Role of perceived social support in depressive and somatic symptoms experienced by Bedouin Arab and Jewish Israeli undergraduates

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Abu-Kaf ◽  
Golan Shahar ◽  
Gal Noyman-Veksler ◽  
Beatriz Priel

Elevated levels of depressive and somatic symptoms have been documented among college students. Over the past two decades, there has been an increase in the number of Bedouin Arab students studying at institutions of higher education in southern Israel. To date, research on coping and mental health problems among students who are members of this ethnic minority has been limited. This study examined the role of three aspects of perceived social support – availability, satisfaction, and the ability to get emotional support – in predicting depressive and somatic symptoms among Jewish Israeli and Bedouin Arab college students. A total of 89 Bedouin and 101 Jewish first-year students participated in this study, which involved two assessment waves 12 to 14 months apart. Participants completed questionnaires assessing depressive symptoms, somatic complaints, three aspects of perceived social support, and demographics. At Time 1, Bedouin students exhibited higher levels of depressive and somatic symptoms and lower levels of all three aspects of social support. Regression analyses showed that level of emotional support was a prospective predictor of somatization at Time 2. Moreover, when levels of emotional support were low, ethnic group predicted depression at Time 2; emotional support predicted depression only among Bedouin Arabs. The present study highlights the importance of the use of emotional support in predicting somatic complaints and depressive symptoms specifically among Bedouin Arab students. Clinical implications on intervention programs for ethnic minority students will be discussed.

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
pp. 107656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmin B. Kofman ◽  
Zoe E. Eng ◽  
David Busse ◽  
Sophia Godkin ◽  
Belinda Campos ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Pang ◽  
Haiyan Dong ◽  
Lei Deng ◽  
Yi Zhang

Abstract BackgroundPatients with ovarian cancer (OC) often suffer from depressive symptoms, but there is little research on coping style such as perceived social support and resilience. The aim of the present study was to explore whether resilience plays a mediating role between perceived social support and depressive symptoms. MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed between August 2018 and March 2019. Perceived social support, resilience, and depressive symptoms were measured with the Multi‐dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale and the Connor‐Davidson Resilience Scale (CD‐RISC). Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to assess the mediating role of resilience between these variables. ResultsOf 230 consecutive patients identified, a total of 217 completed questionnaires. After controlling for covariates, perceived social support was negatively correlated with depressive symptoms (β = -0.482, p < 0.01) and explained 22.8% of the variance. In addition, after controlling for covariates and perceived social support, resilience was also negatively associated with depressive symptoms (β = -0.492, p < 0.01) and explained 18.1% of the variance. Bootstrapping test confirmed that the BCa 95% CI for resilience excludes 0 in Table 4 (BCa95% CI: -0.342, -0.143), therefore resilience partially mediated the associations of perceived social support with depressive symptoms. ConclusionsResults revealed that resilience could mediate the association between social support and depressive symptoms, and concluded that it was critical to focus on social support as well as resilience in the management strategy of OC.


2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Tanigawa ◽  
Michael J. Furlong ◽  
Erika D. Felix ◽  
Jill D. Sharkey

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 1141-1152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueting Zhou ◽  
Hong Zhu ◽  
Bin Zhang ◽  
Taisheng Cai

We examined the role of perceived social support in the relationship between perfectionism and depression/anxiety. Partial correlation and hierarchical regression were conducted using cross-sectional data from 426 college students. They completed questionnaires including positive and negative perfectionism scales, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Results showed that depression/anxiety were significantly correlated with perceived social support and perfectionism. Perceived social support significantly moderated the influence of perfectionism upon depression/anxiety. These findings indicate that perceived social support may have a protective effect in preventing perfectionists from experiencing depression and anxiety.


Author(s):  
Kathryn J Gardner ◽  
Nicola-Maria Jabs ◽  
Jennifer Drabble ◽  
Umair Akram

Abstract Previous research highlights the potential benefits of engaging with depressive Internet memes for those experiencing symptoms of depression, a phenomenon that can be explained by the humorous interpretation of depressive stimuli and perceived social support through symptom normalization. We examined whether individuals experiencing depressive symptoms would differ from controls in their interpretation of Internet memes related to depression, whilst incorporating the mediating role of humor style. N=78 individuals with self-reported depressive symptoms (≥24 on CES-D) and 67 controls (≤23) rated the emotional valance, humor, relatability, shareability, and mood-improving potential of 32 depressive and control memes (depicting neutral/positive social commentaries). Measures of depression and humor style were also completed. Perceived humor, relatability, shareability and mood-improving potential of depressive, but not control, memes were greater amongst individuals displaying depressive symptoms. However, differential ratings of humor, shareability and relatability were mediated by the extent of ones self-defeating humor style. These outcomes further evidence benefits of interacting with depression-related Internet memes for those with depression.


10.2196/11124 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. e11124
Author(s):  
Vera Storm ◽  
Dominique Alexandra Reinwand ◽  
Julian Wienert ◽  
Shu-Ling Tan ◽  
Sonia Lippke

Background Regular physical activity treatment has been advocated for the prevention and rehabilitation of patients at risk of cardiovascular diseases and depressive symptoms. How physical activity is related to depressive symptoms is widely discussed. Objective The aim of this internet-based study was to investigate the role of perceived social support in the relationship between physical activity habit strength and depressive symptoms. Methods In total, 790 participants (mean 50.9 years, SD 12.2, range 20-84 years) who were interested in reducing their cardiovascular risk were recruited in Germany and the Netherlands. Data collection was conducted via an internet-based questionnaire addressing physical activity habit strength, depressive symptoms, and perceived social support. Cross-sectional data analysis was done with SPSS version 24 using the Macro PROCESS version 2 16.3 by Hayes with bootstrapping (10,000 samples), providing 95% CIs. Results Physical activity habit strength was negatively related to depressive symptoms (r=–.13, P=.006), but this interrelation disappeared when controlling for perceived social support (beta=–.14, SE 0.09, P=.11). However, there was an indirect relationship between physical activity habit strength and depressive symptoms, which was mediated via perceived social support (beta=–.13; SE 0.04, 95% CI –0.21 to 0.06). The negative relationship between physical activity habit strength and depressive symptoms was fully mediated by perceived social support. Conclusions We suggest that physical activity treatment in people interested in reducing their cardiovascular risk should also embed social support to target depressive symptoms. Internet-based interventions and electronic health may provide a good option for doing so. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01909349; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01909349 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/73Y9RfdiY)


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 1017-1026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Y. C. L. Kwok ◽  
Dannii Y. L. Yeung ◽  
Annie Chung

With reference to the stress-buffering model, this study aimed to examine the moderating role of perceived social support (including institutional peer support and family support) on the relationship between physical functional impairment, as a source of stress, and depressive symptoms among Chinese nursing home elderly in Hong Kong. The study used a cross-sectional survey method and convenience sampling. The subjects were recruited from two private nursing homes. A total of 187 elderly (54 males and 133 females) participated in the survey. Interviews were conducted by experienced research assistants. The Geriatric Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptoms of each participant. Pearson correlational analyses showed that females reported more depressive symptoms than their male counterparts, and a positive relationship was found between education level and depressive symptoms. Perceived institutional peer support was negatively correlated, while physical functional impairment was positively correlated with depressive symptoms. However, there was no significant correlation between perceived family support and depressive symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that physical functional impairment and perceived institutional peer support were significant predictors of elderly depressive symptoms, while perceived family support was not a significant predictor, after statistically controlling for the influence of gender and education level. Perceived institutional peer support, but not perceived family support, was found to moderate the negative impact of physical functional impairment on elderly depressive symptoms. The theoretical and practical implications of this study were then discussed.


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