Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Bochum, Germany.
Universität Koblenz-Landau, Pain and Psychotherapy Research Lab, Landau in der Pfalz, Germany.
PLoS One. 2021 Oct 14;16(10):e0258333. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258333. eCollection 2021.
Individuals with low socioeconomic status (SES) are disproportionally affected by depressive disorders which are among the main causes for loss in healthy life years in adults worldwide. The main objective of the research presented here was to identify a psychological mindset of individuals with low SES and to investigate whether this mindset mediates the relationship between low SES and symptoms of depression. Towards these goals, a series of four studies was conducted: Study 1 identified a set of ten statements reflecting a psychological mindset associated with low SES using a population-based sample from Germany (N = 1,969). Study 2 cross-validated a psychometric scale (S-Scale) that was created based on these statements in a population-based sample from Germany (N = 3,907). Study 3 introduced a longitudinal perspective and showed that the S-Scale mediated the relationship between low SES and symptoms of depression assessed one year later in a German student sample (N = 1,275). Study 4 supported unidimensionality and construct validity of a unified version of the S-Scale and confirmed the mediation effect of the S-Scale for SES and depression while controlling for confounding variables (e.g., socially desirable responding) in a U.S. American convenience sample (N = 1,000). Evidence from four studies supported the reliability and validity of the S-Scale. Controlling for a psychological mindset as measured with this scale, low SES was no longer a predictor of depressive symptoms. The S-Scale can be used in clinical and research settings to assess a psychological mindset that puts individuals at risk for depression. Overall strengths of this series of studies include the use of population-based and longitudinal datasets and the application of findings to different operationalizations of SES. Future studies should investigate whether this mindset can be modified by psychological interventions and whether changes in this mindset predict improvements in depressive symptoms.
社会经济地位（SES）较低的个体受到抑郁障碍的不成比例影响，而抑郁障碍是全球成年人健康寿命损失的主要原因之一。本研究旨在确定 SES 较低个体的心理特征，并探讨这种心理特征是否在 SES 与抑郁症状之间起中介作用。为此，进行了四项研究：研究 1 使用德国基于人群的样本（N=1969），确定了一组反映与 SES 相关的心理特征的十个陈述。研究 2 在德国基于人群的样本（N=3907）中，对基于这些陈述创建的心理计量量表（S 量表）进行了交叉验证。研究 3 引入了纵向视角，表明 S 量表在一年后在德国学生样本（N=1275）中，在 SES 和抑郁症状之间起中介作用。研究 4 在一个美国便利样本中（N=1000），支持了 S 量表的单维性和结构效度，并证实了 S 量表在控制混杂变量（如社会期望反应）时，对 SES 和抑郁的中介作用。四项研究的证据支持了 S 量表的可靠性和有效性。控制了该量表测量的心理特征后，SES 不再是抑郁症状的预测因素。S 量表可用于临床和研究环境中，评估使个体处于抑郁风险的心理特征。本系列研究的总体优势包括使用基于人群和纵向数据集，以及将研究结果应用于 SES 的不同操作化。未来的研究应探讨这种心理特征是否可以通过心理干预来改变，以及这种心理特征的变化是否可以预测抑郁症状的改善。
