The mediating role of psychological capital in the association between life satisfaction and depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading   Processing Request
Read Online Read More Add to Saved list
  • Author(s): Wang S;Wang S; Li H; Li H; Chen X; Chen X; Yan N; Yan N; Wen D; Wen D
  • Source:
    BMC psychiatry [BMC Psychiatry] 2023 Jun 05; Vol. 23 (1), pp. 398. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Jun 05.
  • Publication Type:
    Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100968559 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-244X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 1471244X NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Psychiatry Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001-
    • Subject Terms:
      COVID-19*/epidemiology ; COVID-19*/psychology ; Personal Satisfaction* ; Students, Medical*/psychology; Humans ; Anxiety/epidemiology ; China/epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression/psychology ; East Asian People ; Hope ; Optimism ; Pandemics ; Resilience, Psychological ; Self Efficacy
    • Abstract:
      Background: Although life satisfaction is a predictor of depressive and anxiety symptoms, the mechanisms underlying this association are poorly understood. This study examined how psychological capital (PsyCap), a positive psychological state, mediated the association between life satisfaction and depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
      Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at three medical universities in China. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 583 students. Depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, life satisfaction, and PsyCap were measured anonymously. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was performed to explore the effects of life satisfaction on depressive and anxiety symptoms. Asymptotic and resampling strategies were used to examine how PsyCap mediates the association between life satisfaction and depressive and anxiety symptoms.
      Results: Life satisfaction was positively associated with PsyCap and its four components. There were significant negative associations between life satisfaction, psychological capital, resilience, optimism, and depressive and anxiety symptoms among medical students. Self-efficacy was negatively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms. Psychological capital (a×b = -0.3201, BCa 95% CI: -0.3899, -0.2446; a×b = -0.2749, BCa 95% CI: -0.3817, -0.1996), resilience (a×b = -0.2103, BCa 95% CI: -0.2727, -0.1580; a×b = -0.1871, BCa 95% CI: -0.2520, -0.1414), optimism (a×b = -0.2100, BCa 95% CI: -0.3388, -0.1150; a×b = -0.1998, BCa 95% CI: -0.3307, -0.0980), and self-efficacy (a×b = -0.0916, BCa 95% CI: 0.0048, 0.11629; a×b = 0.1352, BCa 95% CI: 0.0336, 0.2117) significantly mediated the association between life satisfaction and depressive and anxiety symptoms.
      Limitations: This was a cross-sectional study, and causal relationships between the variables could not be ascertained. Self-reported questionnaire instruments were used for data collection, which may have recall bias.
      Conclusions: Life satisfaction and PsyCap can be used as positive resources to reduce depressive and anxiety symptoms among third-year Chinese medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological capital and its components (self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism) partially mediated the relationship between life satisfaction and depressive symptoms, and completely mediated the relationship between life satisfaction and anxiety symptoms. Therefore, improving life satisfaction and investing in psychological capital (especially self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism) should be included in the prevention and treatment of depressive and anxiety symptoms among third-year Chinese medical students. Additional attention is needed to pay for self-efficacy in such disadvantageous contexts.
      (© 2023. The Author(s).)
    • References:
      J Affect Disord. 2023 May 15;329:11-18. (PMID: 36841295)
      Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2018 Dec 18;17:52. (PMID: 30568720)
      Med J Malaysia. 2019 Feb;74(1):57-61. (PMID: 30846664)
      Med Educ. 2016 Apr;50(4):456-68. (PMID: 26995484)
      Med Teach. 2007 Feb;29(1):43-8. (PMID: 17538833)
      Pak J Med Sci. 2020 Jul-Aug;36(5):971-976. (PMID: 32704273)
      Age Ageing. 2020 Apr 27;49(3):446-452. (PMID: 32037460)
      J Affect Disord. 2020 Oct 1;275:188-193. (PMID: 32734907)
      Front Psychol. 2021 Feb 22;12:625506. (PMID: 33692725)
      BMC Psychiatry. 2013 Mar 19;13:89. (PMID: 23510273)
      Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Jul 13;16(14):. (PMID: 31337012)
      BMC Med Ethics. 2022 Jan 20;23(1):4. (PMID: 35057787)
      Asian J Psychiatr. 2013 Apr;6(2):128-33. (PMID: 23466109)
      Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 1997 Feb;32(2):63-7. (PMID: 9050346)
      Med J Islam Repub Iran. 2020 Oct 06;34:131. (PMID: 33437727)
      Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2004 Dec;39(12):994-9. (PMID: 15583908)
      Scand J Public Health. 2014 Feb;42(1):89-95. (PMID: 23999855)
      Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2019 Mar 21;12:195-208. (PMID: 30962730)
      J Rehabil Med. 2014 Feb;46(2):139-43. (PMID: 24213683)
      Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2006 Aug;41(8):674-8. (PMID: 16680408)
      BMC Psychol. 2020 Sep 22;8(1):99. (PMID: 32962764)
      J Pers Assess. 1985 Feb;49(1):71-5. (PMID: 16367493)
      Front Psychiatry. 2019 May 21;10:315. (PMID: 31178764)
      BMC Psychiatry. 2016 Jan 11;16:3. (PMID: 26754773)
      J Health Psychol. 2022 Jul;27(8):1913-1925. (PMID: 33913353)
      AIDS Care. 2019 May;31(5):629-635. (PMID: 30466302)
      Int J Ment Health Syst. 2019 May 06;13:30. (PMID: 31080499)
      JAMA. 2010 Sep 15;304(11):1181-90. (PMID: 20841531)
      J Affect Disord. 2020 Jan 1;260:498-505. (PMID: 31539686)
      Front Psychiatry. 2021 Feb 16;12:605676. (PMID: 33664681)
      Adv Med Educ Pract. 2021 Apr 21;12:393-398. (PMID: 33911913)
      Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2020 Jan-Dec;35:1533317519885264. (PMID: 31916847)
      BMC Public Health. 2012 Mar 21;12:219. (PMID: 22436106)
      Med Educ. 2014 Oct;48(10):963-79. (PMID: 25200017)
      Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2020 Sep;66(6):525-527. (PMID: 32349580)
      Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2020 Jul 10;18(1):223. (PMID: 32650793)
      Adv Med Educ Pract. 2018 May 07;9:323-333. (PMID: 29765261)
      Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). 2017 Jan 1;63(1):21-28. (PMID: 28225885)
      BMC Psychol. 2020 Apr 22;8(1):38. (PMID: 32321593)
      Psychiatry. 2012 Summer;75(2):167-75. (PMID: 22642435)
      J Community Psychol. 2019 Apr;47(3):504-516. (PMID: 30321460)
      J Affect Disord. 2020 Feb 15;263:292-300. (PMID: 31818792)
      Acad Psychiatry. 2018 Feb;42(1):31-40. (PMID: 28664462)
      Pers Individ Dif. 2021 Aug;178:110869. (PMID: 36406744)
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Anxiety symptoms; COVID-19; Depressive symptoms; Life satisfaction; Medical students; Psychological capital
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20230605 Date Completed: 20230613 Latest Revision: 20230614
    • Publication Date:
      20231215
    • Accession Number:
      PMC10240134
    • Accession Number:
      10.1186/s12888-023-04894-7
    • Accession Number:
      37277718