Zhou Qiaoning, Dai Zongpei, Hou Li, Jin Chenxuan, Xiang Wenjun, Tan Jieying, Hao Weihong, Dai Qin
Psychological Training Centre, Department of Medical Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.
Department of Clinical Nursing, First Affiliated Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.
BMC Psychol. 2025 Apr 8;13(1):351. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02666-4.
Diathesis-stress theory of depression is well known, which stresses that stressor is an inducing factor for depression in general population. High altitude, a combination of variety of stressors, is a special environment that may cultivate more depression. However, how different types of stressors contribute to depression and its underlying mechanisms in high-altitude populations remain unrevealed. The study aimed to reveal the effect of different stressors on depressive mood among long-term high-altitude workers in China and further explore the mediation of emotion regulation and moderation of parent-child alienation.
2065 Chinese workers at altitude of approximate 4200 m completed a cross-sectional survey with the Baker Depression Inventory-II scale, the Emotional Regulation scale, the Parent-child Alienation scale, and the Stressors scale (i.e., environmental factors, low social support, working challenges, accommodation, personal affairs, and cognitive factors).
Correlation analysis showed positive correlations between stressors and depressive mood (r = 0.05-0.94, p < 0.05). Regression analysis indicated that low social support stressor was the strongest predictor of depressive mood (β = 0.21), while working challenges, personal affairs, and cognitive factors also positively predicted depressive mood. The mediating model showed that expression inhibition played a partial mediating (promoting) role between stressors and depressive mood, accounting for 3.13% of total variance. The moderating model showed that parent-child alienation played a moderating role in the model (β = 0.01, p < 0.001); a lower level of parent-child alienation effectively alleviated the impacts of stressors on depressive mood.
Stressors (working challenges, personal affairs, cognitive factors, and especially low social support) positively predict the depressive mood of long-term high-altitude workers in China. Expression inhibition plays a promoting mediation in the relationship between stressors and depressive mood. A good parent-child relationship alleviates the negative impact of stressors on depressive mood. Findings provide new empirical support for diathesis-stress theory and attract further attention to less expression inhibition and better parent-child relationships in depression prevention.
抑郁的素质-应激理论广为人知，该理论强调应激源是普通人群中抑郁症的诱发因素。高海拔地区是多种应激源的组合，是一个特殊的环境，可能会滋生更多的抑郁症。然而，不同类型的应激源如何导致高海拔人群患抑郁症及其潜在机制仍不明确。本研究旨在揭示不同应激源对中国长期高海拔工作者抑郁情绪的影响，并进一步探讨情绪调节的中介作用以及亲子疏离的调节作用。
2065名海拔约4200米的中国工作者完成了一项横断面调查，调查使用了贝克抑郁量表第二版、情绪调节量表、亲子疏离量表和应激源量表（即环境因素、社会支持不足、工作挑战、住宿、个人事务和认知因素）。
相关性分析表明应激源与抑郁情绪之间存在正相关（r = 0.05 - 0.94，p < 0.05）。回归分析表明，社会支持不足应激源是抑郁情绪最强的预测因子（β = 0.21），而工作挑战、个人事务和认知因素也正向预测抑郁情绪。中介模型表明，表达抑制在应激源与抑郁情绪之间起部分中介（促进）作用，占总方差的3.13%。调节模型表明，亲子疏离在模型中起调节作用（β = 0.01，p < 0.001）；较低水平的亲子疏离有效地减轻了应激源对抑郁情绪的影响。
应激源（工作挑战、个人事务、认知因素，尤其是社会支持不足）正向预测中国长期高海拔工作者的抑郁情绪。表达抑制在应激源与抑郁情绪的关系中起促进中介作用。良好的亲子关系可减轻应激源对抑郁情绪的负面影响。研究结果为素质-应激理论提供了新的实证支持，并在抑郁症预防中对较少的表达抑制和更好的亲子关系吸引了更多关注。
