Can Hostile Attitudes and Hostile Affections Lead to Depressive Symptoms Under Stress? A Study Based on Racial/Ethnic...

Stress has a significant influence on the development of depressive symptoms. An individual's coping style and resilience may moderate the symptoms of depression. This study is aimed to investigate the role of coping styles and resilience to depressive symptoms when individuals are facing stress in life based on racial/ethnic and gender differences.

Enrolled individuals were assessed using the Unfairness Scale, City Stress Inventory, Cook-Medley Hostility Scale, Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

Three hundred ninety-six individuals completed the rating scales. There were significant interactions between race and unfairness, city stress (P = 0.006, P < 0.001), and between gender and city stress (P = 0.016). AAs and males suffer more stress than EAs and females. Hostile attitudes and affects act as mediators and significantly affect the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms (indirect effect: B = 0.812, P < 0.001; direct effect: B = 1.015, P < 0.001). Individuals with high resilience reported lower BDI scores. AAs with high stress and medium resilience had a buffer effect on depressive symptoms, while EAs did not.

The racial and gender effects of stress on depressive symptoms were significant. Individuals who have frequently experienced stress exhibited a more hostile attitude/affect compared to those who have experienced less stress. Furthermore, individuals who had a more hostile attitude/affect were more likely to be affected by depressive symptoms. Resilience has a protective factor for all participants, and medium resilience had a better buffer effect for AAs compared to EAs. There should be training for boosting resilience in schools and in vulnerable communities.