Trajectories of Emotional Exhaustion and Their Contribution to Depression: Optimism as a Buffer in Young People
Background: In Mexico, depression is one of the main mental health problems, with university students being particularly susceptible. Recent studies have explored the relationship between emotional factors and depression in young people. Our study investigates whether optimism buffers the indirect r...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/6/656 |
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| author | Martha Cruz-Soto Emmanuel Said Baeza-Torres Luis Castañeda Pelaez Jesús Rojas Jaimes Jorge Palacios-Delgado |
| author_facet | Martha Cruz-Soto Emmanuel Said Baeza-Torres Luis Castañeda Pelaez Jesús Rojas Jaimes Jorge Palacios-Delgado |
| author_sort | Martha Cruz-Soto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: In Mexico, depression is one of the main mental health problems, with university students being particularly susceptible. Recent studies have explored the relationship between emotional factors and depression in young people. Our study investigates whether optimism buffers the indirect relationship between burnout, stress and coping in mitigating the negative effects on depressive symptoms in young university students. We hypothesized that optimism would moderate the negative impacts of stress and emotional exhaustion on depression. Methods: In total, 497 students of a university in Mexico participated (63% female and 36.6% male), ranging in age from 18 to 29. Students completed screenings for depression, emotional scales and optimism measures. Results: Emotional exhaustion and stress are direct predictors of depression. Although coping strategies did not have a direct effect, optimism mediated the relationship between stress and depression. Conclusions: These findings suggest that promoting optimism in university students could be an effective strategy to reduce depressive symptoms, especially in the context of socioemotional vulnerability. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-67b6ecf5d7914f5f828d0e9fb562732f |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-67b6ecf5d7914f5f828d0e9fb562732f2025-06-25T13:35:30ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252025-06-0115665610.3390/brainsci15060656Trajectories of Emotional Exhaustion and Their Contribution to Depression: Optimism as a Buffer in Young PeopleMartha Cruz-Soto0Emmanuel Said Baeza-Torres1Luis Castañeda Pelaez2Jesús Rojas Jaimes3Jorge Palacios-Delgado4Coordinación Nacional de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Valle de México, Av. Marina Nacional 180, Anáhuac I Secc, Miguel Hidalgo, Ciudad de México 11320, MexicoFacultad de Psicología, Universidad Tecnológica de México, Av. Marina Nacional 162, Anáhuac I Secc, Miguel Hidalgo, Ciudad de México 11320, MexicoFacultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Privada del Norte, Lima 15314, PeruFacultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Privada del Norte, Lima 15314, PeruUnidad de Investigación en Neurociencias, Facultad de Psicología, Campus Querétaro, Universidad del Valle de México, Querétaro 76230, MexicoBackground: In Mexico, depression is one of the main mental health problems, with university students being particularly susceptible. Recent studies have explored the relationship between emotional factors and depression in young people. Our study investigates whether optimism buffers the indirect relationship between burnout, stress and coping in mitigating the negative effects on depressive symptoms in young university students. We hypothesized that optimism would moderate the negative impacts of stress and emotional exhaustion on depression. Methods: In total, 497 students of a university in Mexico participated (63% female and 36.6% male), ranging in age from 18 to 29. Students completed screenings for depression, emotional scales and optimism measures. Results: Emotional exhaustion and stress are direct predictors of depression. Although coping strategies did not have a direct effect, optimism mediated the relationship between stress and depression. Conclusions: These findings suggest that promoting optimism in university students could be an effective strategy to reduce depressive symptoms, especially in the context of socioemotional vulnerability.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/6/656depressive symptomsoptimismemotional exhaustionpath model |
| spellingShingle | Martha Cruz-Soto Emmanuel Said Baeza-Torres Luis Castañeda Pelaez Jesús Rojas Jaimes Jorge Palacios-Delgado Trajectories of Emotional Exhaustion and Their Contribution to Depression: Optimism as a Buffer in Young People Brain Sciences depressive symptoms optimism emotional exhaustion path model |
| title | Trajectories of Emotional Exhaustion and Their Contribution to Depression: Optimism as a Buffer in Young People |
| title_full | Trajectories of Emotional Exhaustion and Their Contribution to Depression: Optimism as a Buffer in Young People |
| title_fullStr | Trajectories of Emotional Exhaustion and Their Contribution to Depression: Optimism as a Buffer in Young People |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trajectories of Emotional Exhaustion and Their Contribution to Depression: Optimism as a Buffer in Young People |
| title_short | Trajectories of Emotional Exhaustion and Their Contribution to Depression: Optimism as a Buffer in Young People |
| title_sort | trajectories of emotional exhaustion and their contribution to depression optimism as a buffer in young people |
| topic | depressive symptoms optimism emotional exhaustion path model |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/6/656 |
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