Feelings of not Mattering and Depressive Symptoms From a Temporal Perspective: A Comparison of the Cross-Lagged Panel Model and Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model

Abstract

Are feelings of not mattering an antecedent of depressive symptoms, a consequence, or both? Most investigations focus exclusively on feelings of not mattering as an antecedent of depressive symptoms. Our current study examines a vulnerability model, a complication model, and a reciprocal relations model according to a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) and a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM). A sample of 197 community adults completed the General Mattering Scale (GMS), the Anti-Mattering Scale (AMS), and a depression measure at three time points (i.e., baseline, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks). GMS and AMS scores were associated robustly with depressive symptoms at each time point. Other results highlighted the need to distinguish levels of anti-mattering and mattering. CLPM analyses supported a reciprocal relations model of anti-mattering (assessed by the AMS) and depressive symptoms and a complication model linking mattering (assessed by the GMS) and depressive symptoms. The RI-CLPM analyses provided tentative support only for a complication model of anti-mattering and depressive symptoms. Our findings highlight the differences between measures of the mattering construct and the need to adopt a temporal perspective that considers key nuances and the interplay among feelings of mattering, feelings of not mattering, and depression.

Keywords

mattering depression reciprocal cross-lagged panel analysis random-intercept cross-lagged panel analysis longitudinal treatment

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abramson

L. Y.

Sackeim

H. A.

(1977). A paradox in depression: Uncontrollability and self-blame. Psychological Bulletin, 84(5), 838–851.

Allen

N. B.

Badcock

P. B. T.

(2003). The social risk hypothesis of depressed mood: Evolutionary, psychosocial, and neurobiological perspectives. Psychological Bulletin, 129(6), 887–913. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.6.887.

American Psychiatric Association . (2019). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) . APA.

Bagby

R. M.

Quilty

L. C.

Ryder

A. C.

(2008). Personality and depression. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 53, 14–25. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032210-104540.

Beck

A. T.

(1967). Depression: Clinical, experimental, and theoretical aspects. Harper & Row.

Beck

A. T.

(1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. International University.

Beck

A. T.

Bredemeier

(2016). A unified model of depression: Integrating clinical, cognitive, biological, and evolutionary perspectives. Clinical Psychological Science, 4(4), 596–619. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702616628523.

Besser

Flett

G. L.

Nepon

Zeigler-Hill

(2020). Personality, cognition and adaptability to the COVID-19 pandemic: Associations with loneliness, distress, and positive and negative mood states. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 18, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00421-x.

Besser

Flett

G. L.

Sherry

S. B.

Hewitt

P. L.

(2020). Are perfectionistic thoughts an antecedent or a consequence of depressive symptoms? A cross-lagged analysis of the perfectionism cognitions inventory. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 38(1), 99–111. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282919877764.

10.

Burkholder

G. J.

Harlow

L. L.

(2003). An illustration of a longitudinal cross-lagged design for larger structural equation models. Structural Equation Modeling, 10(3), 465–486. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328007SEM1003_8.

11.

Burns

R. A.

Crisp

D. A.

Burns

R. B.

(2020). Re-examining the reciprocal effects model of self-concept, self-efficacy, and academic achievement in a comparison of the cross-lagged panel and random-intercept cross-lagged panel frameworks. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(1), 77–91. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12265.

12.

Carson

R. C.

(1969). Interaction concepts of personality. Aldine.

13.

Casale

Flett

G. L.

(2020). Interpersonally-based fears during the COVID-19 pandemic: Reflections on the fear of missing out and the fear of not mattering constructs. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 17(2), 88–91.

14.

Clark

D. A.

Beck

A. T.

Alford

B. A.

(1999). Scientific foundations of cognitive theory and therapy of depression . John Wiley and Sons.

15.

Cockshaw

W. D.

Shochet

I. M.

Obst

P. L.

(2014). Depression and belongingness in general and workplace contexts: A cross-lagged longitudinal investigation. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 33(5), 448–462. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2014.33.5.448.

16.

Cohen

(1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155–159. https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-2909.112.1.155.

17.

Cole

J. C.

Rabin

A. S.

Smith

T. L.

Kaufman

A. S.

(2004). Development and validation of a Rasch-derived CES-D short form. Psychological Assessment, 16(4), 360–372. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.16.4.360.

18.

Coyne

J. C.

(1976). Toward an interactional description of depression. Psychiatry: Journal for the Study of Interpersonal Processes, 39(1), 28–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.1976.11023874.

19.

Dixon

S. K.

Robinson Kurpius

S. E.

(2008). Depression and college stress among university undergraduates: Do mattering and self-esteem make a difference? Journal of College Student Development, 49(5), 412–424. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.0.0024.

20.

Drabenstott

(2019). A matter of life and death: Integrating mattering into the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 49(4), 1006–1018. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12504.

21.

Elliott

G. C.

(2009). Family matters: The importance of mattering to family in adolescence. John Wiley & Sons.

22.

Fazio

E. M.

(2009). Sense of mattering in late life. In Avison

W. R.

Aneshenel

C. S.

Schieman

Wheaton

(Eds.), Advances in the conceptualization of the stress process: Essays in honor of Leonard I. Pearlin (pp. 149–176). Springer.

23.

Flett

G. L.

(2018). The psychology of mattering: Understanding the human need to be significant . Elsevier.

24.

Flett

G. L.

Burdo

Nepon

(2020). Mattering, insecure attachment, rumination, and self-criticism in distress among university students. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19(3), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00225-z.

25.

Flett

G. L.

Galfi-Pechenkov

Molnar

D. S.

Hewitt

P. L.

Goldstein

A. L.

(2012). Perfectionism, mattering, and depression: A meditational analysis. Personality and Individual Differences, 52(7), 828–832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.12.041.

26.

Flett

G. L.

Goldstein

A. L.

Pechenkov

I. G.

Nepon

Wekerle

(2016). Antecedents, correlates, and consequences of feeling like you don’t matter: Associations with maltreatment, loneliness, social anxiety, and the five-factor model. Personality and Individual Differences, 92, 52–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.12.014.

27.

Flett

G. L.

Nepon

(2020). Mattering versus self-esteem in university students: Associations with regulatory focus, social feedback, and psychological distress. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 38(6), 663–674. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282919890786.

28.

Flett

G. L.

Nepon

Goldberg

J. O.

Rose

A. L.

Atkey

S. K.

Zaki-Azat

(2022). The anti-mattering scale: Development, psychometric properties, and associations with wellbeing and distress measures in adolescents and emerging adults. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment.

29.

Hamaker

E. L.

(2018). How to run the RI-CLPM with Mplus. https://www.statmodel.com/download/RI-CLPM%20Hamaker%20input.pdf (Accessed 27 April 2021).

30.

Hamaker

E. L.

Kuiper

R. M.

Grasman

R. P.

(2015). A critique of the cross-lagged panel model. Psychological Methods, 20(1), 102–116. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038889.

31.

L. T.

Bentler

P. M.

(1999). Cut-off criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118.

32.

Joiner

T. E.

Jr. Van Orden

K. A.

Witte

T. K.

Selby

E. A.

Ribeiro

J. D.

Lewis

Rudd

M. D.

(2009). Main predictions of the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behavior: Empirical tests in two samples of young adults. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 118(3), 634–646. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016500.

33.

Judd

L. L.

Schettler

P. J.

Akiskal

H. S.

(2002). The prevalence, clinical relevance, and public health significance of subthreshold depressions. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 25(4), 685–698. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0193-953x(02)00026-6.

34.

Kearney

M. W.

(2018). Cross-lagged panel analysis. In Allen

(Ed.), The SAGE encyclopaedia of communication research methods (pp. 313–314). SAGE Publications, Inc.

35.

Kline

R. B.

(2015). Principles and practice of structural equation modelling (4th ed.). Guilford Publications.

36.

Lewinsohn

P. M.

(1974). A behavioural approach to depression. In Friedmann

R. J.

Katz

M. M.

(Eds.), The psychology of depression: Contemporary theory and research (pp. 157–178). John Wiley & Sons.

37.

Lewinsohn

P. M.

Hoberman

Teri

Hautzinger

(1985). An integrative theory of depression. In Reiss

Bootzin

R. R.

(Eds.), Theoretical issues in behavior therapy (pp. 331–361). Academic Press.

38.

MacDonald

K. B.

Kumar

Schermer

J. A.

(2020). No laughing matter: How humor styles relate to feelings of loneliness and not mattering. Behavioral Sciences, 10(11), 165. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10110165.

39.

Marcus

F. M.

Rosenberg

(1987, March). Mattering: Its measurement and significance in everyday life. In: Paper presented at the 57th annual Eastern sociological society meeting, Boston, Massachusetts.

40.

Marshall

S. K.

Tilton-Weaver

(2019). Adolescents’ perceived mattering to parents and friends: Testing cross-lagged associations with psychosocial well-being. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 43(6), 541–552. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025419844019.

41.

McGrath

D. S.

Sherry

S. B.

Stewart

S. H.

Mushquash

A. R.

Allen

S. L.

Nealis

L. J.

Sherry

D. L.

(2012). Reciprocal relations between self-critical perfectionism and depressive symptoms: Evidence from a short-term, four-wave longitudinal study. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science, 44(3), 169–181. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027764.

42.

McHugh Power

Hannigan

Hyland

Brennan

Kee

Lawlor

B. A.

(2020). Depressive symptoms predict increased social and emotional loneliness in older adults. Aging & Mental Health, 24(1), 110–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2018.1517728.

43.

Mulder

J. D.

Hamaker

E. L.

(2021). Three extensions of the random intercept cross- lagged panel model. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 28(4), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705511.2020.1784738.

44.

Mund

Nestler

(2019). Beyond the cross-lagged panel model: Next-generation statistical tools for analyzing interdependencies across the life course. Advances in Life Course Research, 41, 100249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2018.10.002.

45.

Mushquash

A. R.

Stewart

S. H.

Sherry

S. B.

Sherry

D. L.

Mushquash

C. J.

MacKinnon

A. L.

(2013). Depressive symptoms are a vulnerability factor for heavy episodic drinking: A short-term, four-wave longitudinal study of undergraduate women. Addictive Behaviors, 38(5), 2180–2186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.11.008.

46.

Podsakoff

P. M.

MacKenzie

S. B.

Lee

J.-Y.

Podsakoff

N. P.

(2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879.

47.

Prilleltensky

(2020). Mattering at the intersection of psychology, philosophy, and politics. American Journal of Community Psychology, 65(1-2), 16–34. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12368.

48.

Radloff

L. S.

(1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 384–401.

49.

Ribeiro

J. D.

Huang

Fox

K. R.

Franklin

J. C.

(2018). Depression and hopelessness as risk factors for suicide ideation, attempts and death: Meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. British Journal of Psychiatry, 212(3), 279–286. https://doi.org/10.1177/014662167700100306.

50.

Rosenberg

(1985). Self-concept and psychological well-being in adolescence. In Leahy

R. L.

(Ed.), The development of the self (pp. 205–246). Academic Press.

51.

Rosenberg

McCullough

B. C.

(1981). Mattering: Inferred significance and mental health among adolescents. Research in Community and Mental Health, 2, 163–182.

52.

Sacco

W. P.

Beck

A. T.

(1995). Cognitive theory and therapy. In Becker

E. E.

Leber

W. R.

(Eds.), Handbook of depression (pp. 329–351). Guilford.

53.

Sacco

W. P.

Vaughan

C. A.

(2006). Depression and the response of others: A social cognitive interpersonal process model. In Joiner

T. E.

Brown

J. S.

Kistner

(Eds.), The interpersonal, social and cognitive nature of depression (pp. 101–132). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

54.

Shahar

Davidson

(2003). Depressive symptoms erode self-esteem in severe mental illness: A three-wave, cross-lagged study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71(5), 890–900. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.71.5.890.

55.

Shannon

Flett

G. L.

Goldberg

J. O.

(2019). Feelings of not mattering, perceived stigmatization for seeking help, and help-seeking attitudes among university students. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 18(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-019-00138-6.

56.

Sheets

E. S.

Armey

M. F.

(2020). Daily interpersonal and noninterpersonal stress reactivity in current and remitted depression. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 44(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-020-10096-2.

57.

Shrout

P. E.

Bolger

(2002). Mediation in experimental and nonexperimental studies: New procedures and recommendations. Psychological Methods, 7(4), 422–445.

58.

Smith

M. M.

Sherry

S. B.

Mushquash

A. R.

Saklofske

D. H.

Gautreau

C. M.

Nealis

L. J.

(2017). Perfectionism erodes social self-esteem and generates depressive symptoms: Studying mother-daughter dyads using a daily diary design with longitudinal follow-up. Journal of Research in Personality, 71, 72–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2017.10.001.

59.

Sowislo

J. F.

Orth

(2013). Does low self-esteem predict depression and anxiety? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin, 139(1), 213–240. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028931.

60.

Taylor

McFarland

M. J.

Carr

D. C.

(2019). Age, perceptions of mattering, and allostatic load. Journal of Aging and Health, 31(10), 1830–1849. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264318795805.

61.

Taylor

Turner

R. J.

(2001). A longitudinal study of the role and significance of mattering to others for depressive symptoms. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 42(3), 310–325.

62.

Vos

Abajobir

A. A.

Abbafati

Abbas

K. M.

Abate

K. H.

Abd-Allah

Murray

C. J. L.

(2017). Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990-2016: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet, 390(10159), 1211–1259. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32279-7.

63.

World Health Organization (2017). Depression and other common mental disorders: Global health estimates. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/254610/WHO-MSD-MER-2017.2-eng.pdf (Accessed 22 April 2021).