The Impact of Morningness-Eveningness on Depression through a Serial Mediation Model of Resilience and Anxiety.

OBJECTIVE: Resilience has been recently considered one of the possible mechanisms for the association between morningness-eveningness and depression. Meanwhile, anxiety is closely associated with mood disorder, but its association with morningness-eveningness is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the mediating effects of resilience and anxiety on morningness-eveningness and depression as the possible mechanisms. METHODS: This study included patient group and nonpatient group. Patient group consists of 743 patients with mood disorders [Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), 233; Bipolar Disorder Ⅰ (BDⅠ), 113; Bipolar Disorder Ⅱ (BDⅡ), 397] whereas nonpatient group consists of 818 individuals without mood disorder. The Composite Scale of Morningness, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Self-Rating Depression Scale, and Beck Anxiety Inventory were used to evaluate morningness-eveningness, resilience, anxiety, and depression, respectively. RESULTS: Our model provided a good fit for the data. The association between morningness-eveningness and depression symptoms was partially serially mediated by resilience and anxiety in both the patient and nonpatient groups. The patient group exhibited significantly stronger morningness-eveningness toward resilience and anxiety than the nonpatient group. In the indirect effect of morningness-eveningness on depression, group differences exist only through each mediation of resilience and anxiety, not through serial mediation. CONCLUSION: Our results expand on the mechanism underlying the association between morningness-eveningness and depression. They highlight the importance of morningness-eveningness modification to increase resilience and the need to consider anxiety jointly in this process.

Development and Validation of the Mental Health Scale for Maltreated Children.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop and validate a comprehensive self-report questionnaire to assess emotional and behavioral problems and psychological trauma in maltreated children. METHODS: The Mental Health Scale for Maltreated Children (MHS-MC) was constructed to encompass five major symptoms (depression, anxiety, inattention/hyperactivity/impulsivity, aggression/defiance, and psychological trauma) prevalent in maltreated children. Critical items and ego-resilience subscale were also devised to increase clinical utility. After informed consent, 205 children (maltreated children, n=157, 76.6%) were recruited nationwide, and they answered a package of self-report measures, including the MHS-MC. Reliability, construct validity, concurrent validity, and criterion-related validity were examined to explore the psychometric properties. RESULTS: The reliability was good to excellent. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a five-factorial solution for the symptom subscales supporting construct validity. In logistic regression, the total scores of the MHS-MC predicted membership in the maltreated group. Criterion-related validity was generally satisfactory in that all subscales of the MHS-MC showed significant correlations with relevant measures in the expected direction. CONCLUSION: This is the first attempt to develop a comprehensive psychological scale based on nationwide data collected from maltreated Korean children. We hope that the continued standardization of this scale will contribute to evidence-based clinical and policy decisionmaking for maltreated children.

New Biocatalyst Including a 4-Nitrobenzoic Acid Mediator Embedded by the Cross-Linking of Chitosan and Genipin and Its Use in an Energy Device.

A new anodic catalyst consisting of carbon nanotube, 4-nitrobenzoic acid, chitosan, genipin, and glucose oxidase (GOx) (CNT/4-NBA/[Chit/GOx/GP]) is suggested to promote the glucose oxidation reaction (GOR) and the performance of enzymatic biofuel cell (EBC). In this catalyst, through the cross-linked structure of chitosan and genipin and the proper distribution of amine groups within chitosan, many GOx molecules are maximally captured, their leaching out is suppressed, and the GOR is improved upon. In addition, 4-nitrobenzoic acid plays the role of mediator well. The effect induced by the cross-linked structure is evaluated by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, pH measurements, and electrochemical characterizations. According to the characterizations, the new CNT/4-NBA/[Chit/GOx/GP] catalyst contains a large amount of GOx (17.8 mg/mL) and produces a high anodic current (331 µA/cm2 at 0.3 V vs Ag/AgCl) with a low onset potential (0.05 V vs Ag/AgCl) because its catalytic activity follows the desirable reaction pathway that minimizes creation of a protonated amine group that interferes with GOR. When the performance of EBC using this catalyst as an anodic electrode is measured, the EBC shows a high open-circuit voltage of 0.54 V and a maximum power density of 38 µW/cm2.