Szota Marta, Rogowska Aleksandra M, Kwaśnicka Aleksandra, Chilicka-Hebel Karolina
Institute of Psychology, University of Opole, 45-040 Opole, Poland.
Department of Health Sciences, Institute of Health Sciences, University of Opole, 45-040 Opole, Poland.
J Clin Med. 2024 Aug 19;13(16):4897. doi: 10.3390/jcm13164897.
: Depression and anxiety are prevalent disorders, particularly during emerging adulthood. Uncertainty about the future, exacerbated by unstable times, can lead to heightened future anxiety in this group. This study aimed to examine the complex associations of depression symptoms, future anxiety, and self-efficacy in adults from Poland. Additionally, we investigated age and gender differences in depression symptoms, future anxiety, and self-efficacy. A cross-sectional online survey study was performed in 2023 in Poland using snowball sampling. A convenience sample of 284 adults participated in this study, ranging in age between 18 and 65 years old ( = 32.18, = 11.87), including 95 men (33.45%) and 189 (66.55%) women, and also 157 (55.63%) emerging adults (18-28 years old) and 126 (44.37%) middle-aged adults (29-65 years old). The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Dark Future Scale (DFS-5), and Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) were used to measure depression, future anxiety, and self-efficacy, respectively. A 2-way ANOVA showed that both emerging adults and women scored significantly higher in depression symptoms and future anxiety than middle-aged adults and men, respectively. Furthermore, women scored lower in self-efficacy than men. Analyses revealed that there was a positive correlation between depression and future anxiety. Self-efficacy was negatively correlated with depression and future anxiety. Self-efficacy and future anxiety accounted for 48% of depression variance, controlling for age and gender. Future anxiety was found to be a partial mediator of the relationship between self-efficacy and depression. This study significantly advances the understanding of mental health in adults, grounded in social cognitive theories, revealing that low self-efficacy heightens future anxiety, thereby exacerbating depression symptoms in the Polish adult population, independent of age and gender. Emerging adults and women need psychological support to reduce depression and future anxiety. Women, in particular, should be the main focus of interventions to boost self-efficacy. Implementing targeted preventive measures and support systems can mitigate the challenges faced by emerging adults and women.
抑郁症和焦虑症是普遍存在的疾病，尤其是在成年初期。不稳定的时代加剧了对未来的不确定性，这可能导致该群体未来焦虑感增强。本研究旨在探讨波兰成年人中抑郁症状、未来焦虑和自我效能感之间的复杂关联。此外，我们还调查了抑郁症状、未来焦虑和自我效能感在年龄和性别上的差异。2023年在波兰采用滚雪球抽样法进行了一项横断面在线调查研究。284名成年人的便利样本参与了本研究，年龄在18至65岁之间（平均年龄 = 32.18岁，标准差 = 11.87岁），其中包括95名男性（33.45%）和189名女性（66.55%），还有157名（55.63%）成年初期个体（18至28岁）和126名（44.37%）中年成年人（29至65岁）。分别使用患者健康问卷（PHQ - 9）、黑暗未来量表（DFS - 5）和一般自我效能量表（GSES）来测量抑郁、未来焦虑和自我效能感。双向方差分析表明，成年初期个体和女性在抑郁症状和未来焦虑方面的得分分别显著高于中年成年人和男性。此外，女性的自我效能感得分低于男性。分析显示，抑郁与未来焦虑之间存在正相关。自我效能感与抑郁和未来焦虑呈负相关。在控制年龄和性别后，自我效能感和未来焦虑解释了48%的抑郁变异。研究发现，未来焦虑是自我效能感与抑郁之间关系的部分中介变量。本研究基于社会认知理论，显著推进了对成年人心理健康的理解，揭示了低自我效能感会加剧未来焦虑，从而加重波兰成年人群体的抑郁症状，且不受年龄和性别的影响。成年初期个体和女性需要心理支持来减轻抑郁和未来焦虑。特别是女性，应该成为提高自我效能感干预措施的主要关注对象。实施有针对性的预防措施和支持系统可以减轻成年初期个体和女性所面临的挑战。
