Developing Self Instead of Depression: Mediating Paths to Emerging Adults’ Mental Health
Апстракт
Previous studies on emerging adults have shown that prolonged distress related to the perceived discrepancy between ideal and current self reflects less adaptive emotional regulation and might lead to elevated depressiveness. Moreover, confidence in their ability to mitigate this discrepancy is considered an important mediator. We wondered if differentiation of self (a measure of self’s maturity, i.e., capability to distinguish between intellectual and emotional processes behind personal experiences) underlies this experience of discrepancy. Our research aimed to explore how self-differentiation could predict depressiveness if mediated through discrepancy distress, anxiety, and confidence to change. Participants were 364 emerging adults (18.7% male) aged 18 30 (M = 21.44, SD = 2.36). The level of self-differentiation (SD) was obtained via Differentiation of the Self Inventory (46 items, Likert 1-6), while depression (DEP) and anxiety (ANX) scores came from Depression Anxiety Stress Sca...le (42 items, Likert 0-3). Participants also completed the Self Discrepancies Scale, estimating (Likert 1-7) how big they find the discrepancies between their ideal and current self, how much distress this causes (DIS) them, and how confident they feel to achieve the aforementioned ideal (CONF). We conducted the Hayes PROCESS analysis. The results showed that variables fit best model 81. Two simple and sequential mediations were confirmed: 1. SD – ANX – DEP (ab = -.07, SE =.01, CI [-.09, -.05]); 2. SD – CONF – DEP (ef = -.01, SE = .00, CI [-.02, -.00]); 3. SD – DIS – ANX – DEP (cgb = -.01, SE = .00, CI [-.02, -.00]); 4. SD – DIS – CONF – DEP (chf = -.01, SE = .00, CI [-.02, -.01]). The only insignificant effect was the one between distress and depression; the whole model explained more than half of depression variance (R2 = 0.57, p < .00). These results show that better self-differentiation predicts lower levels of depressiveness (and vice versa) directly and through different mediation paths. Moreover, distress caused by the distance from the ideal self, also predicted by lower self-differentiation, seems to be a critical point that might lead to depressiveness through anxiety or crisis resolution through confidence in the ability to change. We might also consider therapeutic implications for
addressing depressiveness in emerging adulthood, such as increasing the aforementioned confidence and acknowledging potential depressiveness underlying the observed anxiety.
Кључне речи:
differentiation of self / depression / anxiety / ideal self / emerging adultsИзвор:
Proceedings of the XXIX Scientific Conference: Empirical Studies in Psychology, 2023, 78-Издавач:
- Belgrade: Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade
- Belgrade: Laboratory for Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade
Финансирање / пројекти:
- Министарство науке, технолошког развоја и иновација Републике Србије, институционално финансирање - 200163 (Универзитет у Београду, Филозофски факултет) (RS-MESTD-inst-2020-200163)
Напомена:
- Awarded poster.
Институција/група
Psihologija / PsychologyTY - CONF AU - Vuletić, Teodora AU - Lakićević, Miljana AU - Karalejić, Emilija AU - Nikolić, Marija AU - Erić, Marija PY - 2023 UR - http://reff.f.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/4917 AB - Previous studies on emerging adults have shown that prolonged distress related to the perceived discrepancy between ideal and current self reflects less adaptive emotional regulation and might lead to elevated depressiveness. Moreover, confidence in their ability to mitigate this discrepancy is considered an important mediator. We wondered if differentiation of self (a measure of self’s maturity, i.e., capability to distinguish between intellectual and emotional processes behind personal experiences) underlies this experience of discrepancy. Our research aimed to explore how self-differentiation could predict depressiveness if mediated through discrepancy distress, anxiety, and confidence to change. Participants were 364 emerging adults (18.7% male) aged 18 30 (M = 21.44, SD = 2.36). The level of self-differentiation (SD) was obtained via Differentiation of the Self Inventory (46 items, Likert 1-6), while depression (DEP) and anxiety (ANX) scores came from Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (42 items, Likert 0-3). Participants also completed the Self Discrepancies Scale, estimating (Likert 1-7) how big they find the discrepancies between their ideal and current self, how much distress this causes (DIS) them, and how confident they feel to achieve the aforementioned ideal (CONF). We conducted the Hayes PROCESS analysis. The results showed that variables fit best model 81. Two simple and sequential mediations were confirmed: 1. SD – ANX – DEP (ab = -.07, SE =.01, CI [-.09, -.05]); 2. SD – CONF – DEP (ef = -.01, SE = .00, CI [-.02, -.00]); 3. SD – DIS – ANX – DEP (cgb = -.01, SE = .00, CI [-.02, -.00]); 4. SD – DIS – CONF – DEP (chf = -.01, SE = .00, CI [-.02, -.01]). The only insignificant effect was the one between distress and depression; the whole model explained more than half of depression variance (R2 = 0.57, p < .00). These results show that better self-differentiation predicts lower levels of depressiveness (and vice versa) directly and through different mediation paths. Moreover, distress caused by the distance from the ideal self, also predicted by lower self-differentiation, seems to be a critical point that might lead to depressiveness through anxiety or crisis resolution through confidence in the ability to change. We might also consider therapeutic implications for addressing depressiveness in emerging adulthood, such as increasing the aforementioned confidence and acknowledging potential depressiveness underlying the observed anxiety. PB - Belgrade: Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade PB - Belgrade: Laboratory for Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade C3 - Proceedings of the XXIX Scientific Conference: Empirical Studies in Psychology T1 - Developing Self Instead of Depression: Mediating Paths to Emerging Adults’ Mental Health SP - 78 UR - https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_reff_4917 ER -
@conference{ author = "Vuletić, Teodora and Lakićević, Miljana and Karalejić, Emilija and Nikolić, Marija and Erić, Marija", year = "2023", abstract = "Previous studies on emerging adults have shown that prolonged distress related to the perceived discrepancy between ideal and current self reflects less adaptive emotional regulation and might lead to elevated depressiveness. Moreover, confidence in their ability to mitigate this discrepancy is considered an important mediator. We wondered if differentiation of self (a measure of self’s maturity, i.e., capability to distinguish between intellectual and emotional processes behind personal experiences) underlies this experience of discrepancy. Our research aimed to explore how self-differentiation could predict depressiveness if mediated through discrepancy distress, anxiety, and confidence to change. Participants were 364 emerging adults (18.7% male) aged 18 30 (M = 21.44, SD = 2.36). The level of self-differentiation (SD) was obtained via Differentiation of the Self Inventory (46 items, Likert 1-6), while depression (DEP) and anxiety (ANX) scores came from Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (42 items, Likert 0-3). Participants also completed the Self Discrepancies Scale, estimating (Likert 1-7) how big they find the discrepancies between their ideal and current self, how much distress this causes (DIS) them, and how confident they feel to achieve the aforementioned ideal (CONF). We conducted the Hayes PROCESS analysis. The results showed that variables fit best model 81. Two simple and sequential mediations were confirmed: 1. SD – ANX – DEP (ab = -.07, SE =.01, CI [-.09, -.05]); 2. SD – CONF – DEP (ef = -.01, SE = .00, CI [-.02, -.00]); 3. SD – DIS – ANX – DEP (cgb = -.01, SE = .00, CI [-.02, -.00]); 4. SD – DIS – CONF – DEP (chf = -.01, SE = .00, CI [-.02, -.01]). The only insignificant effect was the one between distress and depression; the whole model explained more than half of depression variance (R2 = 0.57, p < .00). These results show that better self-differentiation predicts lower levels of depressiveness (and vice versa) directly and through different mediation paths. Moreover, distress caused by the distance from the ideal self, also predicted by lower self-differentiation, seems to be a critical point that might lead to depressiveness through anxiety or crisis resolution through confidence in the ability to change. We might also consider therapeutic implications for addressing depressiveness in emerging adulthood, such as increasing the aforementioned confidence and acknowledging potential depressiveness underlying the observed anxiety.", publisher = "Belgrade: Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade: Laboratory for Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade", journal = "Proceedings of the XXIX Scientific Conference: Empirical Studies in Psychology", title = "Developing Self Instead of Depression: Mediating Paths to Emerging Adults’ Mental Health", pages = "78", url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_reff_4917" }
Vuletić, T., Lakićević, M., Karalejić, E., Nikolić, M.,& Erić, M.. (2023). Developing Self Instead of Depression: Mediating Paths to Emerging Adults’ Mental Health. in Proceedings of the XXIX Scientific Conference: Empirical Studies in Psychology Belgrade: Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade., 78. https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_reff_4917
Vuletić T, Lakićević M, Karalejić E, Nikolić M, Erić M. Developing Self Instead of Depression: Mediating Paths to Emerging Adults’ Mental Health. in Proceedings of the XXIX Scientific Conference: Empirical Studies in Psychology. 2023;:78. https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_reff_4917 .
Vuletić, Teodora, Lakićević, Miljana, Karalejić, Emilija, Nikolić, Marija, Erić, Marija, "Developing Self Instead of Depression: Mediating Paths to Emerging Adults’ Mental Health" in Proceedings of the XXIX Scientific Conference: Empirical Studies in Psychology (2023):78, https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_reff_4917 .