Associations between insecurity and stress among Chinese university students: The mediating effects of hope and self-efficacy.

BACKGROUND: In the context of the pandemic, exploration on the association between insecurity and stress among university students is limited. The current study aims to investigate the parallel mediation role of hope and self-efficacy in the relationship between insecurity and stress among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We employed a cross-sectional research design in a university by distributing questionnaires online. 5286 participants were recruited (mean age = 19.65; SD = 1.13). Items were from the Security Questionnaire, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, and the Positive Psychology Capital (Psycap) Questionnaire (PPQ). Parallel mediation analysis was performed using PROCESS macro in SPSS. RESULTS: The results indicate that insecurity predicted students' stress positively and that students with high-level perceived insecurity are more likely to perceive stress. Moreover, hope and self-efficacy mediated the relationship between insecurity and stress, indicating that hope and self-efficacy could buffer the negative effects of insecurity on stress. LIMITATIONS: This study examines the mediating model between insecurity and stress among Chinese university students. The generalizability of the findings in other regions remains to be explored. Additionally, the roles of other positive self-beliefs including optimism and resilience in relieving stress can be further explored in future research. CONCLUSIONS: This research provides direct evidence of insecurity effects on stress among university students, enriching relevant theories in the field of stress. Moreover, this research suggests that enhancing positive self-beliefs such as hope, and self-efficacy helps to relieve students' stress during COVID-19.

[Effect of Biofeedback Combined with Task-oriented Training on Hand Function, Gesell Scale Score and Balance Ability in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effects of biofeedback combined with task-oriented training on hand function, Gesell's infant development scale score (Gesell) and balance ability in children with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP). METHODS: 66 children with SCP admitted to our hospital from January 2016 to June 2018 were randomly divided into the control group and the observation group. The control group ( n=33) received conventional rehabilitation treatment, and the observation group ( n=33) received biofeedback combined with task-oriented training based on the treatment of control group. After 6-month treatment, Modified Ashworth scale (MAS) score, Berg balance scale (BBS) score, standing and walking function score in gross motor function scale (GMFM), assisting hand assessment scales (AHA) score, Gesell scale score and satisfaction of the children's parents were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The MAS score after treatment was lower than that before treatment in both two groups ( P<0.05), and the BBS score after treatment was higher than that before treatment in both two groups ( P<0.05). After treatment, the MAS score in the observation group was lower than the control group, and the BBS score in the observation group was higher than the control group ( P<0.05). The scores of standing and walking function after treatment were higher than that before treatment in both two groups ( P<0.05). After treatment, the scores of standing and walking function in the observation group were higher than the control group ( P<0.05). The AHA score and Gesell developmental quotient (DQ) score after treatment were higher than that before treatment in both two groups ( P<0.05). After the treatment, the AHA score and Gesell DQ score in the observation group were higher than the control group ( P<0.05). The satisfaction rate of rehabilitation treatment in the observation group was higher than the control group (90.91% vs. 60.61%, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Biofeedback combined with task-oriented training can improve balance ability, spasm relieve, hand function, development level, standing and walking function in the children with spastic cerebral palsy and increase the treatment satisfaction degree of children's guardians.

The influence of stressful life events on depression among Chinese university students: Multiple mediating roles of fatalism and core self-evaluations.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have investigated the role of cognitive factors in the relationship between stressful life events and depression; however, few studies comprehensively considered cognitive and personality factors. Therefore, this study investigated the multiple mediating roles of fatalism and core self-evaluations in the relationship between stressful life events and depression. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 537 Chinese university students (Mage = 20.20, SD = 1.38) at two universities in Guizhou and Sichuan provinces. The independent variable was stressful life events; mediating variables were fatalism and core self-evaluations; and the dependent variable was extent of depression. Multiple mediation analysis was performed using the PROCESS macro in SPSS. RESULTS: Significant positive correlations were found among stressful life events, fatalism, and depression, while core self-evaluations were significantly negatively correlated with stressful life events, fatalism, and depression. After adjusting for demographic variables, stressful life events directly and positively influenced depression (ß = 0.370, 95% CI = 0.292-0.448). Fatalism and core self-evaluations played multiple mediating roles in the relationship between stressful life events and depression, with stressful life events influencing depression through three mediation pathways (total mediation effect = 0.199, 95% CI = 0.145-0.254), which accounted for 53.85% of the total effect. LIMITATIONS: The data used in this study were self-reported by university students and measureed via cross-sectional designs. CONCLUSIONS: Stressful life events can influence depression either directly or indirectly by simultaneously increasing fatalism and lowering core self-evaluations (parallel mediation) or decreasing core self-evaluations through increasing the level of fatalism (serial mediation).

[Research on quality standards of herbs of Peganum harmala].

OBJECTIVE: To establish the quality standards of the herbs of Peganum harmala. METHOD: According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2010 version, volume 1) and its appendix method, the water, total ash, acid insoluble ash, water-soluble extractives, and heavy metal were analyzed for herbs of P. harmala. TLC method was used to separate harmaline, harmine and vasicine from the herb samples by mixture of ethyl acetate-methanol-ammonia (10: 1.5: 0.5) as a developing solvent on high performance silica gel precoated plate (HSGF254) and to identify them inspected under UV 366 nm, visualized by spraying with both Dragendorff reagent, and by bioautographic assay. In the HPLC method, vasicine was separated on a C18 (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) column with metnanol-0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (15:85) as the mobile phase and detected at at 280 nm. RESULT: In the TLC procedures, 254 nm fluorescent and bioautographic assay for the detection of acetylcholinesterase inhibitor can be used for the qualitative identification of the active ingredients. For the HPLC quantitation method, the calibration curve of vasicine displayed ideal linearity over the range of 0.7923-792.3 mg x L(-1) with the regression equation of Y = 18,227X - 24.879 (r = 0.9999). The average recovery of vasicine was 101.6% with a RSD of 1.9%. The RSD values of intra-day and inter-day precision were less than 2%. The content of vasicine in 10 batches of herbs of P. harmala fluctuates between 0.23% and 1.47%. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the limit of vasicine was not lower than 0.6%, and the water, total ash, acid insoluble ash, and water-soluble extractives were not more than 10.0%, 20.0%, 1.7%, and 30.0%, respectively. The heavy metal of plumbum, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, and copper were not more than 5, 3, 2, 2, and 20 mg x kg(-1), respectively. The qualitative and quantitative method established was suitable for the quality evaluation and assessment of herbs of P. harmala.