Parental and media influence on body image and depression: the mediational role of self-concept clarity

The influence of upward social comparison on social network sites on middle school students' depression: A two-wave multiple mediation model

There is a lack of longitudinal data on the relationship between upward social comparison on social network sites (SNSs) and depression and its underlying mechanisms. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between upward social comparison on social network sites and depression and analyze the mediating effects of self-concept clarity and self-esteem in this relationship. We employed a two-wave longitudinal design among 1179 Chinese middle school students. The results indicated that : upward social comparison on SNSs predicted middle school students' depression; Self-concept clarity and self-esteem sequentially mediated the relationship between upward social comparison on SNSs and middle school students' subsequent depression. These results suggested that three types of interventions could be effectively used to decrease the risk of depression among middle school students.

Longitudinal relationships among sociocultural pressure for body image, self-concept clarity, and emotional well-being in adolescents

INTRODUCTION

This study examined the longitudinal relationships among sociocultural pressure for body image (SPBI), self-concept clarity (SCC), and emotional well-being (EWB) at both the between- and within-person levels.

METHODS

The participants were 2001 Chinese adolescents (age range 11-24, 42.9% males). Recruitment of participants occurred for 1 year across three waves (i.e., 6 months apart across three cohorts). The baseline and follow-up questionnaire surveys were utilized to assess SPBI, SCC, EWB, and background variables. Longitudinal associations between the above main variables were tested using a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) and multilevel regression analysis.

RESULTS

The CLPM and multilevel-model analysis showed that SCC longitudinally mediated the relationships between SPBI and EWB. Besides, gender and age were considered moderators in the associations among SPBI, SCC, and EWB.

CONCLUSIONS

SCC could be an underlying mechanism for the longitudinal relationship between SPBI and EWB among Chinese adolescents, which provides a potential intervention target for improving adolescents' well-being from a sociocultural framework.

Person-centered evaluation of positive body image among Chinese nursing students: Associations with body appreciation, self-concept clarity, and negative affect

Background

Nowadays, the effect of body image (BI) on negative affect among nursing college students has been ignored. This study used person-centered methods to evaluate the profiles of body appreciation (BA) among Chinese nursing students. We explored the predictive factors of these profiles and examined the difference in negative affect among the profiles.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey study was conducted in a university in Anhui province, China. Five hundred and forty-one Chinese nursing students from a nursing college of a larger university completed this survey. Participants completed the Sociodemographic Characteristics Questionnaire, the Self-concept Clarity Scale, the Body Appreciation Scale-2, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. Latent profile analysis was employed to classify the BA profiles, and multinomial logistic regression analysis were conducted using the three-step regression and Bolck-Croon- Hagenaars method to test the relationship between the latent profiles of BA, several covariates (including gender, age, year of schooling, residence, academic achievement level, interpersonal relationship status, whether the student is an only child, duration of use of social media platforms, body mass index (BMI), and self-concept clarity (SCC)), and negative affect.

Results

Analysis resulted in a four-profile model that included a "low BA" group (14.42%), an "upper medium BA" group (36.41%), a "lower medium BA" group (36.97%), and a "high BA" group (12.20%). SCC, years of schooling, interpersonal relationship status, and BMI were found to be the predictive factors of BA profiles. The four profiles differed in levels of stress, depression, and anxiety.

Conclusion

Our study showed that more than half of nursing students were dissatisfied with their BI and the predictive factors evaluated and negative affect were associated with the profiles of BA. Nursing faculties should take measures to help students develop a more appropriate awareness of nursing aesthetics, a healthier lifestyle, a better interpersonal relationship with family members and peers, and a clearer self-concept to promote body appreciation and reduce negative affect related to BI.

Relationships among nursing students’ self-concept clarity, meaning in life, emotion regulation ability and depression: Testing a moderated mediation model

Objective

Self-concept clarity as an inducing factor of depressive symptoms has been confirmed in previous studies. However, little is known about how and when it induces depressive symptoms in nursing students. The study is to examine the potential mediating role of meaning in life and the moderation of emotion regulation ability in the association between self-concept clarity and depressive symptoms among college nursing students.

Materials and Methods

A sample of 488 college nursing students participated in this study Southeast China. The Chinese adaptations of Self-concept clarity Scale, Sense of life Scale, Depression scale, Emotion regulation scale were used. Mediation and moderation analyses were carried out in the SPSS macro PROCESS.

Results

Self-concept clarity was significantly and negatively associated with depression in nursing students, meaning in life had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between self-concept clarity and depression. Furthermore, emotion regulation ability moderated the direct effect of self-concept clarity on depression.

Conclusion

The findings enrich the knowledge of the mediating and moderating mechanisms to explain the association between self-concept clarity and depression in nursing students. There have been proposed interventions concerning increasing self-concept clarity, meaning in life and emotion regulation ability training which could help help reduce the depression among nursing students.

Parental psychological control and adolescents depression during the COVID-19 pandemic: the mediating and moderating effect of self-concept clarity and mindfulness

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health state of adolescents had caused widespread concern, especially the various problems caused by the relationship between adolescents and their parents in the long isolation at home. Based on the mindfulness reperceiving model and Rogers's Self-theory, this study aimed to explore the roles of adolescents' self-concept clarity and mindfulness level in the relationship between parental psychological control and adolescent depression. A total of 1,100 junior high school students from China completed the questionnaires regarding parental psychological control, depression, self-concept clarity, and mindfulness. Moderated mediation analyses suggest that parental psychological control affects adolescent depression via self-concept clarity. The association between parental psychological control and depression is moderated by self-concept clarity. The effect was stronger among adolescents with high mindfulness levels than those with low. This study suggests that it is necessary to consider both parental factors and adolescents' factors in the future. The interventions on self-concept or mindfulness may ameliorate adolescent mental problems more effectively.