The prevalence of depressive symptomatology in Indian women and the associated treatment gap are alarming and require interventions at a community level. Such interventions may succeed if the specific risk and protective factors are appropriately identified and addressed. Identifying such factors may suggest a Psychological Defensive Syndrome (PDS) against depressive symptomatology, and inculcating this PDS through specific interventions may help individuals manage depressive symptomatology. For evaluating the feasibility of such an idea, a two-phase research project was initiated, and the current paper presents findings of its first phase. The primary aim of the first phase was to explore the predictive relationship between depressive symptomatology and rumination, reappraisal, resilience, self-efficacy, neuroticism, and extraversion. A total of 671 women (Mage = 23.71) responded to standardized questionnaires in a semi-structured interview setting. The obtained data were subjected to correlational, regression, and path analysis. The findings support all the hypotheses; women, who reported less engagement in rumination and more in reappraisal, who scored low on neuroticism and high on extraversion, resilience and self-efficacy, showed less severe depressive symptoms than their counterparts. This pattern can be thought of as a PDS against depressive symptoms in Indian women. These results highlight the importance of addressing these factors in preventing and assuaging depressive symptomatology in Indian women.
Background: The higher prevalence of depressive symptoms among women demands an in-depth exploration of every possible mechanism through which depressive symptoms may prevail. Identifying any malleable mechanism may open a new pathway through which such symptoms could be targeted. We explored the association between neuroticism, rumination, anxiety, and depressive symptoms and tested a moderated mediation model with anxiety as a mediator in the relationship between neuroticism and depressive symptoms, and rumination as a moderator of the effect of neuroticism on anxiety. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted on Indian women living in the state of Punjab. A total of 671 adult females responded to the translated versions of standardized questionnaires measuring the relevant constructs. Results: The mean (SD) age of the sample was 23.71 (6.09) years. As hypothesized, anxiety significantly mediated the relationship between neuroticism and depression, and the use of rumination moderated the effect of neuroticism on anxiety. Among women with a high score on neuroticism, those with low ruminating tendencies showed less anxiety and depression than others who scored high on rumination. Conclusion: The findings imply that a reduction in rumination may help women, especially those who are high on neuroticism, manage their vulnerabilities toward anxiety and depressive symptoms. Personality traits being not that malleable, targeting a reduction of rumination usage, which is both a trans-diagnostic factor and a malleable one, can help address the surging prevalence of common mental disorders such as anxiety and depression through appropriately devised interventions.
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