ABSTRACT
Background: Social achievement goals such as the desire to receive positive feedback from the social environment or avoid negative feedback are situations that affect an individual's quality of life and predispose them to mental disorders. Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between social achievement goals and self-esteem, depression, and anxiety in medical school students. Materials and Methods: 400 participants, 201 of whom were female volunteers, between the ages of 18-30, studying at the Faculty of Medicine were evaluated. Sociodemographic Data Form, Social Achievement Goal Orientation Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory Sub-Scale were applied to the participants. Results: A negative correlation between social development goals and depression (rs = -0.218, P < 0.001) and anxiety (rs = -0.188, P < 0.001), and a positive correlation with self-esteem (P = 0.002) were found. A statistically significant and positive correlation between social performance-avoidance goals and depression (rs = 0.233, P < 0.001) and anxiety (rs = 0.245, P < 0.001), and still statistically significant, and negative relationship with self-esteem (P = 0.001) were found. While social performance-approach goals were positively correlated with anxiety (rs = 0.192, P < 0.001) and depression (rs = 0.108, P = 0.03), no statistically significant correlation was found with self-esteem (P = 0.129). Conclusion: It has been seen that our study generally supports the other studies in the literature concerning the relations between social achievement goal subgroups and self-esteem, depression, and anxiety in university students. It will be possible to contribute to the findings with studies encompassing university students from different cities and departments and studies with a large number of participants other than students.
Subject(s)
Goals , Students, Medical , Humans , Female , Adolescent , Young Adult , Adult , Male , Depression/epidemiology , Quality of Life , Schools, Medical , Anxiety/epidemiologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: We analyzed i) the effects of serious life events (SLE) on impulsive aggression, and ii) modulating effects of the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism on the association between SLEs and impulsive aggression in borderline personality disorder (BPD). METHOD: One hundred and twelve female BPD patients from Germany were included in this study. Impulsive aggression was assessed by the Buss-Durkee-Hostility Inventory (BDHI). RESULTS: Childhood sexual abuse was associated with lower BDHI sum score (P = 0.003). In COMT Val(158)Val carriers, but not in Val/Met and Met/Met carriers, childhood sexual abuse and the cumulative number of SLEs were associated with lower BDHI sum scores (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study analyzing a specific gene x environment interaction in female BPD patients suggests an association between SLEs and impulsive aggression, as well as a modulating effect of the COMT Val(158)Val genotype on the relation between SLEs and impulsive aggression.
Subject(s)
Aggression/psychology , Alleles , Borderline Personality Disorder/genetics , Catechol O-Methyltransferase/genetics , Impulsive Behavior/genetics , Life Change Events , Polymorphism, Genetic/genetics , Adult , Borderline Personality Disorder/psychology , Child , Child Abuse, Sexual/psychology , Female , Gene Expression Regulation/genetics , Genotype , Germany , Hostility , Humans , Impulsive Behavior/psychology , Personality Inventory/statistics & numerical data , Phenotype , Psychometrics , Social Environment , Young AdultABSTRACT
Impulsive aggression belongs to the key features of borderline personality disorder (BPD). In the development of BPD, serious life events are known to play a major role. Acute and chronic stress has been suggested to inhibit hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) synthesis and to mediate neural plasticity in response to adverse social experiences. Recently it has been reported that the frequency of violent suicide attempts is higher in adult suicide attempters reporting severe childhood sexual abuse and carrying the Val(66)Val genotype of the BDNF Val(66)Met polymorphism. In this study we analysed modulating effects of BDNF Val(66)Met polymorphism on the effects of physical maltreatment, rape and childhood sexual abuse on impulsive aggression. One hundred and fifty-nine BPD patients from Germany and of Caucasian descent were included. Impulsive aggression was assessed by the Buss-Durkee-Hostility Inventory (BDHI). Childhood sexual abuse accounted for 23.6% of the variance of BDHI sum score. Childhood sexual abuse decreased BDHI sum score in BDNF Val/Val carriers but not in Met carriers. In contrast to previous findings this study analysing a specific gene x environment interaction in BPD patients suggests a decreasing effect of childhood sexual abuse on impulsive aggression in BPD patients, particularly in BDNF Val/Val carriers. The interrelations between serious life events, impulsive aggression and the BDNF Val(66)Met polymorphism as well as their implication for BPD are far from understood and require further investigations.
