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Purpose: From the perspective of positive psychology, our study aimed to explore depressive symptoms and psychological well-being among Chinese nurses, as well as analyze the impacts of character strengths, self-efficacy and social support on the mental health of nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional and descriptive design using five self-reported questionnaires was used to investigate a cohort of 4238 nurses during 2018. A structural equation modeling analysis was used to verify a hypothetical model linking character strengths, self-efficacy, social support, depressive symptoms, and psychological well-being. Results: The prevalence of depression among this cohort of Chinese nurses was 58.1%. The mean scores for caring, inquisitiveness, and self-control were 19.93 (SD ¼ 2.82), 15.94 (SD ¼ 3.00), and 16.34 (SD ¼ 2.95), respectively. The hypothesized model was a good fit of the data (c 2 /df ¼ 1.77, p ¼ .183, root mean square error of approximation ¼ 0.04, goodness of fit index ¼ 1.00, comparative fit index ¼ 1.00, TuckereLewis index ¼ 1.00). Except for the path from self-control to depression, the other hypothetical paths investigated were statistically significant. Conclusion: Character strengths were directly and positively associated with psychological well-being. Inquisitiveness was the strongest direct protective factor for depression. In addition, character strengths indirectly alleviated depression and increased psychological well-being through mediating variables of social support and self-efficacy. This study should alert nurse managers that more attention should be paid to the character strengths and mental health of nurses. This study provides evidence for interventions based on character strengths as a management strategy to support the mental health of nurses.

L-theanine, originally found in green tea, elicits various physiological effects, such as promoting relaxation, improving concentration and learning ability, and providing antianxiety-like and antidepressant-like properties. This study aims to investigate the effects of L-theanine (2 mg/kg) on monoamine levels in an animal model of depression. The effect of L-theanine on the symptoms of depression was examined through the open-field test, sucrose preference test, and forced swim test. The monoamine neurotransmitters that involve serotonin (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE), and dopamine (DA) were measured in the limbic-cortical-striatal-pallidal-thalamic (LCSPT)-circuit related brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC), nucleus accumbens (NAC), striatum (ST), amygdala, and hippocampus (HIP). L-theanine ameliorated the depressive-like behaviors in the chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)rat model. In the PFC, NAC, and HIP, L-theanine administration significantly increased the levels of 5-HT, NE, and DA. In the ST, the levels of 5-HT and DA were increased after the administration of L-theanine. However, in the HIP, only the level of DA significantly changed after the treatment of L-theanine. Taken together, these results indicated that L-theanine has possibly antidepressant-like effects in the CUMS rat model, which could be mediated by the monoamine neurotransmitters in the LCSPT-circuit related brain regions.

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