined with a latent growth curve model whether genes involved in the oxytocin signaling pathway—namely, oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) variants rs1042778, rs2254298, and rs53576—moderate the effect of early-life social experiences on perceived social support across the life span. Mothers reported the emotional warmth and acceptance towards their children at baseline when the participants were from 3 to 18 years old (1980). Perceived family support and support from friends and peripheral sources were assessed in five follow-ups 18 years apart (1989–2007). Results: Maternal emotional warmth and acceptance predicted the initial level of perceived social support across subscales, while the rate of change in family support was affected by the family environment only if participants carried the T-allele of OXTR rs1042778. This gene-environment interaction was not found for the rate of change in support from friends and peripheral sources and we also did not find associations between latent growth in perceived social support and OXTR variants rs53576 and rs2254298. Limitations: Selective attrition in perceived social support, maternal emotional warmth and acceptance, gender, and SES. Family environment was assessed by a non-standardized measure. Conclusions: OXTR rs1042778 polymorphism seems to contribute to changes in perceived family support in that way that some individuals (T-allele carriers) ‘recover’, to some extent, from the effects of early-life social experiences, whereas others (G/G genotype carriers) do not.

We examined whether long QT syndrome (LQTS) mutation carrier status or symptomatic LQTS are associated with depression, and whether there are sex differences in these potential relationships. The sample comprised 782 participants (252 men). Of the 369 genetically defined LQTS mutation carriers, 169 were symptomatic and 200 were asymptomatic. The control group consisted of 413 unaffected relatives. Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). No association was found for LQTS mutation carrier status with depression. The multinomial logistic regression showed that LQTS mutation carrier men with arrhythmic events scored higher on depression compared with the control group, even when adjusting for age, β-blockers, antidepressants, and social support (OR = 1.09, 95 % CI [1.02, 1.15], p = .007). The binary logistic regression comparing symptomatic and asymptomatic LQTS mutation carriers showed that symptomatic LQTS was associated with depression in men (OR = 1.10, 95 % CI [1.03, 1.19], p = .009). The results were unchanged when additionally adjusted for education. These findings suggest that symptomatic LQTS is associated with depression in men but not in women. Overall, however, depression is more frequent in women than men. Thus, regular screening for depression in LQTS mutation carriers and their unaffected family members can be important.

Background: Both hostile parenting and parental psychopathology have been shown to predict depression in the offspring. However, whether and how they interact in predicting the longitudinal course of depression from adolescence to adulthood remains unclear. Methods: Participants were from the prospective Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study, aged 3–18 years at baseline in 1980. We used multilevel modeling for repeated measurements to examine the associations of hostile parenting (i.e., parental intolerance and emotional distance) and parental history of psychopathology with trajectories of depressive symptoms across five study phases from 1992 to 2012. Results: On average, depressive symptoms decreased in a curvilinear pattern with age. A relatively steep decreasing trend was also observed among offspring of parents with a history of psychopathology but low intolerance. By contrast, among the offspring of parents with a history of psychopathology and high intolerance there was a rising trend in depressive symptoms starting from young adulthood. There was no similar interaction between parental history of psychopathology, emotional distance, and age. Limitations: Non-standardized, parental self-report scales were used to measure hostile parenting. The observed effects were small, and the depressive symptoms scale applied in the study may not be used for measuring clinical depression. Conclusions: Parental psychopathology might render individuals sensitive to the unfavorable characteristics of the caregiving environment. Intolerance towards the child can exacerbate the effects of parental psychopathology and have a long-term significance on the developmental trajectory of depressive symptoms over the life-course.

We examined the association of perfectionism with depressive symptoms and tested whether psychological detachment from work would both mediate and moderate the association. The participants were 76 primary school teachers (87% female) who responded to measures of perfectionism (Multidimensional Inventory on Perfectionism in Sports adapted for teachers), psychological detachment from work (The Recovery Experience Questionnaire), and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II). Perfectionism comprised both adaptive and maladaptive dimensions. Adaptive perfectionism referred to striving for perfection, whereas maladaptive perfectionism involved negative reactions to imperfection and perceived pressure to be perfect. According to our results, negative reactions to imperfection were associated with higher depressive symptoms, and lower level of psychological detachment from work played a minor mediating role in the association. There was, however, no association between negative reactions to imperfection and higher depressive symptoms when detachment from work was high. Our findings suggest that striving for perfection and perceived pressure to be perfect might not contribute to depressive symptoms in teaching. Instead, teachers experiencing negative reactions to imperfection and low psychological detachment from work could be at risk for developing depressive symptoms. Finding ways to psychologically detach from work may benefit teachers characterized by negative reactions to imperfection.

Background: The association between depressive symptoms and subclinical atherosclerosis has been inconsistent. Purpose: We sought to replicate our previous study, which demonstrated a positive relation between depressive symptoms and subclinical atherosclerosis assessed with carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in men, using a newer measurement of carotid IMT and a cumulative loading of depressive symptoms over three follow-ups. Methods: The sample comprised 996 adults (352 men) aged 30 to 45 years in 2007 from a prospective population-based Finnish sample. The participants completed a modified version of Beck Depression Inventory in 1992, 1997, and 2001. Carotid IMT was assessed with ultrasound in 2001 and 2007. Cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., body mass index, systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and smoking) were measured in childhood (1980) and in adulthood (2007). Results: We found no association between the accumulative depression index and carotid IMT before or after controlling for the traditional risk factors (all p values ≥0.67). Depressive symptoms did not predict IMT progression over two time points and the highest level of carotid wall thickening. Imputed and non-imputed data sets provided similar results. Results remained the same when men and women were analyzed separately. Additional analyses revealed no significant interactions between depressive symptoms and cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., body mass index and systolic blood pressure) on carotid IMT (all p values >0.15). Conclusions: The findings of this population-based study did not indicate any direct association between depressive symptoms and carotid IMT in asymptomatic, young adults.