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Background Previous researches have not distinguished the between-person effects from the within-person effects when exploring the relationship between self-esteem, coping styles, and anxiety symptoms among adolescents. To address this gap, this study investigated reciprocal associations among self-esteem, coping styles, and anxiety symptoms in a three-wave longitudinal panel survey, using an analytical strategy that disaggregates the within-person and the between-person variance. Methods Data was drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Adolescents’ Mental and Behavioral Well-being Research study conducted in 10 public schools in the Guangdong province of China. All participants had a baseline visit (N = 1957, mean age 13.6, grades 7 and 10) and follow-up interviews at 1-year intervals for 3 years. A random intercept cross-lagged panel model combined with mediation analysis was performed. Results At the within-person level, the following results were observed. (1) Low self-esteem and anxiety symptoms bidirectionally predicted each other. (2) Low self-esteem and negative coping style bidirectionally predicted each other. (3) Anxiety symptoms predicted subsequent negative coping style but not vice versa. At the between-person level, we obtained the following main results. (1) Significant predictive effects on the random intercept were found among all three study constructs. (2) There were sex differences regarding the association between self-esteem and anxiety symptoms and the correlation of females was stronger than that of males. (3) Self-esteem mediated the reciprocal relations between coping styles and anxiety symptoms. Conclusions Overall, findings revealed a reciprocal relationship between low self-esteem and anxiety symptoms for both females and males. Besides, anxiety symptoms predict subsequent negative coping style but not vice versa. We also highlighted the mediating role of self-esteem in the reciprocal relations between coping styles and anxiety symptoms. Thus, interventions targeted at promoting self-esteem and cultivating positive coping style may help reduce adolescent anxiety.

Background While the association between screen time (ST) and psychosocial well-being has been extensively examined, limited studies have investigated the dynamic patterns of ST, and their impact on subsequent psychosocial well-being among adolescents. Therefore, this longitudinal study aimed to examine the association between ST trajectories and the subsequent psychosocial well-being among Chinese adolescents. Methods Data were drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Adolescents’ Mental and Behavioral Well-being Research (Registration No. ChiCTR1900022032). The final analysis included 1480 participants who completed baseline and two follow-up surveys. Standardized measures were employed to assess ST and multiple psychosocial well-being, including depressive symptoms, anxiety, externalizing problems, and coping style. Group-based trajectory modeling and generalized linear mixed models were performed. Results Over the two-year follow-up period, two distinct ST trajectories emerged: continued high (298 [20.1%]) and continued low (1182 [79.9%]). Compared with those in the continued low ST group, adolescents in the continued high group exhibited a higher likelihood of presenting depressive symptoms ( β  = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.43 ~ 1.50), anxiety symptoms ( β  = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.05 ~ 0.53), and emotional problems ( β  = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.22 ~ 0.48), and were less likely to demonstrate prosocial behavior or employ positive coping style. The stratified analysis demonstrated that the aforementioned associations only existed among female adolescents. Conclusions Persistent high exposure to ST was associated with an increased odds of emotional problems and a decreased probability of engaging in prosocial behavior and positive coping style, with particularly noteworthy effects observed among female adolescents. These findings underscore the importance of reducing ST exposure to improve the psychological well-being of adolescents.

Background Previous studies have examined the associations of baseline smartphone dependence (SPD) with depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms, ignoring changes in SPD over time. Especially, it is unclear whether individuals quitting SPD remain at high risk for depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal associations of changes in SPD with depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms among adolescents. Methods From September to December 2021 (wave 1), we recruited adolescents in grades 4 and 7 in five public primary schools and nine public junior high schools in Shenzhen, China, and collected information on SPD using the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version. The cut-off values of ≥ 31 and ≥ 33 were used in boys and girls, respectively, to identify adolescents with SPD. From September to December 2022 (wave 2), in addition to SPD, we collected the information on depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms using the 9-item version of Patient Health Questionnaire and the 7-item version of General Anxiety Disorder Scale, respectively. The cut-off values for clinically significant symptoms were both ≥ 10. Four patterns of changes in SPD during waves 1–2 were defined: none, quitting, new-onset, and persistent. From September to December 2023 (wave 3), we assessed depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms again. Results Of the 3088 adolescents included, the mean age was 12.5 (standard deviation [SD], 1.4) years and 54.3% were boys. Compared with adolescents without SPD, those with new-onset SPD (odds ratio [OR], 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 2.31) or persistent SPD (OR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.56 to 3.61) showed a higher risk of depressive symptoms, but those quitting SPD did not (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 0.83 to 2.12). We have observed a similar association between changes in SPD and anxiety symptoms. Several sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the results. Conclusions Our findings suggest that adolescents with SPD might be a high-risk group for depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms, and quitting SPD might help prevent them from developing depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms.

Background Meeting the 24-hour movement behavior (24-HMB) guideline helps enhance quality of life (QOL) of adolescents. This study aimed to assess the associations between the 24-HMB (physical activity, screen time, sleep) and QOL among adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2021 and September 2023. 24-HMB, QOL and demographic variables were collected through a self-reported questionnaire. Linear regression models and stratified analyses were used to explore statistical associations between the 24-HMB and QOL. Results A total of 1073 participants aged 10–18 years with a spinal Cobb angle between 10° and 40° were included. Overall, 20 participants (1.9%) met all three behavioral guidelines, and 272 participants (25.3%) met none. Compared to those who did not meet any of the guidelines, adolescents meeting both screen time and sleep duration ( β  = 4.10, 95% CI: 2.02–6.18, P  < 0.001) and all 3 guidelines ( β  = 4.39, 95% CI: 0.27–8.51, P  = 0.037) had higher QOL scores. Stratified analyses showed that the above associations were more pronounced in adolescents without back pain or with good self-image. Conclusions These findings highlight the importance of adopting and maintaining healthy behavioral habits in order to improve QOL among adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis, especially in those without back pain or with good self-image.

Background Depression among adolescents is a seriously disabling public health problem with an extremely high prevalence. Identifying risk factors of depression at an early stage is important to reduce the disease burden. Childhood maltreatment (CM) is one of the major risk factors for depression. The key mediating processes that how CM affects the development of depression, however, still need further clarification. The present study tested the mediating effect of self-esteem, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems between CM and depressive symptoms. Potential sex differences in the foregoing associations were also explored. Methods A three-wave longitudinal study was carried out among 1,957 middle and high school students from 69 classes in 10 public schools in the Guangdong province of China. Data collection started when students were in grades 7 and 10 (median age: 13.0, range: 11–18) between January and April 2019, and the students were followed up once a year thereafter. Self-reported CM, depressive symptoms, self-esteem, internalizing and externalizing problems, and other demographics were collected. The multiple serial mediation analysis was conducted. Results We found that CM was positively related to subsequent internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as depressive symptoms, while self-esteem was negatively related to depressive symptoms. Serial mediation analysis indicated that self-esteem (mediator 1) and internalizing problems (mediator 2) sequentially mediated the path from CM to depressive symptoms in the overall and male population. Moreover, with externalizing problems as mediator 2, self-esteem (mediator 1) acted as a partial mediator in the association between CM and depressive symptoms in males, whereas externalizing problems played a complete mediating role in females. Conclusion Findings revealed that self-esteem and internalizing problems sequentially mediated the influence of CM on depressive symptoms whereas externalizing problems played an independent mediating role. In addition, sex differences need to be taken into consideration when designing prevention and intervention strategies, given the different psychosocial processes between boys and girls.

The longitudinal association between perceived criticism and depressive symptoms has not been fully elucidated in older adults. We aimed to explore the above association and the modifying role of sex in older adults. Data were from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (waves 1–9; 2002–2019). Depressive symptoms were assessed with the 8-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale, and a cut-off value of ≥4 was used to define clinically significant depressive symptoms. We included participants aged ≥50 years and without depressive symptoms at baseline, and established four dynamic prospective cohorts to explore the associations of perceived criticism from spouses ( n  = 8155), children ( n  = 9049), other immediate family members (OIFM, n  = 9370), and friends ( n  = 9736) with depressive symptoms, respectively. In the full‐adjusted model, compared with perceived no spouse criticism, perceived some (hazard ratio [HR], 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18–1.55) and a lot (HR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.85–2.72) were associated with higher risks of depressive symptoms, but perceived a little was not (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.92–1.20). Compared with perceived no child criticism, perceived a little (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.12–1.36), some (HR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.33–1.68), and a lot (HR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.62–2.52) were associated with higher risks of depressive symptoms, and perceived criticism from OIFM and friends showed similar results. Sex significantly modified the above associations, and females were more susceptible to four types of perceived criticism than males. Our findings emphasize the benefits of reducing criticism of older adults in preventing their depressive symptoms.

Background Depressive symptoms among adolescents are a serious health concern around the world. Altered DNA methylation in the FK506 binding protein 5 ( FKBP5 ) gene has been reported to regulate stress response, which has been reported to be closely associated with depressive symptoms. However, most of the contributing studies have been conducted among adults and relatively few studies have considered the effect of disparate social influences and sex differences on the DNA methylation of FKBP5 in persons with depressive symptoms. The present study aimed to test the associations of FKBP5 DNA methylation and depressive symptoms among adolescents and explore possible sex differences in the foregoing associations. Methods This study was conducted using a nested case-control design within a longitudinal cohort study from January 2019 to December 2019. Adolescents aged 12 to 17 years from 69 classes in 10 public high schools located in Guangdong province of China participated in this research. Students with persistent depressive symptoms that reported having depressive symptoms at both baseline and follow-up were treated as the case group, and those without depressive symptoms were randomly selected as the control group. Our study finally included 87 cases and 151 controls. Quantitative methylation analyses of the selected gene were carried out by MassARRAY platform System. Results The overall DNA methylation trend of FKBP5 CpG sites in the case group was lower in comparison to the control group. Compared to healthy controls, lower methylation percentage of FKBP5 -12 CpG 1 was observed in adolescents with persistent depressive symptoms after adjusting for covariates (case: 0.94 ± 2.00, control: 0.47 ± 0.92; F  = 5.41, P  = 0.021), although the statistical significance of the difference was lost after false discovery rate correction ( q > 0.05). In addition, the hypomethylation of FKBP5 -12 CpG 1 was approaching significance after adjustment for social-environmental factors (a OR  = 0.77; P  = 0.055), which indicated that no independent association was detected between hypomethylation of FKBP5 CpG sites and persistent depressive symptoms. Furthermore, in the present study, we were unable to identify sex differences in the association of FKBP5 gene methylation with depressive symptoms. Conclusion The decreased methylation level of FKBP5 was observed in adolescents with persistent depressive symptoms, albeit non-significant after correction for multiple testing. Our results presented here are preliminary and underscore the complex gene-environment interactions relevant to the risk for depressive symptoms.

Abstract Background and Objectives Accumulating evidence suggests that low grip strength (GS) is associated with a faster cognitive decline, but most previous studies have measured GS at a single time point, ignoring changes in GS. We aimed to explore the association of the GS loss rate with the sequent cognitive decline, as well as the moderating role of social isolation in older adults. Research Design and Methods Data were from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Absolute and relative GS loss rates were calculated as the annual losses from Wave 2 (2004–05) to Wave 4 (2008–09). Participants were divided into 3 groups according to the tertiles of GS loss rates. Linear mixed models were used to assess the association of the GS loss rate during Waves 2–4 with the cognitive decline rate during Waves 4–9 (Wave 9, 2018–19). Results Of the 4 356 participants included in analyses, 1 938 (44.5%) were men, with a mean age of 68.4 (SD: 8.4) years. Compared with Tertile 1 of the absolute GS loss rate, Tertile 2 (β = −0.009 [95% CI: −0.018 to −0.001] SD/year) and Tertile 3 (β = −0.018 [95% CI: −0.027 to −0.010] SD/year) were associated with a faster cognitive decline rate. The results of relative GS were similar to those of absolute GS. Social isolation was a significant modifier in the associations of the absolute GS loss rate with decline rates in global cognition and episodic memory, but not in temporal orientation. We did not observe that social isolation moderated the association of the relative GS loss rate with the cognitive decline rate. Discussion and Implications Both absolute and relative GS loss rates were positively associated with the cognitive decline rate in older adults. Low social isolation scores attenuated the association of the absolute GS loss rate with the cognitive decline rate.

Background Cognitive impairment in individuals with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) may have an association with the levels of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). However, the relationship between peripheral VEGF levels and cognitive function in MDD patients remains unclear and has not been thoroughly investigated in a clinical setting. Methods In this case-control study, we recruited 60 patients diagnosed with MDD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria (33 males and 27 females, mean age 41.17 ± 13.32 years) and 60 healthy controls (28 males and 32 females, mean age 37.20 ± 11.93 years). Serum VEGF levels were measured using an ELISA kit, and cognitive performance was assessed using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Group differences were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA)/analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and associations were assessed using Pearson’s correlation. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Suzhou Guangji Hospital. Results Following adjustment for variables such as gender, age, BMI, and other potential confounding factors, it was observed that the serum VEGF levels in individuals with depression were significantly reduced compared to those in the corresponding healthy control group (F = 4.55, p  = 0.04). Within the depressive patient cohort, serum VEGF levels negatively correlated with attention scores ( r =-0.32, p  = 0.01) and RBANS total scores ( r =-0.28, p  = 0.03). Conversely, no such correlations were observed in the healthy control group (attention scores: r  = 0.19, p  = 0.15; RBANS total scores: r =-0.03, p  = 0.82). Conclusions Our study suggests that reduced serum VEGF levels may contribute to cognitive impairment in MDD, warranting further investigation into its potential role as a biomarker and therapeutic target.

In consideration of the limited accuracy of individual tree canopy segmentation algorithms due to the diverse canopy structure and complex environments in mountainous and hilly areas, this study optimized the segmentation parameters of three algorithms for individual tree canopy segmentation of Camellia oleifera in such environments by analyzing their respective parameters. Utilizing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Light Detecting and Ranging (UAV-LiDAR) system, we obtained Canopy Height Models (CHM) of Camellia oleifera canopies based on Digital Elevation Models (DEM) and Digital Surface Models (DSM). Subsequently, we investigated the effects of CHM segmentation, point cloud clustering segmentation, and layer stacking fitting segmentation on Camellia oleifera canopies across different research areas. Additionally, combining ground survey data from forest lands with visual interpretation of UAV orthophoto images, we evaluated the performance of these three segmentation algorithms in terms of the F-score as an evaluation indicator for individual tree canopy segmentation accuracy. Combined with the Cloth Simulation Filter (CSF) filtering algorithm after removing the ground point cloud, our findings indicate that among different camellia densities and terrain environments, the point cloud clustering segmentation algorithm achieved the highest segmentation accuracy at 93%, followed by CHM segmentation at 88% and the layer stacking fitting segmentation method at 84%. By analyzing the data from UAV-LiDAR technology involving various land and Camellia oleifera planting types, we verified the applicability of these three segmentation algorithms for extracting camellia canopies. In conclusion, this study holds significant importance for accurately delineating camellia canopies within mountainous hilly environments while providing valuable insights for further research in related fields.