Search

With the development of genome sequencing, many researchers have investigated the mechanism by which the intestinal microbiota influences sleep across the brain-gut axis. However, the relationship between gut microbiota and sleep disorder remains unclear. Thus, we studied the difference in gut microbiota composition between poor sleep quality- and normal populations, which helps set the ground for future research. The recruited college students provided baseline information and stool samples and completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). We compared the two groups’ gut microbiota composition and functional differentiation by using the 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. The main bacterial difference and the most critical effect were mainly concentrated within Tenericutes and Elusimicrobia. Compared with the healthy control group, some functions of the gut microbiota were impaired in the poor sleep quality group, such as butanoate metabolism and propanoate metabolism. Bacterial taxa with significant differences raised the possibility for future diagnosis and treatment of sleep problems.

Bullying victimization is associated with an increased risk of depression among adolescents. However, few studies have examined the association between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms, the impact of particular dimensions of life satisfaction on this relationship, and whether these associations vary by gender. A multilevel model (MLM) was used to explore the relationship between 1,611 Chinese early adolescents' incidence of bullying victimization and depression and life satisfaction's effect on this relationship (60.5% boys, Mage = 12.48, SD = 0.48 at baseline). Bullying victimization was found to predict a high risk of depression in early adolescence. Further, we observed that life satisfaction mitigated the relationship between bullying victimization and depression; the MLM analysis indicated that these associations somewhat differed between genders. This study emphasized—based on ecological theory—four special dimensions of life satisfaction and bullying victimization in relation to depression risk. Additionally, this study provides novel insights into the correlation between bullying victimization and depression among Chinese early adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child maltreatment (CM) is a major global public health issue, and a strong association exists between CM and aggression. However, the underlying mechanism of this association has not been understood to date. The objective of this study was to explore the mediating role of irritability in the association between CM and aggression in Chinese early adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-report questionnaire to evaluate the levels of CM, aggression, and irritability in 5,724 middle school students from the Anhui Province, China. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesis of the mediating effect of irritability on the relationship between CM and aggression. We further investigated gender differences in this association using multiple group analyses. CM was positively related to both irritability and aggression, and irritability was positively associated with aggression (p <.01). The mediating effects of irritability between CM and aggression were significant (β =.107, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.077–0.133, p <.05). Males had a higher indirect effect size of the pathway from CM to aggression via irritability compared with females. Overall, irritability was a crucial mediator in the relationship between CM and aggression in Chinese adolescents, and males were more prone to engage in aggression compared with females through the pathway of irritability. Therefore, early irritability characteristics should be carefully monitored in adolescents, and they should be provided adequate support to acquire critical emotion regulation skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To explore the cross-sectional and longitudinal association between vitamin D and depressive symptoms across early adolescence. Methods: This longitudinal study included 1607 early adolescents [mean (s.d.) age, 12.49 years; 972 (60.5%) males] from the Chinese Early Adolescents Cohort, recruited from a middle school in Anhui Province and followed up annually (2019–2021). Serum 25(OH)D levels were measured in both 2019 and 2021. Self-reports on depression were assessed at each of three time points from 2019 to 2021. Results: In the whole sample, higher baseline serum 25(OH)D levels were linked with a lower risk of cumulative incident depression within two-year follow-ups (adjusted RR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.94–0.99) and the increasing trajectory of depression symptoms across the three waves (adjusted RR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.95–0.99). Baseline vitamin D deficiency (VDD) (adjusted RR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.10–2.05) were associated with an increased risk for the increasing trajectory of depression symptoms across the three waves. Remitted VDD was positively related to one dichotomous depression symptoms across three waves (adjusted OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.15–4.01). The above-mentioned significant association was also found in males. Additionally, baseline VDD (adjusted OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.04–2.44) and persistent VDD (adjusted OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.02–2.60) were linked to an increased risk of having two dichotomous depression symptoms only in males. Conclusions: Our results highlight a prospective association between baseline vitamin D and depression risk in early adolescents. Additionally, a male-specific association between vitamin D and depression risk was observed. Our findings support a potential beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation in reducing depression risk in early adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]