The Mediating Role of Extra-family Social Relationship Between Personality and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Adults

• DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2022.1604797
• Publication Date: 2022-09-23T04:12:31Z
• Authors: Hanfang Zhao; Hong Shi; Zheng Ren; Minfu He; Xiangrong Li; Yuyu Li; Yajiao Pu; Li Cui; Shixun Wang; Jieyu Zhao; Hongjian Liu; Xiumin Zhang
• Keywords: Adult; Male; China; Depression; Public Health Archive; big-five personality; 03 medical and health sciences; depressive symptoms; 0302 clinical medicine; adults; Humans; Female; Interpersonal Relations; Family Relations; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; extra-family social relationship; Personality

Objectives: This study aims to explore the associations of personality traits and extra-family social relationship with depressive symptoms among Chinese adults.Methods: A nationally representative sample of 29,810 adults aged 16 and above were selected from 2018 CFPS. Personality and depressive symptoms were measured using CBF-PI-15 and the CES-D8 scale. Extra-family social relationship was assessed through the self-rated evaluation. The multiple regression analysis and the PROCESS macro were used for the mediation analysis.Results: Extraversion (OR = 0.807, 95% CI = 0.773, 0.842), agreeableness (OR = 0.795, 95% CI = 0.756, 0.835) and extra-family social relationship (OR = 0.927, 95% CI = 0.913, 0.941) had negative associations with depressive symptoms. Extra-family social relationship could mediate between extraversion and depressive symptoms (Indirect effect = −0.049,95% CI = −0.060, −0.039) as well as agreeableness (Indirect effect = −0.056, 95% CI = −0.068, −0.046) and depressive symptoms. Comparing to females, the indirect effect accounts for a higher proportion of total effect in males.Conclusion: Extra-family social relationship might mediate the association between extraversion and depressive symptoms as well as agreeableness and depressive symptoms.