Exploring the influence of BDNF Val66Met gene polymorphism and coping mechanisms on depression, anxiety, and stress among allied health sciences undergraduates

association of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism with hPa and saM axis reactivity to psychological and physical stress

Impact of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress on Mental Health: The Moderating Role of Resilience among Caregivers of Individuals with Thalassemia.

The aim of the study was to find out the impact of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress on Mental Health; furthermore, the study will examine the Moderating Role of Resilience among Caregivers of individuals with thalassemia. The translated version of DASS 21 was used to assess anxiety, depression, and stress. For mental health, the Urdu-translated version of the Mental Health Inventory (MHI) (Khan et al., 2015) was used. The resilience scale (Connor et al., 2003) was used to assess the resilience. A sample of thalassemia patients and their caregivers was selected for the current study to be conducted across several hospitals and thalassemia clinics in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach was computed, which was conducted by using the Smart PLS software. This suggests that individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, and stress may develop adaptive coping mechanisms, leading to increased resilience. Mental health significantly moderates the relationship between DASS and resilience. This means that the impact of stress, anxiety, and depression on resilience varies according to mental health. The results showed that resilience was positively correlated with depression, anxiety, and stress; however, these factors were negatively correlated with caregivers compared to individuals with thalassemia, and the presence of multiple thalassemia patients raised the caregivers' anxiety levels.

Relationship between BDNF rs6265 (VAL66MET) polymorphism and serum BDNF LEVELS in anxiety disorders

It is demonstrated that decreased serum BDNF levels are associated with the presence and symptom severity of anxiety disorders, and the Val66Met polymorphism does not appear to be a primary determinant of serum BDNF levels in this population, suggesting that other genetic or environmental factors may be involved.

Anxiety and Depression in a Clinical Population: Transdiagnostic Factors in Mental Health

Introduction: Anxiety and depression are the most prevalent mental health disorders worldwide, placing an increasing burden on public health systems. However, certain transdiagnostic factors may modulate vulnerability to these disorders: personality traits, emotional regulation, and social support. Objective: To examined these factors, classifying them as either risk or protective through correlation analyses and qualitative comparative analyses in a clinical sample. Methods: After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, the final sample consisted of 61 participants (73.8% female, 24.6% male, 1.6% other genders) aged between 20 and 66 years (M = 43.79; SD = 12.75). Results: Neuroticism was associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression, whereas extraversion predicted better mental health. Additionally, emotion dysregulation correlated positively with both psychopathologies. Finally, perceived social support emerged as a sufficient condition for lower anxiety levels; conversely, its absence was linked to higher levels of both anxiety and depression. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of further investigating risk and protective factors related to highly prevalent mental health problems like anxiety and depression. Better understanding these factors can help improve assessment, diagnosis, and treatment within clinical practice.

Psychological well-being and coping with academic stress among nursing, health sciences, and engineering students: A comparative cross-sectional study

University students are currently exposed to high levels of academic stress, which negatively affects mental health and psychological well-being. Stress perception depends on individual appraisal processes and coping strategies, as well as emotional resources such as emotional intelligence, resilience, and self-esteem. However, few studies have jointly examined these variables across different academic disciplines. This study aimed to address the gap in comparative research between health sciences and computer engineering regarding academic stress and its emotional correlates. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 277 1st-year students from a private university in Spain. Data were collected using validated scales (Academic Stress Coping Scale, Ryff, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Rosenberg, and Trait Meta-Mood Scale 24). The study was approved by the Catholic University of Murcia Ethics Committee (code CE022402). Participants completed a battery of validated questionnaires assessing perceived stress, coping strategies, emotional intelligence, resilience, self-esteem, and psychological well-being. Group comparisons and correlation analyses were performed using nonparametric tests. Health Sciences students reported significantly higher stress levels than computer engineering students (P < .05). Specifically, 37.25% of medicine students reported experiencing “a lot” of stress, compared to only 10.2% of computer engineering students. Nursing students showed the highest levels of psychological well-being, self-esteem, and resilience. Significant negative relationships were found between stress and positive reappraisal (r = −0.32, P < .01), resilience (r = −0.29, P < .01), self-esteem (r = −0.26, P < .01), and self-acceptance (r = −0.24, P < .01 mainly among nursing and physiotherapy students. Medicine students displayed lower emotional clarity (21.7 ± 7.7), which was positively associated with stress (r = 0.28, P < .05). The findings highlight discipline-specific differences in stress and emotional resources, underscoring the need for targeted university interventions. Specific programs to enhance resilience are recommended for physiotherapy students, while medicine students specifically require emotional clarity training to improve their coping skills and psychological well-being.

Prevalence and risk factors of suicide and their correlation with depression and anxiety among medical students: a Saudi multicenter study

Introduction Medical training is a major source of stress for medical students, potentially affecting their mental well-being, and subsequently increasing their risk of mental disorders and suicide. This study examined the prevalence and risk factors of suicidality among medical students at four universities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. The study tool consisted of a questionnaire developed by the research team along with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), and Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS). Results The study included 450 medical students (251 females and 199 males). According to the C-SSRS, 28% of the participants reported death wishes, 8.2% reported suicidal ideation during the past month, and 10% were classified as having a moderate-to-high suicidality risk. Depressive symptoms were present in 38.7% of the participants, including 16.5% with moderately severe to severe depression; 61.8% reported anxiety, with 32.2% experiencing moderate to severe levels. Multivariable logistic regression identified severe depression (aOR = 14.54, 95% CI: 3.09–68.55), a history of abuse of any form (aOR = 4.22, 95% CI: 2.02–8.84), and mild anxiety (aOR = 3.29, 95% CI: 1.08–10.01) as independent predictors of moderate/high suicidality risk. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that suicidality is a concern among medical students and is associated with depression, anxiety, and other factors. These findings highlight the need to promote prevention and early detection to facilitate access to timely management, including mental health services.