The Role of Cognitive Complaints in the Relationship Between Trait Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms, and Subjective Well-Being and Ill-Being in Adult Community Volunteers

The association between prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and childhood intelligence: a systematic review of observational studies

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during pregnancy has been associated with many adverse child health. However, the evidence on such associations with child brain development was not reviewed systemically. Therefore, in this study, we systemically reviewed the observational studies on prenatal exposure to PAHs and childhood intelligence quotient (IQ). The Meta-analyses Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines were applied to perform this review. We systematically searched Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science for all relevant articles published in English until 15 October 2022. The quality of retrieved studies was evaluated based on the Gascon et al. method. We retrieved a total of 351 citations through the initial search, of which an overall of six articles ([Formula: see text] participants) were included in our final review. The quality assessment indicated that four studies had excellent and two studies had good quality. Three reviewed studies reported a significant negative association between prenatal exposure to PAHs and children's IQ. One study reported that exposure to PAHs combined with material hardship was associated with lower child IQ and one study indicated lower child IQ through lower LINE1 DNA methylation-related maternal exposure to PAHs. However, another study did not observe a significant association between prenatal PAH exposure and child IQ. Overall, our review indicated that exposure to PAHs during pregnancy has an adverse impact on childhood IQ.

Explanatory model of symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression in the general population: Cross-sectional study during the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact worldwide, specially affecting mental health and has undoubtedly taken part in human behaviour modification, increasing global health burden and with stress, anxiety and depression being the main contributors to this load. Because of the importance of this issue, the objective of this study was the creation of an explanatory model for the causal relationship of the main psychological variables: stress, anxiety and depression in the COVID-19 pandemic context. A cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 709 volunteers, sociodemographic variables and psychological symptoms were measured through a virtual DASS-21 questionnaire, during the COVID-19 pandemic, dated from November 2 to 6, 2020. A structural equation model using the weighted least squares means and the adjusted variance was employed for the creation and adjustment of the explanatory relational model. The results showed the presence of stress, anxiety and depression symptoms among the general population. The model showed an adequate fit (CFI = 0.94; TLI = 0.94; RMSEA = 0.06; P = 0.000) and was able to explain more than 80% of depressive symptoms (R²  = 0.86) and more than 70% of anxiety symptoms (R²  = 0.72), in addition to showing a unidirectional causal relationship of long-term stress on anxiety, and anxiety on depressive symptoms, showing a linked behaviour of the same, in the adjusted model. It was also outlined that this model was characterized by being expressed mainly in women, with lower quality of sleep and at a younger age.

Cognitive complaints mediate the influence of sleep disturbance and state anxiety on subjective well-being and ill-being in adult community volunteers: a cross sectional study

Background

Sleep disturbance, state anxiety, and cognitive complaints (CCs) have been recognized as important issues in public health. Although the mediating role of CCs has been proposed, their role in the relationships between sleep disturbance, state anxiety, and subjective well-being (SWB) and subjective ill-being (SIB) are not yet fully understood. This study used path analyses to investigate whether CCs mediate these relationships.

Methods

The study recruited 523 Japanese adult volunteers using convenience sampling. Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (Form Y), Cognitive Complaints in Bipolar Disorder Rating Assessment, and Subjective Well-Being Inventory to evaluate sleep disturbance, state anxiety, CCs, and SWB and SIB, respectively. Path analyses were conducted to assess the mediating effects of CCs.

Results

The path analyses showed significant indirect associations of sleep disturbance and state anxiety with SWB (p = 0.024 and p = 0.012) and SIB (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001), respectively, mediated by CCs. Furthermore, there were significant indirect associations of sleep disturbance with CCs (p < 0.001), SWB (p < 0.001), and SIB (p < 0.001), via state anxiety, respectively.

Conclusions

This study suggests that CCs mediate the associations of sleep disturbance and state anxiety with SWB and SIB, respectively, in adult community volunteers. To address SWB and SIB associated with sleep disturbance and state anxiety, evaluating CCs may be useful in public mental health. Our findings will encourage health care workers to assess CCs more systematically. Future studies may need to target CCs to develop interventions for SWB and SIB.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-12936-0.

Subjective cognitive impairment and presenteeism mediate the associations of rumination with subjective well-being and ill-being in Japanese adult workers from the community

Background

In recent years, the roles of rumination, subjective cognitive impairment (SCI), and presenteeism have been emphasized in occupational mental health. However, associations between rumination, SCI, presenteeism, and psychological well-being are not fully understood. We hypothesized that SCI and presenteeism mediate the associations between rumination and subjective well-being (SWB) and subjective ill-being (SIB). Hence, we investigated the mediating roles of SCI and presenteeism in this study.

Methods

A total of 458 adult workers (mean age, 40.8±11.9 years; 44.1% male), who were recruited in Tokyo using convenience sampling, were analyzed in this study. The Ruminative Responses Scale, Cognitive Complaints in Bipolar Disorder Rating Assessment, Work Limitations Questionnaire 8, and Subjective Well-being Inventory were used to evaluate rumination, SCI, presenteeism, and psychological well-being (SWB and SIB), respectively. Path analyses were performed to evaluate the relations between these parameters.

Results

The path analysis indicated that rumination, SCI, and presenteeism were directly and negatively associated with SWB and SIB. Regarding indirect effects, rumination was negatively associated with SWB and SIB via SCI, presenteeism, and both SCI and presenteeism. Furthermore, SCI was negatively associated with SWB and SIB via presenteeism.

Conclusions

The results suggest that SCI and presenteeism mediate the associations of rumination with SWB and SIB in Japanese adult workers. To address the psychological well-being associated with rumination, evaluating SCI and presenteeism simultaneously may be useful in occupational mental health. This study provides key insights into the development of comprehensive intervention strategy based on the biopsychosocial perspective for worker’s psychological well-being.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13030-021-00218-x.

Associations of Cognitive Complaints and Depressive Symptoms with Health-Related Quality of Life and Perceived Overall Health in Japanese Adult Volunteers

Cognitive complaints, defined as perceived cognitive dysfunction in daily living, are associated with depressive symptoms. The associations of cognitive complaints and depressive symptoms with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and perceived overall health in Japanese adults remains unknown. To investigate these relationships, we evaluated a convenience sample of 525 Japanese adult volunteers (Mage: 41.3 ± 11.7; 238 male and 287 female). We used the Cognitive Complaints in Bipolar Disorder Rating Assessment (evaluating cognitive complaints), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (evaluating depressive symptoms), EuroQol-5 Dimension-5 Level (EQ-5D-5L; evaluating HRQoL), and EuroQol-Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS; evaluating perceived overall health). Our path analyses suggested that both cognitive complaints and depressive symptoms had significant total effects on HRQoL and perceived overall health. Furthermore, cognitive complaints were not significantly associated directly with HRQoL and perceived overall health, whereas cognitive complaints were significantly associated with HRQoL and perceived overall health indirectly via depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated directly with HRQoL and perceived overall health. This study suggests that depressive symptoms may mediate the associations of cognitive complaints with HRQoL and perceived overall health. Thus, to address the HRQoL and perceived overall health associated with cognitive complaints, evaluation and intervention for depressive symptoms may be useful in public health.