Depression and Creativity During COVID-19: Psychological Resilience as a Mediator and Deliberate Rumination as a Moderator

Abstract

Purpose: The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has had a significant impact on people’s lives, has apparently increased the incidence of depression. Although the topic of how depression affects creativity is contested, previous research has revealed a significant relationship between the two. The purpose of this study is to further investigate the relationship and the mechanisms that operate between depression and creativity.Methods: A total of 881 students at an independent college in China completed a questionnaire consisting of the Self-Reported Depression Scale, Runco Ideational Behavior Scale, Psychological Resilience Scale, Deliberate Rumination Scale and demographic information. Among the respondents, 317 (36.0%) were male and 564 (64.0%) were female, all of whom were from the same grade. Correlation analyses were conducted, and then the researchers carried out mediation analysis and developed a moderated mediation model.Results: The results indicated that (a) depression was positively related to creativity (r = 0.085, p < 0.05); (b) psychological resilience mediated the relationship between depression and creativity; specifically, psychological resilience was negatively related to depression (r = −0.462, p < 0.01), which in turn was positively related to creativity (r = 0.198, p < 0.01); and (c) deliberate rumination moderated the relationship between depression and psychological resilience, showing a significant negative correlation with depression (r = 0.138, p < 0.01), psychological resilience (r = 0.078, p < 0.05), and creativity (r = 0.288, p < 0.05); specifically, higher levels of deliberate rumination strengthened the negative correlation between psychological resilience and depression.Conclusion: The results suggest that depression is a positive predictor of creativity and may promote creativity to some extent. Further, individuals with greater psychological resilience are more creative than those with less psychological resilience, as it is a question of whether they can and to what extent they can effectively use depression as an emotional resource. Last, an individual’s level of deliberate rumination moderates the mediating process, especially at the stage where depression is associated with psychological resilience. These findings advance understanding of the mechanisms that operate between depression and creativity.

The Influence of Sense of Place on Elementary School Students’ Creativity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating and Buffering Effects of Psychological Resilience

“…The term “creativity” was first defined by American psychologist Guilford (1950) as a thinking and behavioral process that generates a valuable and original idea, product, or solution. Since the term was proposed, the connotation and theoretical basis of creativity have been continuously enriched and expanded ( Plucker et al, 2004 ; Xu et al, 2021 ). However, to date, there is still no universally accepted academic definition of creativity, except for a generally accepted view that creativity is a cognitive process that is characterized as the ability to generate novel ideas ( Runco and Basadur, 1990 ; Xu et al, 2021 ).…”

“…The existing literature offers many studies related to psychological resilience (e.g., Marx et al, 2017 ; Liu et al, 2020 ; Xu et al, 2021 ). Its relationship to creativity has also been of interest to researchers ( Marwa and Milner, 2013 ; Chen, 2015 ; Anser et al, 2020 ; Xu et al, 2021 ).…”

“…The existing literature offers many studies related to psychological resilience (e.g., Marx et al, 2017 ; Liu et al, 2020 ; Xu et al, 2021 ). Its relationship to creativity has also been of interest to researchers ( Marwa and Milner, 2013 ; Chen, 2015 ; Anser et al, 2020 ; Xu et al, 2021 ). In one study, it was mentioned that artistic ethnographic innovation best begins with the experience of a sense of place, one of the conjunctions of environment and sensation ( Kapoor and Kaufman, 2020 ).…”

Resilience: A Protective Factor from Depression and Anxiety in Mexican Dialysis Patients

“…The promotion of salutogenic factors can serve as an alternative to improve the emotional well-being of the patient. Resilience can be considered as a mediator or moderator concept in reducing pathologies [14,52]. Psycho-educational tools have constituted an effective proposal for reducing gaps caused by a low educational level [53], because they allow a greater understanding of the characteristics of the disease and improve adherence to treatment [54,55].…”

“…The promotion of salutogenic factors can serve as an alternative to improve the emotional well-being of the patient. Resilience can be considered as a mediator or moderator concept in reducing pathologies [52]. Results of this study may aid in preparing appropriate psychosocial interventions in which resiliency plays a core role, which could positively impact the psychological sphere of patients living with ESRD.…”