Effect of stressors on depressive mood among long-term high-altitude workers: a moderated mediation analysis

Diathesis-stress theory of depression is well known, which stresses that stressor is an inducing factor for depression in general population. High altitude, a combination of variety of stressors, is a special environment that may cultivate more depression. However, how different types of stressors contribute to depression and its underlying mechanisms in high-altitude populations remain unrevealed. The study aimed to reveal the effect of different stressors on depressive mood among long-term high-altitude workers in China and further explore the mediation of emotion regulation and moderation of parent-child alienation.

2065 Chinese workers at altitude of approximate 4200 m completed a cross-sectional survey with the Baker Depression Inventory-II scale, the Emotional Regulation scale, the Parent-child Alienation scale, and the Stressors scale (i.e., environmental factors, low social support, working challenges, accommodation, personal affairs, and cognitive factors).

Correlation analysis showed positive correlations between stressors and depressive mood (r = 0.05-0.94, p < 0.05). Regression analysis indicated that low social support stressor was the strongest predictor of depressive mood (β = 0.21), while working challenges, personal affairs, and cognitive factors also positively predicted depressive mood. The mediating model showed that expression inhibition played a partial mediating (promoting) role between stressors and depressive mood, accounting for 3.13% of total variance. The moderating model showed that parent-child alienation played a moderating role in the model (β = 0.01, p < 0.001); a lower level of parent-child alienation effectively alleviated the impacts of stressors on depressive mood.

Stressors (working challenges, personal affairs, cognitive factors, and especially low social support) positively predict the depressive mood of long-term high-altitude workers in China. Expression inhibition plays a promoting mediation in the relationship between stressors and depressive mood. A good parent-child relationship alleviates the negative impact of stressors on depressive mood. Findings provide new empirical support for diathesis-stress theory and attract further attention to less expression inhibition and better parent-child relationships in depression prevention.