The relationship between chronotype, psychological pain, problematic social media use, and suicidality among university students in Turkey.

Chronotype has been extensively linked to various psychological outcomes, including suicide, which significantly impacts the mortality rate among young adults worldwide. Research on the extent of these links is still ongoing. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the complex relationships between chronotype, internet addiction, problematic social media use (PSMU), psychological pain, and suicidality in a student population. A total of 571 Turkish students (65.3% female, mean age 20.3 ± 1.63 years) completed the following scales: the Suicide Probability Scale (SPS), the Mee-Bunney Psychological Pain Assessment Scale (MBPPAS), the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS), the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Morningness - Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The results showed that the relationship between chronotype and suicidality was partially mediated by SMDS and MBPPAS but not by anxiety, depression, or IAT. These findings suggest that psychological pain and PSMU may be important factors that contribute to suicidality in evening-type individuals. These findings have significant implications for the development of interventions aimed at reducing suicidality among evening-type individuals. By addressing the underlying factors of psychological pain and PSMU, it may be possible to mitigate the increased risk of suicidality among this population.

The mediating roles of depression, anxiety, and psychological pain in the relationship between chronotype and suicide in patients with depressive disorder.

The evening chronotype has been associated with depressive symptoms and suicidality; however, the underlying mechanisms are still under investigation. Research has shown that psychological pain, or feelings of suffering, is closely related to suicidality. Therefore, the aim of the study is to determine whether psychological pain, anxiety, and depressive symptoms mediate the association between chronotype and depressive symptoms in patients with depression and in healthy controls. A total of 118 patients with depressive disorder and 85 healthy controls completed the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Suicide Probability Scale, and the Mee-Bunney Psychological Pain Assessment Scale. Mediation analysis revealed that the relationship between eveningness and suicidality was fully mediated by depression and psychological pain and not by anxiety. These findings highlight that psychological pain is an important psychological dimension in the relationship between eveningness and suicidality.

The effect of circadian preferences on insomnia severity and depressive symptoms via sleep hygiene in older adults with depression and healthy controls.

BACKGROUND: The elderly population is increasing globally. Thus, researches focus on the causes and treatment of insomnia, a noteworthy ageing problem. This study aims to investigate the relationship between chronotype and insomnia and whether sleep hygiene mediates this relationship in older adults with depression (OAD). METHODS: We assessed subjective insomnia severity, sleep hygiene, chronotype, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms of 82 OAD and 70 healthy controls using the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). RESULTS: The mediation effect of SHI and ISI scores were evaluated in the relationship between MEQ and BDI total scores in OAD. The results showed that MEQ performed its effect on BDI through ISI with full mediation (effect = -0.16, SE: 0.07, 95% CI: -0.3230 to -0.0336). The mediation effect of SHI and BDI scores were evaluated in the relationship between MEQ and ISI total scores in OAD. In this model, it was found that MEQ significantly performed its effect on ISI through SHI and BDI. BDI and SHI predicted the ISI variable as partial mediators (respectively, effect = -0.05, SE: 0.03, 95% CI: -0.1073 to -0.0100; effect = -0.06, SE: 0.02, 95% CI: -0.1051 to -0.0129). CONCLUSIONS: Sleep hygiene practices could be essential for the natural functioning of the biological clock and the interrelation of depression and insomnia. Longitudinal follow-up studies of structured sleep hygiene approaches are needed in terms of cost-effectiveness, in OAD.

Chronotype and depressive symptoms in healthy subjects: the mediating role of hopelessness and subjective sleep quality.

Chronotype preference and lower sleep quality in university students can influence mental health. Individuals with evening chronotypes have a high risk of mental health problems, including depressive symptoms. However, the underlying mechanisms are still under investigation. Hopelessness is composed of negative feelings and thoughts about the future and is closely related to depressive symptomatology. The aim of the study was to determine whether reduced sleep quality and hopelessness mediate the association between chronotype and depressive symptoms in a student sample, which was evaluated cross-sectionally. A total of 339 Turkish students (53.7% female, mean age 22.18 ± 1.79 y) completed the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Mediation analysis showed no significant direct relationship between eveningness and depressive symptoms. The relationship between eveningness and depressive symptoms was mediated by hopelessness, but not by subjective sleep quality (effect = - 0.03, SE: 0.01, CI: -0.04, -0.02). Better knowledge of the relationship between hopelessness and eveningness might form the basis of a more specific approach to the prevention of depression in evening types.

The relationship between internet addiction, social anxiety, impulsivity, self-esteem, and depression in a sample of Turkish undergraduate medical students.

Internet addiction (IA) is currently becoming a serious mental health problem. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of IA among undergraduate medical students and evaluate the relationship of IA with social anxiety, impulsivity, self-esteem, and depression. The study included 392 undergraduate medical students. Evaluations were made with the sociodemographic data form, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), the Barratt Impulsivity Scale-11 (BIS-11), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The IA group had significantly higher scores on LSAS, BDI, BAI and lower scores on RSES than the control group but the BIS-11 scores were similar among groups. IAT severity was positively correlated with LSAS, BDI, and BAI and negatively with RSES. No correlation was observed between IAT severity and BIS-11. In the hierarchical linear regression analysis, the avoidance domain of social anxiety was the strongest predictor of the severity of IA. The present study suggests that undergraduate medical students with IA exhibit higher social anxiety, lower self-esteem and are more depressed than those without IA, thus, indicating that social anxiety, rather than impulsivity, seemed to play a prominent role in IA psychopathology.

Predictors of suicide in patients with conversion disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown that the ratio of suicide attempts is between 19.6 and 34.2% in patients with conversion disorder (CD), yet few studies have addressed this issue. The present study compared demographic and clinical variables and predictors of suicide attempts in patients with CD. METHODS: A total of 100 consecutive patients were recruited and divided into groups according to their history of suicide attempts. Socio-demographic variables such as economic status, age, gender, educational level, marital status, clinical variables such as the presence of psychiatric disorder in family, substance abuse, risky alcohol use, age of onset, subtype of CD, number of hospitalization were recorded. Participants also completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-28), Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: Suicide attempters had a higher rate of risky alcohol use, more hospitalizations, and higher mean scores on the BAI, BDI, DES/DES-taxon, TAS-total and CTQ-total than did non-suicide attempters or healthy control (NHC). Patients with CD had a higher harm-avoidance and a lower self-directedness rather than NHC. Risky alcohol use, number of hospitalizations, and mean DES-taxon and emotional abuse scores were independent predictors of suicide attempts. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that clinicians should be aware of the prediction of suicide in patients with CD who show dissociation and risky alcohol use. Moreover, a history of childhood emotional abuse should be considered in the management of CD. The fact that clinical variables distinguished between suicide attempters and non-attempters suggests that a history of suicide attempts may be used to clarify the heterogeneous nature of CD.