Perceived Control Mediates the Relations between Depressive Symptoms and Academic Achievement in Adolescence

Neighborhood Social Processes and Adolescents' Depressive Symptoms: The Intervening Role of Neighborhood Self-Efficacy

Via observational data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods collected between 1994 and 2001, this study examined the degree to which neighborhood disorder, collective efficacy, and youth-centered institutional resources are directly associated with adolescents' depressive symptoms across time, and the mediating role of adolescents'neighborhood self-efficacy. Latent variable structural equation models were estimated among an unweighted representative sample of 1448 adolescents (59% male, mean age 15.19), across 79 neighborhoods in Chicago, to examine the direct effects of neighborhood disorder, collective efficacy, and availability of youth-centered resources at baseline (measured at timepoint 1; reported by an independent sample of Chicago adults) on adolescents' depressive symptoms (measured a timepoint 3), and the mediating effect of adolescents' neighborhood-anchored self-efficacy (measured at timepoint 2). Indirect effects were assessed using bootstrap testing. Adolescents' neighborhood self-efficacy partially mediated the effects of greater social and physical neighborhood disorder (indirect β = 0.03, 95% CI [0.008, 0.075]) and less availability of neighborhood youth-centered resources (indirect β = -0.01, 95% CI [-0.030, -0.001]) on depressive symptoms over time. Adolescents who perceived themselves to have greater neighborhood self-efficacy reported lower levels of depressive symptoms across time (β = -0.13, 95% CI [-0.24, -0.03]), as did those in neighborhoods with greater availability of youth-centered resources (β = -0.11, 95% CI [-0.19, -0.03]). Those living in neighborhoods with more disorder reported lower neighborhood self-efficacy (β = -0.24, 95% CI [-0.36, -0.11]). Neighborhood-anchored self-efficacy may be one mechanism by which adolescents internalize their neighborhood environments in ways that, over time, affect depressive symptoms. Interventions aimed at fostering community environments that nurture opportunities for youth to build efficaciousness may be promising for mitigating adolescent depression.

The impact of alexithymia, anxiety, social pressure, and academic burnout on depression in Chinese university students: an analysis based on SEM

BACKGROUND

With societal development and increasing talent demands, college students face escalating pressures primarily stemming from academic burdens, uncertainties about the future, and complex social environments. These pressures have profound effects on mental health, particularly negatively impacting emotions and behavior. In this context, depressive symptoms are becoming increasingly prevalent among college students. Given the potential links between emotional disorders, anxiety, social pressure, and academic burnout, this study aims to explore how these factors collectively influence depression in college students.

METHODS

This study utilized a questionnaire approach, resulting in 599 valid responses. The collected data were analyzed using Smart-PLS for SEM to investigate the relationships among the variables.

RESULTS

The SEM analysis indicated that the comprehensive model explained 83.2% of the variance in depression. Alexithymia significantly positively predicted anxiety and social pressure. Academic burnout significantly positively influenced social pressure, anxiety, and depression. Anxiety played a partial mediating role in the impact of alexithymia and academic burnout on depression. Social pressure and alexithymia did not have a significant positive impact on depression. In addition, there is a significant gender difference in the impact of academic burnout on depression, with the path coefficient for males being significantly higher than that for females.

CONCLUSION

This study validated the complex relationships among alexithymia, anxiety, social pressure, academic burnout, and depression. As an emotional expression disorder, alexithymia not only directly impacts anxiety levels in college students but also indirectly affects depression through anxiety. Furthermore, the positive influence of academic burnout on anxiety and depression indicates that excessive academic burdens are significant sources of mental health issues for college students. This research offers new insights into understanding college students' mental health issues, aiming to provide more comprehensive intervention strategies for their psychological well-being.

Time Use and Cognitive Achievement among Adolescents in China: Depression Symptoms as Mediators

Everyone's time is limited, and there is competition between different aspects of time use; this requires comprehensive consideration of the effects of different aspects of time use on cognitive achievement in adolescents. This study uses a dataset of 11,717 students from a nationally representative large-scale survey project conducted in 2013 to 2014 to clarify the relationship between time use (including working on homework, playing sports, surfing the Internet, watching TV, and sleeping) and cognitive achievement among Chinese adolescents, and explores the mediating role of depression symptoms in the relationship between time use and cognitive achievement. The results of the correlation analysis show that the average daily time spent on homework, playing sports, and sleeping is significantly positively correlated with cognitive achievement (p < 0.01), while time spent surfing the Internet and watching TV are significantly negatively correlated with cognitive achievement (p < 0.01). The results of the mediating effect model show that depression symptoms play a mediating role in the relationship between time use and cognitive achievement among Chinese adolescents. Specifically, time spent playing sports (indirect effect = 0.008, p < 0.001) and sleeping (indirect effect = 0.015, p < 0.001) have a positive effect on cognitive achievement when using depression symptoms as mediators; time spent on homework (indirect effect = -0.004, p < 0.001), surfing the Internet (indirect effect = -0.002, p = 0.046), and watching TV (indirect effect = -0.005, p < 0.001) have a negative effect on cognitive achievement when using depression symptoms as mediators. This study contributes to the understanding of the relationship between time use and cognitive achievement among Chinese adolescents.

Acceptability and Utility of an Open-Access, Online Single-Session Intervention Platform for Adolescent Mental Health

BACKGROUND

Many youths with mental health needs are unable to access care. Single-session interventions (SSIs) have helped reduce youth psychopathology across multiple trials, promising to broaden access to effective, low-intensity supports. Online, self-guided SSIs may be uniquely scalable, particularly if they are freely available for as-needed use. However, the acceptability of online SSI and their efficacy have remained unexamined outside of controlled trials, and their practical utility is poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE

We evaluated the perceived acceptability and proximal effects of Project YES (Youth Empowerment & Support), an open-access platform offering three online SSIs for youth internalizing distress.

METHODS

After selecting one of three SSIs to complete, participants (ages 11-17 years) reported pre- and post-SSI levels of clinically relevant outcomes that SSIs may target (eg, hopelessness, self-hate) and perceived SSI acceptability. User-pattern variables, demographics, and depressive symptoms were collected to characterize youths engaging with YES.

RESULTS

From September 2019 through March 2020, 694 youths accessed YES, 539 began, and 187 completed a 30-minute, self-guided SSI. SSI completers reported clinically elevated depressive symptoms, on average, and were diverse on several dimensions (53.75% non-white; 78.10% female; 43.23% sexual minorities). Regardless of SSI selection, completers reported pre- to post-program reductions in hopelessness (dav=0.53; dz=0.71), self-hate (dav=0.32; dz=0.61), perceived control (dav=0.60; dz=0.72) and agency (dav=0.39; dz=0.50). Youths rated all SSIs as acceptable (eg, enjoyable, likely to help peers).

CONCLUSIONS

Results support the perceived acceptability and utility of open-access, free-of-charge SSIs for youth experiencing internalizing distress.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Open Science Framework; osf.io/e52p3.