The Relationship Between Perceived Stress, Social Support and Chronic Headaches

SYNOPSIS
A group of chronic headache sufferers (migraine and tension-type headache) was compared with agroup of nonheadache control subjects in terms of two domains of social support (social integration andfunctional support), perceived social support, sources of social support, and perceived stress. Headachesufferers and controls were not differentiated with respect to number of social relationships, sources ofsupport and availability of support. In contrast, headache sufferers were significantly less satisfied withthe support available to them and scored lower on all four types of functional support measured(appraisal, esteem, belonging and tangible). Support measures did not show a linear relationship withheadache chronicity, and were at their lowest at an intermediate point in the headache history rather thanat an early or late point. Headache sufferers scored higher on perceived stress than control subjects anddifferences between the groups increased as a function of headache chronicity.The findings were interpreted as suggesting that clinicians and researchers should focus greaterattention on the social dimension of headaches.     

The Developmental Origins of Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression: Negative Interpersonal Context Leads to Personal Vulnerability

The articles in this special issue address empirically potential developmental origins of cognitive vulnerability to depression. The findings from these studies converge on the theme that the nature of the interpersonal context within which individuals develop is central to the emergence of cognitive vulnerability versus invulnerability to depression.     

社区医务人员领悟社会支持与抑郁的关系

目的了解江西地区社区医务人员领悟社会支持与抑郁的关系。方法采用自编一般情况调查问卷、领悟社会支持量表(PSSS)和抑郁自评量表(SDS)对1040名社区医务人员进行测评。结果 (1)抑郁情绪检出率为13.65%,男、女分别为12.30%、10.68%,差异无统计学意义(χ2=2.376,P=0.1230.05);(2)教育程度越高、生活压力越大是抑郁情绪的危险因素,与非直系亲属关系越好、对家庭义务履行情况越好和公众对自身职业的态度越好是其保护因素;(3)抑郁与领悟社会支持、领悟家庭内支持及领悟家庭外支持之间呈显著负相关(r=-0.348,r=-0.322,r=-0.309,P0.05);(4)社区医务人员感受到的领悟家庭外支持比领悟家庭内支持对他们抑郁情绪的影响更为重要。结论抑郁是社区医务人员不良的情绪体验,而领悟社会支持在一定程度上可调节这种不良情绪,提高个体心理健康水平。     

The Role of Executive Functioning in Adolescent Rumination and Depression

Research has underscored the importance of adolescence in the development of depression and its associated key risk factors, namely rumination. Recently, there has been an emphasis on exploring the neuropsychological correlates of depression and rumination, including the role of executive functioning (EF). However, research has yet to fully elucidate the relationship among these constructs from a developmental perspective. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between various components of EF, rumination, and depression among a normative sample of adolescents. A secondary aim of this study was to examine whether rumination mediates the relationship between EF and depression. Multiple regression analyses indicated a significant association between perseveration, set-shifting and inhibitory impairments and increased depressive symptomatology. Set-shifting deficits were also associated with higher levels of rumination. Additionally, rumination significantly mediated the relationship between impaired set-shifting and depressive symptoms. These findings add to the limited extant literature examining the associations among these constructs in a non-clinical sample of adolescents. Further, this study is the first to examine the mediating effects of rumination in youth.     

The Role of Rumination and Reduced Concreteness in the Maintenance of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Following Trauma

Rumination has been linked to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression following trauma. A cross-sectional (N = 101) and a prospective longitudinal study (N = 147) of road traffic accident survivors assessed rumination, PTSD and depression with self-report measures and structured interviews. We tested the hypotheses that (1) rumination predicts the maintenance of PTSD and depression and (2) reduced concreteness of ruminative thinking may be a maintaining factor. Rumination significantly predicted PTSD and depression at 6 months over and above what could be predicted from initial symptom levels. In contrast to the second hypothesis, reduced concreteness in an iterative rumination task was not significantly correlated with self-reported rumination frequency, and did not consistently correlate with symptom severity measures. However, multiple regression analyses showed that the combination of reduced concreteness and self-reported frequency of rumination predicted subsequent PTSD better than rumination frequency alone. The results support the view that rumination is an important maintaining factor of trauma-related emotional disorders.

Rumination and Vegetative Symptoms: A Test of the Dual Vulnerability Model of Seasonal Depression

The Dual Vulnerability Model of seasonal affective disorder proposes that the cognitive-affective symptoms of seasonal depression are the result of an interaction of a diathesis of cognitive vulnerability to depression and the stressor of seasonal vegetative change. Two studies examined this hypothesis employing a within-subject design with daily data on vegetative and cognitive-affective depressive symptoms. Study 1 included a subclinical sample and a trait measure of ruminative response style. Study 2 included a clinical sample and reports of actual ruminative thoughts and behaviors in response to fatigue. Results of mixed linear model analyses in both studies supported the hypothesis that rumination moderates the relationship between the vegetative symptoms and the cognitive-affective symptoms of seasonal depression. The extension of the model to other subtypes of depression is considered.

The Role of Life Event Stress, Coping and Social Support in Chronic Headaches

SYNOPSIS
A group of chronic headache sufferers (migraine and tension-type headache) was compared with twoindividually matched control groups of nonheadache subjects in terms of life event stress, and the stressmoderating factors of coping skills and social support. The headache group did not differ from the controlgroups on the measures of life event stress or coping but significant differences arose on the measure ofsocial support with the headache group achieving lower scores than the control groups. The findings wereinterpreted as suggesting that clinicians and researchers should pay more attention to social aspects ofheadaches, and that interventions aimed at teaching headache sufferers to mobilize social support shouldbe considered as components of treatment packages.     

Social, Achievement, and Control Dimensions of Personality-Life Event Vulnerability to Depression

This study investigated whether Sociotropy and the subscales of Autonomy (i.e., Perfectionistic/Self-critical, Need for Control, and Defensive Separation) would show differential patterns of vulnerability to dysphoria in both retrospective and prospective designs. Each of these scales showed a predicted pattern of association with life goals and impact ratings for negative events in a retrospective design. In a prospective design, the scales showed differential associations with goal obtainment and cognitive-affective responses to life events but did not predict follow-up dysphoria independently of baseline dysphoria. These results are discussed in terms of the multidimensionality of personality vulnerability and depressogenic negative life events along social, achievement, and control dimensions.

Vulnerability to Social Stress: Coping as a Mediator or Moderator of Sociotropy and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression

Although stressful events clearly play an important role in the development of symptoms of depression and anxiety, individuals are not equally sensitive to stress. Attempts to explain differences in adjustment have focused both on the coping strategies employed in response to stress, and on personality-related vulnerabilities to specific stressors. However, little is known about the interplay between coping and personality traits such as sociotropy, which is associated with increased sensitivity to negative social events. Measures of sociotropy and symptoms of depression and anxiety were obtained in a sample of undergraduates, along with reports of coping with interpersonal stress. Regressions controlling for recent stressful events indicated that coping does not directly mediate the relationship between sociotropy and distress, but does moderate the relationship. Both primary and secondary control engagement coping buffer the link between sociotropy and anxiety/depression, whereas disengagement coping augments the relationship. Implications for social cognitive models of vulnerability to stress are highlighted.     

Social Determinants of Adolescent Depression: An Examination of Racial Differences

Conventional behavior theories that assert adolescent risk behaviors are determined by peer and parental relationships are being challenged as research begins to consider broader socioenvironmental factors. This study, using data from the Longitudinal Study for Adolescent Health (Add Health), Wave II, Public Use Data, and the Social Determinants of Adolescent Risk Behaviors (SDOARB) framework, examines relationships among socioeconomic status (SES), academic performance, perceived peer prejudice, and perceived teacher discrimination as predictors of depressive symptoms among high school adolescents. Overall, the study found that GPA was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms across all three racial groups (Black, White, and Other Minority). Teacher discrimination predicted depressive symptoms among White and Other minority adolescents, but not Black adolescents. These findings suggest the need for interventions within schools for both students and teachers around racial differences in perceptions of prejudice and discrimination. Failure to address overt and covert subtleties of discrimination and prejudice within schools and policies which affect these interpersonal dynamics may have a significant impact on the overall mental wellbeing of adolescents.     

Hostility,Interpersonal Competence,and Daily Dependent Stress: A Daily Model of Stress Generation

We used a daily diary design to evaluate a daily model of stress generation that included both daily sadness and hostility as precipitants, and interpersonal competence as a moderator variable. Our results indicated that daily stress generation was precipitated by daily hostile, but not sad, mood. Participants’ skill at initiating interactions influenced daily stress generation in an unexpected direction. Specifically, the positive daily relationship between hostility and dependent stress was stronger for those with higher initiation scores. The results suggest that stress generation at the daily level functions differently than stress generation involving major life events. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research on stress generation.

Perceived Social Problem Solving,Perfectionism, and Mindful Awareness in Clinical Depression: An Exploratory Study

Perfectionism, problem solving, and mindfulness have all been variously implicated in the experience and treatment outcomes for depression. Maladaptive perfectionism represents a cognitive set that is believed to exacerbate the symptoms of depression, whereas social problem solving is believed to play a role in potentially buffering the effects of perfectionism on depressive symptomatology. Little is currently known about the role of mindfulness during a current depressive episode, however a number of studies have shown that mindfulness-based interventions significantly reduce relapse rates in depression. The current study examined the role of social problem solving, adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism, and mindful awareness during a current depressive episode. Participants were 141 inpatients experiencing a clinical depressive episode. No support was found for social problem solving buffering the effects of maladaptive perfectionism on depression severity. Results suggest that mindful awareness mediates the negative association between social problem solving and depression severity and the positive association between maladaptive perfectionism and depression severity. Mindful awareness contributed the greatest amount of variance to depression symptom severity.     

Stress Experiences and Mental Health of Pregnant Women: The Mediating Role of Social Support

Stress in pregnancy is an exceedingly common issue that impacts the mother’s mental health and the health of her baby. Yet, women with a supportive network of friends and family may experience lower stress and improved mental health. Therefore, the aims of this secondary analysis were to (a) examine relationships between stress experiences (i.e. perceived stress, pregnancy-specific stress) and indicators of mental health (i.e. absence of depressive symptoms and resourcefulness), (b) determine the effects of social support on stress experiences and indicators of mental health, and (c) determine if social support mediates the relationship between stress experiences and indicators of mental health. A convenience sample of 82 women in their second and third trimester of pregnancy participated in the parent study. Findings indicate that stress experiences were moderately correlated with indicators of mental health and social support predicted stress experiences and indicators of mental health. All social support mediation models were not significant with the exception of social support mediating the relationship between pregnancy-specific stress and resourcefulness. This was the first study to investigate the mediating role of social support on the relationship between pregnancy-specific stress and resourcefulness. Pregnant women may benefit from social support interventions to meaningfully reduce their stress and promote mental health. Such interventions may be physical activity, group prenatal care, or even peripartum home visits.     

慢性乙型病毒性肝炎患者抑郁及压力与社会支持的相关性

目的探讨慢性乙型病毒性肝炎患者抑郁及压力与社会支持的关系,为维护并提高慢性乙型病毒性肝炎患者的身心健康提供依据。方法采用Beck抑郁问卷、领悟压力量表及社会支持评定量表对286例慢性乙型病毒性肝炎患者进行抑郁及压力与社会支持的调查并进行相关性分析。结果慢性乙型病毒性肝炎患者抑郁发生率为30.53%,与压力评分呈显著性正相关(P<0.01);而与社会支持评分呈显著负相关(P<0.01)。抑郁患者压力评分明显高于非抑郁患者,而社会支持总分及3维度评分则均明显低于非抑郁组。患者年龄、压力、社会支持、与家人关系、独立能力、经济条件等6项是影响慢性乙型病毒性肝炎患者抑郁的主要因素。结论护理人员应加强对慢性乙型病毒性肝炎患者的心理护理,积极预防抑郁情绪的发生;对抑郁患者及时采取心理干预及治疗,从而提高其身心健康。     

Depressive Rumination and Directed Forgetting: An Examination of Encoding Style

The present study investigated the impact of depressive rumination on encoding style using the item-cued directed forgetting procedure. High dysphoric (N = 40) and low dysphoric (N = 40) students were randomly allocated to either a rumination or distraction induction. Participants were shown intermixed negative, positive, and neutral words on a computer screen that were followed by instructions to remember or forget each word. High dysphoric participants in both the rumination and distraction conditions exhibited standard directed forgetting effects; i.e., better recall of to-be-remembered than to-be-forgotten words, for all word types. These findings do not support the proposal that rumination enhances the encoding of negative information in high dysphoric participants. Findings are discussed with reference to the contribution of retrieval processes, and with consideration of the application of the directed forgetting paradigm to affective disorders.

Sociotropy, Autonomy, and the Interpersonal Model of Depression: An Integration

The interpersonal model of depression developed by Coyne proposes that depression leads to a number of negative interpersonal consequences. We hypothesized that underlying personality traits, particularly autonomy, moderate this relationship. Patients with depression (n = 41) and normal controls (n = 41) were assessed on sociotropy and autonomy and participated in a brief interactional task. Sociotropy was associated with a higher level of interpersonal relatedness during the task, whereas autonomy and depression were associated with orientation toward oneself. Depression and autonomy, particularly in combination, were related to fewer positive social behaviors and to partner rejection. Moreover, social behavior mediated the relationship among depression, autonomy, and rejection. The results suggest that the interpersonal model of depression could be made more specific with the inclusion of these personality factors. Clinical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed.     

高原环境对领悟社会支持及社交回避与苦恼的影响

目的探索高原环境对领悟社会支持及社交回避与苦恼的影响。方法采用领悟社会支持量表（multidimensional scale of perceived social support,MSPSS）及社交回避及苦恼量表（social avoidance and distress scale,SADS）对1325名在高原环境生活1年以上的青年（高原组）和1181名生活在内地的青年（内地组）进行测查比较分析。结果高原组SADS总分、回避因子、焦虑因子得分均高于内地组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）;而内地组MSPSS得分高于高原组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）。高原组各量表相关分析显示,MSPSS及各因子测查结果与SADS及各因子测查结果呈负相关（P〈0．05）。结论生活在高原环境的青年领悟到的社会支持低,在社交方面回避倾向及内心苦恼的感受较为严重。     

大学生家庭亲密度和适应性与领悟社会支持关系的研究

目的调查大学生家庭亲密度和适应性与领悟社会支持的关系。方法采用家庭亲密度和适应性量表（FACESⅡ-CV）与领悟社会支持量表（PSSS），对宁波市4所不同录取批次高校400名04级大学生进行了社会支持情况的调查分析。结果和结论家庭亲密度和适应性与领悟家庭内支持和领悟家庭外支持得分呈显著正相关；领悟家庭内支持与家庭亲密度的不满程度没有显著相关，但与家庭适应性的不满程度呈显著负相关；不同录取批次高校大学生的家庭适应性以及对家庭亲密度和适应性的不满程度存在显著性差异，在领悟家庭内支持得分上没有显著性差异；女生在家庭亲密度上的得分显著高于男生，在家庭适应性方面则没有显著性差异；在领悟家庭内支持和领悟家庭外支持方面，女生的得分均显著高于男生；在家庭现实亲密度与领悟家庭内支持方面，父亲受教育程度的主效应显著，母亲受教育程度的主效应不显著；城乡大学生在家庭亲密度和适应性以及领悟社会支持方面均没有显著差异。