This study examined whether commonly used social class indicators (occupational prestige, education, and income) had direct or indirect effects on mental health, and whether these relationships varied by gender, race, or family structure. To this end, 597 working-class participants were interviewed in the months before they had a child. Findings indicated that income, and not occupational prestige or education, had a direct effect on mental health, in that it was related to fewer depressive symptoms. Additionally, education and race interacted, such that for People of Color, more education was related to more depressive symptoms. Furthermore, occupational prestige and education, and not income, had indirect effects on mental health through job autonomy, such that higher prestige and education were related to more job autonomy, which in turn was related to fewer depressive symptoms. However, after examining the moderating influence of race and family structure, these indirect effects were only significant for Whites and married participants, with null or opposite effects for People of Color, cohabiters, and single participants. The findings highlight the importance that social divisions play in creating disparate experiences in society.

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / US military personnel often experience ongoing distress after being exposed to traumatic events, and many develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Both general theories of stress and coping and cognitive theories of PTSD suggest that traumatic events give rise to distress by negatively influencing important beliefs and goals related to the self, other people, and the world. According to these theories, more positive belief- and goal-systems are associated with less severe symptoms of distress. Two constructs that tap into these systems are general self-efficacy and subjective meaning in life. The overall goal of the current study was to examine the ways general self-efficacy and subjective meaning in life relate to posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms and symptom clusters in US military personnel, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Data from a VA-funded intervention study (n = 191) were examined. Results demonstrated that meaning in life is consistently associated with posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms and symptom clusters cross-sectionally, whereas general self-efficacy is only associated with some aspects of depressive symptoms. Longitudinal analyses further revealed that meaning in life is associated with the Cluster D symptoms of PTSD and the cognitive-affective symptoms of depression. Interpretations, possible explanations, implications, and future directions are provided. Continued research in this area may identify important targets for treatment that enhance ongoing efforts to facilitate recovery from trauma.

This study examined links of cumulative and present depressive symptoms with present cortisol diurnal profiles in oldest-old adults. Five waves of data from 50 older adults (M age = 89.05 years; 64% women) who participated in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing were used to combine 15 years of longitudinal data with seven cortisol samples per day over a one-week period. Findings revealed that individuals with more past depressive symptoms showed a lower cortisol awakening response (CAR). Interestingly, present depressive symptoms were not associated with the CAR. These findings inform our understanding of distal health factors in very old age.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationships between physical and emotional peer victimization, parental and peer support and depressive symptoms. The moderating role of parental and peer support and gender differences in such moderation were the focus of the study in examining the association between peer victimization forms and depressive symptoms. Two hundred and sixty one youths (ages 10-14) completed self report measures of parental and peer support and depressive symptoms and were interviewed about their victimization experiences. Physical victimization rates were higher for boys whereas girls reported higher emotional victimization experiences and higher peer support than boys did. Correlations indicated that the experience of physical and emotional victimization by peer is linked to depressive symptoms. For boys, but not for girls, a significant moderation effect indicated that physical victimization was significantly related to depressive symptoms among youths with low peer support whereas physical victimization was not related to depressive symptoms among youths with high peer support. There were significant main effects of parental and peer support for both genders suggesting the importance of such support against depressive symptoms. The study's findings contribute to the literature regarding peer victimization's effects on mental health by illustrating the beneficial effect of parent and peer support during adolescence. / Master of Science